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  • Air Force focuses on sustainability for Earth Day 2014 observance

    Each year Air Force installations around the world observe Earth Day on April 22 by taking actions to support the Air Force's Earth Day theme of "Conserve Today - Secure Tomorrow."This year, Air Force activities will focus on sustainability, referring to the capacity to continue the mission without

  • Retention recommendation forms critical for ERB, QFRB eligibles

    Commanders and senior raters of enlisted Airmen slated to meet the quality force review board in May or an enlisted retention board in June must complete an AF Form 3538E, Enlisted Retention Recommendation Form, for each eligible Airman, Air Force Personnel Center officials said. Completed forms

  • Drug misuse, abuse: No excuse

    While picking up an over-the-counter medication at the local drug store or being prescribed medication by a healthcare provider are common practices for Airmen looking to get or remain healthy, misuse or abuse of any drug can be a serious problem with serious consequences.

  • Admin career field to make comeback

    A previous administrative career field will make its second debut across the Air Force in May 2014, providing support staff at all Air Force levels and eliminating a special duty echelon.

  • SecAF discusses Air Force future, budget during defense summit

    Defense industry leaders and analysts received an insight into the proposed Air Force transformation and a preview of the Fiscal Year 2015 Air Force budget during the Bloomberg Government Defense Transformation Spending and Strategy Summit Feb. 26.

  • Getting the word back home has never been easier

    The Joint Hometown News Service launched a new online submission system Feb. 17, making it easier for service members and Department of Defense civilians to publicize achievements such as promotions and decorations, to their local media outlets.

  • Communications Airmen enable Greek, US flight training

    The success of a flying-training deployment involving U.S. and Hellenic air forces here hinges on an array of variables, and one quick-response communications force is ensuring tactical messages are delivered.

  • Joint airdrop in Greece: Combined efforts key to success

    In true Greek fashion, a few select service members from the Kaiserslautern Military Community area have undertaken a momentous task. Though lacking the same Herculean strength outlined in Greek mythology, these Airmen make up for it with sheer determination and the will to succeed in their task --

  • SecAF outlines top priorities during ‘State of AF’ address

    After her second month in office, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James laid out her top three priorities as part of a “state of the Air Force” address, during the final day of the 30th annual Air Force Association Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition Feb. 21.

  • Shelton announces new space situational awareness satellite program

    The commander of Air Force Space Command announced a new satellite program during a speech about the importance of space and cyberspace at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium and Technology exposition, Feb. 21, here.General William Shelton told the audience about the new Geosynchronous

  • CSAF: Taking care of Airmen, future roadmap key to AF success

    Getting top performing Airmen promoted sooner, changing the EPR system, streamlining the enlisted and officer professional education programs and developing a roadmap for the Air Force for the next three decades were some of the topics discussed by the Air Force’s top officer during the 30th annual

  • GPS IIF-5 successfully launched from Cape Canaveral

    The U. S. Air Force officials successfully launched the fifth Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite carried aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV launch vehicle at 8:59 p.m. EST from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Feb. 20.

  • Future bomber has legacy to uphold

    With a proven history of success, today’s bomber fleet has a reputation for excellence. It is, however, an aging fleet in need of a new addition, the deputy chief of staff operations, plans and requirements said during the 30th Annual Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium and Technology

  • 2014 AFA symposium begins

    The Growing Partnerships panel kicked off this year’s Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition, Feb. 20 in Orlando Fla.

  • MAFs become ‘home away from home’ for Airmen in missile fields

    The North Dakota plains are covered with patches of slushy snow and ice along stretches of long, winding gravel roads leading to local farms and other agricultural communities. Some of these rocky paths make their way to large buildings surrounded by tall steel fences topped with razor-sharp barbed

  • As utility costs double, AF attorneys fight back

    The smart use of energy and water saves the Air Force money, but a decreasing demand has not overcome an increasing price. While facility energy use has decreased 37 percent since 1999, costs have increased 100 percent.

  • Next-generation mobility solutions beginning

    The initial rollout of modernized commercial mobile technologies, or CMT, has begun across the Air Force.The rollout will focus on BlackBerry replacement and executive users while the distribution process will be focused on enabling approximately 5,000 iOS devices.

  • SecAF: Future force in ready, capable hands

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James said Feb. 14 that visits to the Air Force Academy and to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, have given her faith in the Air Force's future.

  • AF and Israeli Defense Force surgeons general sign agreement

    The surgeon general of the Air Force and his counterpart in the Israeli Defense Force signed an agreement Feb. 5 in Israel to reaffirm their mutual commitment to collaboration between the Air Force Medical Service and the IDF Medical Corps.

  • Security forces members receive nuclear-focused breacher training

    About 100 miles northeast of the base here, the Nuclear Security Combat Training Center at Camp Guernsey, Wyo., provides advanced tactics and marksmanship training for security forces members who guard and secure the Air Force’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile force.

  • Former Marine military working dog finds new life in the AF

    The passion and love between military working dogs and handlers is part of the job, but not always evident. However, for Senior Airman Samantha Baker and her partner for the past four months, military working dog Penny, the two are often seen walking around the base together.

