NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Ice bridge closes gap to range complex

    From the first day the Tanana River in Alaska is frozen enough to walk on, Airmen from the Eielson Air Force Base’s 354th Civil Engineer Squadron’s range maintenance shop drill holes, pump water and let it freeze, layer after layer.

  • Grand Forks officer selected for Mansfield Fellowship Program

    An officer with the 348th Reconnaissance Squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota will soon be making his way from the Land of the Sunflake to the Land of the Rising Sun after being accepted for one of the world's most prestigious international fellowship programs.

  • Putting the ‘combat’ in combat communications

    Airmen from the 644th Combat Communications Squadron recently exercised their abilities to respond to various scenarios during contingency operations such as emergency response, self-aid and buddy care, and force protection, while demonstrating combat skills at the Andy South annex near Andersen Air

  • OSI agents committed to the challenge

    To a select group of special agents assigned to Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 212 at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, it is an honor to commit their time as peace-keepers of the Air Force.

  • Dreams come true for Italian Airman

    Sono un aviatore Americano. When translated, these words represent the bridge between two disparate lives for Dimas Bernacchia -- the life of an Italian immigrant and the life of an American Airman.

  • CSAF visits Aviano

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Ms. Heidi H. Grant, the deputy under secretary of the Air Force, international affairs, and Mrs. Betty Welsh visited Airmen and their families Dec. 22, at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

  • Luke returns F-16Ds to flight after longeron repair

    Aircraft maintainers at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona and Hill AFB, Utah, have been working on getting F-16D Fighting Falcons back into the air since mid-October and are nearing completion of repairs on 32 of Luke's F-16D aircraft .

  • Son flies in father's footsteps

    Some sons walk in their father's footsteps, while others fly in them. This was recently the case for Capt. Taylor Wight, an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot, flew a Weapons Systems Evaluation Program mission with his father, Col. Al Wimmer,an F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot.

  • ‘NORAD Tracks Santa’: Bringing him to a home near you

    Santa will be traveling around the world Dec. 24, delivering presents to all the girls and boys. To help keep tabs on Santa, North American Aerospace Defense Command, including Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR), Continental U.S. NORAD Region and Canadian NORAD Region, will track him across the globe to

  • Australian F-35 lands at new home

    The first Royal Australian air force F-35A Lightning II arrived at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona Dec. 18, marking the first international partner to arrive for training.

  • CSAF visits Al Udeid

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III met with Airmen and answered their questions about current Air Force issues during a visit Dec. 14, to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

  • Two C-17 squadrons to be inactivated over next two years

    Air Mobility Command will inactivate two C-17 Globemaster III squadrons during the next two years - one at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, and one at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington - based on the President's Defense Budget for fiscal year 2015.

  • Eagle flies home: Airman receives a native name

    Capt. Myles Morales, the 336th Recruiting Squadron support flight commander, traveled approximately 1,700 miles to Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota, to receive one of the most distinguished decorations in his Native American culture: a name.

  • Altitude chamber takes its last breath

    For more than 50 years, aircrew at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, have shared a common physical experience; they all have felt the effects of rapid depressurization inside a hypobaric chamber.

  • Coalition partnerships key in Operation Inherent Resolve

    At the forward headquarters of U.S. Air Forces Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, U.S. Airmen work closely with their counterparts from 14 nations as they plan and carry out daily air operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

  • Charleston maintenance groups earn Daedalian trophy

    The C-17 Globemaster III maintainers from the 437th and 315th Maintenance Groups at Joint Base, Charleston, have once again demonstrated that they are the cream of the crop, earning the 2014 Clements McMullen Memorial Daedalian Weapon System Maintenance Trophy.

  • AMC relocates KC-135 simulator

    As Air Mobility Command fields the KC-46A Pegasus, displaced KC-135 Stratotanker pilot simulators will be relocated across the Total Force to maximize simulator access across the mobility enterprise.

  • RED HORSE joins Navy, local Guam engineers for concrete course

    Several Airmen from the 554th RED HORSE Squadron and Guam Air National Guard's 254th RED HORSE Squadron teamed up with U.S. Navy Sailors from Naval Base Guam to participate in the island's first joint concrete American Concrete Institute (ACI) field concrete testing program Dec. 9-12.

