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U.S. Air Force News

  • Air Force announces selections to lieutenant colonel

    The Air Force selected 161 majors for promotion to lieutenant colonel in the CY04A Medical Service Corps and Nurse Corps Central selection boards.Those selected will be notified April 27 by their commander. The entire list will be posted on the Air Force Personnel Center Web site at

  • Air Force announces selections to major

    The 2007A line of the Air Force, biomedical sciences corps, nurse corps and medical service corps central selection board selected 2,535 captains for promotion. The complete select list is available on the Air Force Personnel Center public Web site. The board considered 3,138 captains for promotion.

  • Air Force announces selections to senior master sergeant

    The Air Force has selected 1,303 master sergeants for promotion to senior master sergeant. The promotion list will be publicly released at 8 a.m. CST March 8, and the complete list should be available by 5 p.m. CST on the Air Force Personnel Center Web site at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/eprom/. The

  • Air Force announces selections to senior master sergeant

    Air Force officials selected 1,535 master sergeants for promotion to senior master sergeant. The promotion list will be publicly released March 9 at 9 a.m. CST, and the complete list should be available by 5 p.m. CST on the Air Force Personnel Center Web site at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/eprom/. The

  • Air Force announces significant changes to Aviation Bonus Program

    As part of its retention efforts, the Air Force released details on the fiscal year 2017 Aviation Bonus Program (AvB) June 5, 2017. This year’s program implements an increase in maximum bonus amounts authorized in the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act in addition to more flexibility in

  • Air Force announces Spark Tank 2020 selectees

    Spark Tank also offers Airmen the opportunity to get their ideas in front of key enabling agencies that can share expertise and resources such as funding or personnel for the projects being presented and demonstrate pathways for intrapreneurs to make their initiatives successful.

  • Air Force announces Spark Tank 2022 semifinalists

    A panel of nearly 30 subject matter experts from across the Department of the Air Force met Nov. 16, 2021 at the Basic Research Innovation and Collaboration Center in Arlington and via a virtual teleconferencing platform to conduct the Spark Tank 2022 quarterfinals.

  • Air Force announces Spark Tank finalists

    The Air Force announced the six Spark Tank finalists who will showcase their innovative ideas to Air Force senior leaders Feb. 23, 2018, in Orlando, Florida, at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium.

  • Air Force announces staff sergeant promotion rate

    The Air Force has selected 14,614 of 36,405 eligible senior airmen for promotion to staff sergeant, a 40.14-percent selection rate. The rate dropped slightly from last year.The Air Force will release the promotion list at 9 a.m. CDT on Aug. 10. The complete list of selectees will be posted online

  • Air Force announces staff sergeant promotions

    The Air Force has selected 13,298 of 37,071 eligible senior airmen for promotion to staff sergeant, a 35.87 percent selection rate. The Air Force will release the promotion list at 9 a.m. CDT on Aug. 9. The complete list of selectees will be posted online at http://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil  by 5

  • Air Force announces team excellence awards

    Air Force officials have announced the five teams selected for the 2006 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Awards. The awards recognize teams that used a systematic approach to enhance mission capability, improve operational performance and create sustained results. Improvements made by the five award

  • Air Force announces team-excellence awards

    Air Force officials announced the five teams chosen for the 2005 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Awards. The Air Force nominated 15 teams for the awards, which recognize outstanding team performance and promote systematic process improvement. The awards also serve as a means to share best practices

  • Air Force announces team-excellence awards

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper announced the five teams selected for 2004 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Awards during a ceremony Sept 14.Fifteen teams were nominated for the awards, which recognize outstanding team performance and promote systematic process improvement. The awards

  • Air Force announces team-excellence awards

    Five teams have been recently selected for the 2007 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Awards during a Sept. 25 ceremony in Washington, D.C. Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, the Air Force vice chief of staff, recognized the teams for their use of a systematic approach to enhance mission capability, improve

  • Air Force announces the 12 Outstanding Airmen for 2022

    Air Force officials have selected the service’s top enlisted members, naming the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2022. The board selected the Airmen based on superior leadership, job performance and personal achievements. 