  • US pilots share skies with former Portuguese classmates

    Two Air Force captains sat in the 301st Fighter Squadron, one of two Portuguese F-16 Fighting Falcon squadrons at Monte Real Air Base, Portugal, while reminiscing about their days at Undergraduate Pilot Training in Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas.

  • NCO uses 'first responder' skills to save lives

    On Jan. 29, while on leave, Tech. Sgt. Shane Buss, 47th Flying Training Wing Equal Opportunity acting director was called upon to help rescue two civilians after their truck lost control and crashed near Pinto Creek on the west side of Bracketville, Texas.

  • 'Backbone' of Real Thaw 14 pushes through final week of exercise

    Whether loading training munitions by day or turning wrenches at night, maintainers from the 31st Fighter Wing are continuing to support the 555th Fighter Squadron during their inaugural participation in Real Thaw 14, an international exercise hosted by the Portuguese air force here.

  • AF announces ‘pro-gear’ policy change

    Air Force officials recently announced changes to the Department of Defense’s policy on transporting member’s professional books, papers and equipment, or PBP&E, shipped in household goods during permanent change of station moves. Known as “pro-gear,” the new PBP&E policy impacts orders issued on or

  • Airmen train Marines on aircraft refueling

    Marines from the 9th Engineer Support Battalion at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, are participating in a six-month field exchange program here with Airmen from the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron.

  • From Cuba to America and beyond through music

    Esteban-Nunez emigrated to the U.S. from the Republic of Cuba with his mother when he was 15. His life has taken him on a journey from that island nation to America, and most recently to Europe as a member of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band. Throughout this transition, a constant has remained --

  • Detecting spice: research continues at the Academy

    The Navy has a promotional campaign warning against spice; the Army has allowed commanders to order mandatory drug-testing for the first time; and Airmen at the Air Force Drug Testing Laboratory are working to find ways to detect the substance in service members.

  • Training at Tuskegee: Turning dreams into reality

    Training young men to be the first African American pilots in the military was a history-making event for the handful of trainers and leaders at the Tuskegee Institute. Creating an airfield from the ground up, the "Tuskegee experiment" led the way for desegregation of the military less than a decade

  • Training key to missileer readiness

    Pulling 24-hour alerts across the 341st Missile Wing's 13,800-square mile missile complex is an around-the-clock responsibility. Missileers here support the Air Force's nuclear deterrence and assurance mission at the wing's 15 launch control centers and missile alert facilities.

  • Behind the scenes look shows AFGSC Airmen at work

    In the nearly six decades since the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missile system was first conceived in the late 1950s, the weapon system has evolved to meet new challenges and assume new missions. Staff Sgt. David Clark takes us to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and introduces us to the

  • New AC-130J completes first test flight

    After more than a year of modification maintenance, the newly created AC-130J Ghostrider took to the sky for the first time as a gunship here Jan. 31.

  • Knowledge is power: Cadet, Academy works to end human trafficking

    In 2005, the Defense Department implemented a national initiative against human trafficking, requiring annual Combating Trafficking in Persons awareness training for all military members on how to combat labor trafficking, sex trafficking and child soldiering.

  • POW receives medal seven decades later

    For a former U.S. Army Air Force veteran, a seven-decade long wait ended when Col. James C. Hodges, the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and 87th Air Base Wing commander here, presented the former prisoner of war the POW Medal for services during World War II, Jan. 27, 2014, in the presence of

  • Air Force introduces Volume 8 of Portraits in Courage

    The Air Force released its eighth volume of Portraits in Courage, highlighting three teams and thirteen Airmen for their honor, valor, devotion and selfless sacrifice in the face of extreme danger to themselves and others.

  • DOD electronic health records help VA disability claims

    The Defense Department has made troops' health records electronically available to the Veterans Affairs Department to speed up the adjudication of disability claims, a DOD health information technology official said.

  • AF to replace aviator locator beacons

    The Air Force will replace thousands of unreliable aircraft personnel locator beacons across the fleet, a service official said Jan. 16, here.

  • Real Thaw 14 kicks off in Portugal

    Approximately 260 Airmen from the 31st Fighter Wing arrived in Monte Real Air Base, Portugal, in support of Real Thaw 14 -- a two-week close air support exercise hosted by the Portuguese air force.

  • AF Space Command adds new antennas

    The 50th Space Wing here earned operational acceptance for four of its remote tracking station antennas from Air Force Space Command Jan. 29, signaling the start of full operations for the Air Force's newest satellite communication assets.

  • AF radar controllers unplug from Kyrgyzstan

    The 376th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron radar air traffic control liaison positions deactivated here Jan. 31, after 10 years of safely sequencing and separating aircraft.

  • Deployed civilians exemplify total force, support Airmen

    Two civilian contracting specialists with the 380th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron volunteered to deploy and gave two active-duty service members the opportunity to remain home with their families during the holidays.