  • Air Force announces the 12 Outstanding Airmen of 2019

    An Air Force selection board at the Air Force’s Personnel Center considered 36 nominees who represented major commands, direct reporting units, field operating agencies and Headquarters Air Force. The board selected the 12 Airmen based on superior leadership, job performance and personal

  • Air Force announces Thrift Savings Plan open season

    Civilian and military employees can sign up for, or change, their Thrift Savings Plan contribution amounts during the open season April 15 to June 30."TSP is a long-term retirement savings plan which everyone should consider," said Senior Master Sgt. Felipe Ortiz, superintendent of the Air Force

  • Air Force announces top athletes of the year

    Department of the Air Force fitness and sports programs, like the Athlete of the Year Program, emphasize the importance of mission success through sustained dedication and hard work, and the importance of maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle.

  • Air Force announces top civil engineer units

    The Air Force has announced the winners of the 2005 Society of American Military Engineers Maj. Gen. Robert H. Curtin Award. The award is presented annually to the top Air Force civil engineer unit in three categories. The winner in the small unit category is the 314th Civil Engineer Squadron,

  • Air Force announces top recruiters for 2006

    Twelve Air Force recruiters garnered top honors in their field for fiscal year 2006 as winners of Operation Blue Suit XXVIII, Air Force Recruiting Service officials announced Dec. 18. The winners include:-- Master Sgt. Richard Cuddeford, 343rd Recruiting Squadron at Offutt AFB, Neb.-- Tech. Sgt.

  • Air Force announces top recruiters for 2007

    Fourteen Air Force recruiters were named tops in their field for fiscal 2007 by Air Force Recruiting Service officials here Jan. 14. The Air Force Blue Suit recruiters for 2007 are: -- Master Sgt. Russell Benigno of the 337th Recruiting Squadron at Fayetteville, N.C., -- Master Sgt. Brian Clark of

  • Air Force announces transportation awards

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 U.S. Air Force Transportation Awards.Unit winners include:-- Vehicle maintenance unit: 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-- Vehicle operations unit: 86th LRS, Ramstein AB, Germany.-- Combat readiness

  • Air Force announces Vanguard PEOs

    Vanguard programs will rapidly advance emerging weapon systems and warfighting concepts through prototyping and experimentation.

  • Air Force applies new EPA guidance

    The Air Force will apply new Environmental Protection Agency guidance for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to its ongoing effort to determine if water supplies at its U.S. installations and in local communities are at risk for contamination.

  • Air Force approves Afghanistan, Iraqi campaign medals

    Air Force officials have authorized Airmen to wear the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Iraqi Campaign Medal.The Department of Defense campaign medals apply to active-duty Airmen, reservists and guardsmen deployed on or after Oct. 24, 2001, for Operation Enduring Freedom and March 19, 2003, for

  • Air Force approves humanitarian medal for OEF

    The Air Force has authorized the Humanitarian Service Medal for certain people who supported Operation Enduring Freedom.During the operation, hundreds of Airmen participated in packaging and delivering nearly 2.5 million individual human daily rations that were air-dropped to beleaguered Afghans.The

  • Air Force approves RPA initiatives

    The Air Force recently approved two initiatives for the remotely piloted aircraft career field. First, eight RPA reconnaissance squadrons will be redesignated as attack squadrons. Second, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III authorized RPA aircrews to log combat time when flying an

  • Air Force approves Turkey incentive pay

    Active-duty Airmen assigned to Turkey between Aug. 29, 2016, and Dec. 31, 2018, may be eligible for the secretary of the Air Force-approved Turkey Assignment Incentive Pay.Airmen may apply for TAIP at three points in time: prior to departing their losing station, within 30 days of arrival in Turkey,

  • Air Force architects receive leadership excellence award

    The Air Force Enterprise Architecting Division was recognized for excellence in leadership and results during the EA 2010 Conference and Exhibition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center here Sept 8.Air Force EA Division Chief Col. David Geuting accepted the 2010 Excellence in EA Award from

  • Air Force armada all about the ammo

    Not many people know the Air Force has a navy. Ask the typical Airman if he can name even one of the service's ships and he would most likely shrug and say, "Ship? We don't have ships. We fly airplanes." But the fact is the Air Force does have ships. Called the Afloat Pre-positioned Fleet, the

  • Air Force Art Program highlights Reserve Airmen

    Lt. Gen. James Jackson, the chief of Air Force Reserve, and Maj. Warren Neary, the Air Force Space Command historian, presented two pieces of art depicting Reserve Airmen in operational roles to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, June 20.

  • Air Force artist depicts C-17 in 'Waikiki Sunrise'

    When the "Spirit of Hawaii Ke Aloha" landed on the flightline here in February 2006, it symbolized a new era in airlift for the Pacific. That first jet has since been joined by seven others, comprising the first C-17 Globemaster III squadron based outside the continental United States. Artist Keith

  • Air Force artist shows work

    At work, Master Sgt. Jeffery Kunkle is the quality assurance inspector for the 725th Air Mobility Squadron here. To friends and family, he is an aspiring artist. Sergeant Kunkle has been drawing since he was 8 years old, and recently showed his work at Peña Chuscho, a local art gallery located in

  • Air Force arts, crafts program kicks off

    Artists, craftsmen and photographers from across the Air Force have greater options to display their work through the 2012 U.S. Air Force Arts and Crafts Gallery program, which kicked off Oct 1.The cultural art program, which recognizes and showcases works in an online gallery, encompasses a new

  • Air Force assessing performance feedback program

    Air Force officials are field testing a new performance feedback worksheet to assess how supervisors interact and provide feedback to their Airmen. The Airman Comprehensive Assessment worksheet is designed to increase supervisor awareness of activities affecting their Airmen and better facilitate

  • Air Force asset used to assess damage, needs

    After a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the capitol of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, last week leaving severe structural damage and an unknown death toll, the Air Force was tasked to provide imagery through the use of an observation aircraft.The OC-135B Open Skies, belonging to Air Combat

  • Air Force Assistance Fund is just around the corner

    The annual Air Force Assistance Fund, or AFAF, campaign will begin March 18 and will run through April 26.“The Air Force Assistance Fund campaign is a way to give back to the Air Force community by supporting organizations that benefit both current Airmen and their families, as well as the families

  • Air Force Assistance Fund 2007 campaign begins Feb. 12

    This year's Air Force Assistance Fund "Commitment to Caring" campaign, from Feb. 12 to May 4, will provide Airmen the opportunity to contribute to any of the four official Air Force charitable organizations. Now in its 34th year, 100-percent of designated AFAF contributions will benefit active-duty,

  • Air Force Assistance Fund campaign begins Feb. 13

    This year's Air Force Assistance Fund "Commitment to Caring" campaign, from Feb. 13 to May 5, will provide Airmen the opportunity to contribute to any of the four official Air Force charitable organizations. Now in its 33rd year, 100 percent of designated AFAF contributions will benefit active-duty,

  • Air Force Assistance Fund campaign begins Feb. 16

    The Air Force Assistance Fund "Commitment to Caring" campaign runs Feb. 16 to May 7, asking airmen to contribute to any of four Air Force-related charities. The charities benefit active-duty, Reserve, Guard, retired Air Force people, surviving spouses and families. This is the 31st year of the fund

  • Air Force Assistance Fund campaign ends May 1

    This year's Air Force Assistance Fund "Commitment to Caring" campaign, from Feb. 9 to May 1, provides Airmen the opportunity to contribute to any of the four official Air Force charitable organizations. Now in its 36th year, 100 percent of designated AFAF contributions benefit active-duty, Reserve,

  • Air Force Assistance Fund campaign ends May 4

    There is still time for Airmen to make a contribution to the Air Force Assistance Fund campaign, which began Feb. 12 and ends May 4. As of April 15, this year's AFAF campaign is $2.2 million short of its $5.7 million goal. Last year, Airmen exceeded the campaign goal of $5.3 million with more than

  • Air Force Assistance Fund campaign kicks off Feb. 14

    The Air Force Assistance Fund "Commitment to Caring" campaign runs Feb. 14 to May 6. Program officials invite Airmen to contribute to any of the Air Force’s four official charitable organizations.The charities benefit active-duty, Reserve, Guard, retired servicemembers, surviving spouses and

  • Air Force Assistance Fund changes lives

    When hard times come, Airmen should not hesitate to ask for help. One Lajes Field Airmen was in need so he turned to the Air Force Aid Society. Senior Airmen Matthew Reindl works in the 65th Air Base Wing Finance Office by day, and is a husband and father of three by night. "Since we've been here at

  • Air Force assists in Darfur troop movement

    Airmen from the 786th Air Expeditionary Squadron, along with two C-17 Globemaster IIIs and aircrews from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., provided airlift for 400 Rwandan soldiers Oct. 20 who are supporting the African Union peacekeeping mission in the Darfur region of Sudan. This is the seventh

  • Air Force assists in historic final transfer of Iraq's airspace

     With the Air Force's assistance, Iraq now has full air traffic control responsibility for the country's airspace for the first time since 2003.The Air Force transferred management of the Baghdad and Joint Base Balad Airspace sector to the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority Oct. 1. With this historic

  • Air Force assists Japanese senior enlisted development

    Fifth Air Force and U.S. Forces Japan Nov. 29 served as host to a 17-member delegation of senior enlisted leaders from the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force interested in learning best practices and improving its enlisted force development. Chief Master Sgt. James Roy, the command chief for U.S.