  • SecDef makes surprise calls to Malmstrom AFB officers

    Flying back to Washington D.C., from the Munich Security Conference aboard an E-4B aircraft, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made a series of surprise phone calls to six officers currently pulling alert in three of the 341st Missile Wing's launch control centers

  • Don’t mourn in black, travel well

    In her deep blue eyes, you not only see the sadness, you can feel the grief of her soul. The agony comes from losing her husband, retired Master Sgt. Chuck Dearing, to cancer last year. But in a flash, those blue eyes dance and what you see isn't that grief, it's love -- intense, raw love.

  • Hagel ends Poland trip with U.S., Polish airmen

    Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spent the last afternoon of his first official visit to Poland by stopping at an air base where U.S. and Polish airmen work side by side, and later at a historic church where his great grandparents were married in 1882.

  • Official discusses Chinese air force, missile trends

    U.S. intelligence officials visiting Capitol Hill Jan. 30 reported to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on the steady progress made by the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and the implications of that development to the United States.

  • Senior airman doubles as U.S. National Netball player

    A senior airman assigned to the 81st Medical Support Squadron logistics flight here recently returned from an international netball tournament in Singapore. Alisi Taka, a medical material technician, is a member of the U.S. National Netball Team. Taka joined seven other women in the six-country

  • Delivering heroes home

    Members of the 721st Aerial Port Squadron, handle the delivery and shipment of everything from munitions, aircraft parts, medical supplies, ration pallets to registered mail. Even though they handle many high priority items, their most important job is also their hardest -- not because of the weight

  • Reserve offers opportunities to continue AF career

    Airmen who don't want to hang up their uniforms for good during the current period of force management, may find rewarding career opportunities in the Air Force Reserve, recruiting officials said recently.

  • Weapons Airmen bring bombs to fight

    The chill in the morning air and the dark before dawn didn’t deter the Airmen from the 366th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron as they prepared training munitions for aircraft participating in combat exercise Red Flag 14-1 here. By providing realistic combat training in a contested, degraded and

  • Super Bowl preparations include air defense exercise

    Fighter jets from the Continental United States North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, also known as CONR, along with the command’s interagency partners, are preparing to protect the sky around MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the site of Super Bowl XLVIII Feb. 2.

  • Red Flag returns to Nevada

    The latest iteration of the Air Force's premier air-to-air combat training exercise kicked off Jan. 27 as allied and U.S aircraft launched to simulate battle in the sky over the Nevada Test and Training Range.

  • EOD Airman saves life while deployed to Papua New Guinea

    (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.) Imagine sitting in a hotel lobby of a foreign country, when suddenly, a scream for help echoes from a dark parking lot outside. Without hesitation, you

  • MyICP gives military spouses new career planning tool

    Military spouses who need guidance on education and careers have a new online tool at their fingertips, a program analyst for the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, known as SECO, said in an interview last week.

  • AF lays to rest an ‘American hero’

    Friends, family members, political leaders, former prisoners of war and service members paid their respects as an Air Force Ace was interred at Arlington National Cemetery Jan. 23.

  • Air Force's top leaders visit Global Strike bases

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody recently completed visits to Air Force Global Strike Command bases.

  • 45th Space Wing supports successful NASA launch

    The U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing provided flawless Eastern Range support for NASA's successful launch of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-L mission aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41 here at 9:33 p.m. Jan. 23.

  • Two deployed friends combine 78 years of AF service

    Two Airmen with the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, have both been turning wrenches on jet engines longer than most people in the Air Force have been alive.

  • Father and son share A-10 legacy

    Already anxious about the first day of high school football practice, a young junior donned his gear and was calmed as he looked to the sidelines to see his father there watching. For the junior, a life of uncertainty and unfamiliarity was something he was used to. The next day his father, an A-10C

  • CJCS' top enlisted advisor speaks to DOD initiatives

    On the cusp of one of Minot Air Force Base's most demanding inspections this year, Airmen here welcomed the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia.

  • DOD releases new religious accommodation instruction

    The Defense Department released a new instruction Jan. 22 that details its updated policy on making religious accommodations requested by service members, Pentagon spokesman Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nathan J. Christensen said.

  • CHIEFchat: CMSAF talks about force management, EPRs

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody addressed upcoming changes to enlisted performance reports and effects of force management during his 2nd worldwide CHIEFchat at Defense Media Activity here Jan. 9. CHIEFchat is a recurring initiative, designed to give Airmen around the world a

  • Recruiting on track, but officials worry about future

    Military recruiting is going well today, but economic and demographic changes will make the environment more difficult in the future, said Vee Penrod, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military personnel policy.

  • TRICARE ends walk-in admin services at 189 facilities

    TRICARE military health plan service centers will end administrative walk-in services in the U.S. on April 1, Pentagon officials said Jan. 13. While the 189 facilities will stop taking walk-ins, beneficiaries can accomplish any administrative task online or by phone, said Pentagon spokesman Army

  • Hurricane Hunters transition from tropical gales to arctic blasts

    Maintaining constant awareness of what storm systems are doing is a concerted effort between the National Weather Service and the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron here, also known as the Hurricane Hunters. Each year, to combat the persistent threat of winter storms, the 53rd WRS fly out over the