  • Air Force Association begins 2005 conference

    The Air Force Association's 2005 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition opened here Sept. 12.The conference features three days of workshops focused on professional requirements, networking and dialogue among active-duty and reserve-component Airmen, civilians, retirees and industry

  • Air Force Association conference under way

    The top Air Force leaders helped kick off the Air Force Association's annual Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition here with a ceremony honoring the association's history and contributions to the service, as well as remembering those currently serving in today's force. Secretary of the

  • Air Force Association honors AFMC during conference

    Air Force Association officials presented awards to six individuals and one team from Air Force Materiel Command during AFA's 24th Annual Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition. The conference took place Sept. 15-17 in Washington, D.C. The commander of AFMC, Gen. Bruce Carlson was

  • Air Force Association honors Doolittle Raiders, Tuskegee Airmen

    Several members of the Doolittle Raiders and original Tuskegee Airmen were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from Air Force Association officials Sept. 16 at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. During a special dinner at the 2009 Air Force Association Air & Space Conference and Technology

  • Air Force Association names 2006 Aerospace Award winners

    The winners of the 2006 Air Force Association Aerospace Awards have been announced. The AFA-sponsored awards recognized the following Air Force units, civilian employees and military personnel:The Theodore Von Karman Award, for the most outstanding contribution to national defense in the field of

  • Air Force Association’s 2004 conference opens

    Touting America’s superior air and space force, the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition opened here Sept. 13.Under the theme “Professional Development for the Total Force,” the conference features three days of workshops focused on furthering the potential

  • Air Force assures F-22 readiness following extensive testing

    Following months of life support systems components testing in the F-22 Raptor, officials have "determined with confidence" the source of previously unexplained physiological incidents, the director of operations for the Air Force's Air Combat Command said July 31 at a Pentagon news

  • Air Force astronaut dies

    Retired Col. Gordon Cooper, the NASA astronaut who piloted the sixth and last flight of the Mercury program and later commanded Gemini 5, died Oct. 4 at his home in Ventura, Calif. He was 77 years old. The youngest of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Colonel Cooper's flight in his Faith 7

  • Air Force astronaut reflects on 23 years of service

    After more than 23 years of service, Pamela Melroy is finishing her Air Force career with a splash. The Air Force colonel spent her last day before retirement, Jan. 31, undergoing water survival training at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Neutral Buoyancy Lab. But as she

  • Air Force athlete earns silver medal at Olympic Trials

    U.S. Air Force Academy record-holder Dana Pounds placed second in the javelin throw in the finals of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials June 30 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Posting a distance of 189 feet 9 inches, Pounds finished just two feet behind the meet's winner, but despite the second-place

  • Air Force athlete takes javelin title

    With a career-best matching toss, former Air Force standout Dana Pounds claimed a gold medal June 22 at the 2007 ATT USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships here. In addition, freshman Sara Neubauer picked up a third-place finish in the discus at the Finish Line USA Junior National Championships.

  • Air Force athlete wins Brazil World Cup

    Michael Herman, an Air Force World-Class Athlete and first alternate to the 2004 USA Olympic Shooting Team, won the 2004 Brazil World Cup.The championship event was held in Americana, Brazil, May 29 to June 7. It included 53 top shooters worldwide as they made their final preparations for the 2004

  • Air Force athletes discuss world class program during roundtable

    Two of the Air Force's top athletes fielded questions during a Department of Defense blogger's roundtable on opening day of the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 17, in Washington D.C.Capt. Seth Kelsey and Maj. (Dr.) James Bales answered questions from

  • Air Force attends FBI training

    Explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD, technicians from nearby Hickam Air Force Base are attending FBI training here. The 79th large vehicle bomb post blast investigator’s course teaches attendees how to increase their ability to respond, investigate and collect evidence. Four FBI instructors and a

  • Air Force attorney assists Haitian orphans, relief efforts

    Along with sending medicine, food and teams to operate the airfield within hours of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti, Air Force officials also sent in an unlikely, but most valuable asset: a lawyer.Military lawyers, such as Lt. Col. Randon Draper, 18th Air Force Legal Office here, assist commanders

  • Air Force Audit Agency to work under new personnel system

    Nonbargaining unit employees of the Air Force Audit Agency here will become the first employees here to work under the long-awaited National Security Personnel System April 30. While Wright-Patterson, in general, isn't slated to roll out NSPS until January, NSPS officials said they will watch the

  • Air Force authorizes Berlin Airlift streamers

    Nearly 60 years after the operation, Air Force units involved in the Berlin Airlift are now authorized a new streamer to add to their unit guidons. “A question was raised to Dick Anderegg (the Air Force historian) a couple months ago if the Berlin Airlift was a campaign, and if so, do we have a

  • Air Force automates training records process

    Airmen in logistics career fields soon will have access to an online tool that takes an Airman's training records out of a desk drawer and makes them available through a desktop computer. The automated training records and management application, called "Training Business Area," or TBA, on the Air

  • Air Force Auxiliary provides aerial support to tornado-ravaged South

    In an effort to assist those affected by the tornadoes that swept through the Southeast U.S. last week, the Civil Air Patrol -- the Air Force Auxiliary -- is flying over areas with major devastation to assist first responders and state and local officials as they assess the damage to the region.CAP

  • Air Force aviator strengthens U.S.-Japan friendship, ties

    An Air Force exchange pilot is strengthening bilateral ties and friendship between U.S. and Japanese military forces here. Capt. Justin Fletcher, an F-15 Eagle pilot, said that being assigned at the picturesque Japanese base located south of Tokyo is one of the most interesting and challenging jobs

  • Air Force avoiding Draconian measures while shaping force

    The Air Force will try to avoid "adverse consequences" while reducing its end strength during the next few years. During testimony before the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on total force, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for personnel discussed the service's plans for force

  • Air Force awarded 'best of best' for ozone sustainment

    The Air Force received the Best-of-the-Best Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award for outstanding leadership in stratospheric ozone protection from the United Nations Environmental Programme and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The award was part of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the

  • Air Force awarded for energy savings

    The Air Force was announced as the recipient of almost half of the U.S. Department of Energy Federal Energy Management Program's 2011 Federal Energy and Water Management Awards earned by Department of Defense entities, and a quarter of awards overall. The awards are scheduled to be presented during

  • Air Force awarded top honors for excellence in public relations

    The U.S. Air Force received top honors June 3 at the Public Relations Society of America's annual Silver Anvil Awards Ceremony at the Equitable Tower in New York City. This is the first time the Air Force has received the PRSA's most esteemed, "Best of Silver Anvil" Award, recognized as the civilian

  • Air Force awards $1.4 million contract to Virginia firm

    The Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate awarded a $1,465,002 contract Nov. 13 to Active Computing Inc. of Herndon, Va. The three-year agreement, "Assessing and Operationalizing COORDINATORs," is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, of Arlington, Va.,

  • Air Force awards $14M to 2010 Young Investigators Research Program

    The Air Force Office of Scientific Research announced it will award more than $14 million in grants to 38 scientists and engineers who submitted winning research proposals through the Air Force's Young Investigator Research Program. The YIP is open to scientists and engineers at research

  • Air Force awards $365 million Secondary Power Logistics Solution contract

    Officials from the U.S. Air Force and Honeywell International Inc. signed a new eight-year, $365 million extension to the Secondary Power Logistics Solution contract to provide logistics and depot support for F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft.This extension builds on Increment I of the SPLS contract,

  • Air Force awards $739M launch service contracts

    The U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office, awarded two Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launch service contracts Feb. 19.

  • Air Force awards $960 million in small business IT contracts

    The Air Force is announcing the award of 12 contracts worth up to $960 million that will make it quicker and easier for the warfighter to obtain innovative information technology services and capabilities covering the full spectrum of operations and missions.The Air Force's Network Centric

  • Air Force awards 10 university research teams $60 million

    The Air Force Office of Scientific Research here announced in April plans to fund 10 awards totaling about $60 million over five years to 29 academic institutions to perform multidisciplinary basic research. The award is the result of the fiscal 2007 competition AFOSR conducted under the Department

  • Air Force awards CRAF contracts worth $2.3 billion

    Headquarters Air Mobility Command has awarded its annual contracts that support the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, worth $2.3 billion in fiscal 2007.Civilian airlines contractually commit to the CRAF to support Department of Defense airlift requirements in emergencies when the need for airlift