  • AF delivers Iraqi F-16s for training in US

    For more than 65 years the Air Force has embraced the concept of flexibility being the key to airpower. Now Airmen from the Arizona Air National Guard are sharing that capacity to find creative ways to overcome problems with one of the Air Force's newest allies – the Iraqi air force.

  • Chaplain's 50-year journey to become bishop of Fairbanks diocese

    "I've always had a committed faith and a love for God, but never really thought of becoming a priest until I was enlisted in the Air Force," said Chaplain (Maj.) Chad Zielinski. The Michigan native, who currently serves as the 354th Fighter Wing deputy wing chaplain, was ordained bishop of the

  • DOD Spirit of Hope Award ceremony

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James presented the Department of Defense Spirit of Hope Award to military and civilian honorees during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Dec. 12.

  • Short-notice: A new way to exercise

    When 1st Lt. Matt Lavigne's phone rang late Dec. 10, he knew it was time to scramble into action. As a fighter pilot, preparedness is engraved into his DNA, but this was the first time he'd experienced something like this. In only a few hours, he'd be flying side by side with other F-16 Fighting

  • An Air Force dynamic duo

    The shop is full of constant howling, bones and bouncy balls scattered on the floor, and a pungent smell. The king of this domain is a four-legged creature that lies on a couch and greets people with a slobbery lick.It's just another day for Staff Sgt. Andre Hernandez, a 7th Security Forces Squadron

  • Airmen disarm potential threat, earn medals for courage

    For most Airmen, parties can be a time to unwind after a long week, but for two 82nd Security Forces Squadron entry controllers, unwinding had to be pushed aside when a highly intoxicated Airman brandished a loaded pistol in the dormitory, creating a dangerous environment.

  • A $2 solution to a $3,000 problem

    A brand new circuit board for a rescue fire truck can cost more than $3,000 to replace, regardless of why it has malfunctioned, but fire truck maintainers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington dug a little deeper into the issue and discovered a $2 solution. Recently, the shop was faced with

  • Santa’s workshop receives upgrade

    For the toy delivery mission to less fortunate children Dec. 15, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Santa needed a little more help than usual. Knowing this, he enlisted the support of some very special elves at the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron to help him pack and load his upgraded sleigh, a

  • Atlas V launch successful

    The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying a National Reconnaissance Office payload was successfully launched Dec. 12, from Space Launch Complex-3, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

  • Civil Air Patrol receives congressional recognition

    About 40 living World War II members and their relatives, as well as the families of deceased members, were in attendance as the Civil Air Patrol received the Congressional Gold Medal during a presentation Dec. 10, in the Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitors Center in Washington D.C.

  • AMC chief scientist receives Harold Brown Award

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James presented Dr. Donald Erbschloe, the Air Mobility Command chief scientist, with the 2014 Harold Brown Award during a ceremony at the Pentagon, Dec. 9.

  • Thunderbirds release 2015 show schedule

    The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds have finalized their 2015 show schedule. In its 62nd season, the team is slated to perform 71 demonstrations at 39 locations.

  • McChord aircrews put air power on display during exercise

    Aircrews from Joint Bases Lewis-McChord, Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and Elmendorf-Richardson departed from McChord Field, Washingotn, in five C-17 Globemaster III aircraft Dec. 6, to participate in realistic and complex training the Air Force has to offer during a joint forcible entry exercise over the

  • Air Force Fitness Management System slated for upgrade

    Active-duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard officers and enlisted members who want to maintain copies of their pre-July 2010 fitness records need to access the Air Force Fitness Management System (AFFMS) and save or print their records by Dec. 30, Air Force Personnel Center officials said

  • AF realigns missions to enhance nuclear support

    In response to a directive from the secretary of the Air Force and chief of staff of the Air Force, the 377th Air Base Wing in Albuquerque, New Mexico, will realign under Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) will reorganize, combining the AFNWC

  • Joint force hot pitting saves time, money

    Airmen from the 366th Logistics Readiness Squadron petroleum, oil and lubricant flight here, recently work alongside the U.S. Navy Electronic Attack Squadron 129 (VAQ-129) to help develop and implement a "hot pit" refueling process for Navy EA-18G Growlers, which frequent the base.

  • Aviano stays 'Forward, Ready, Now' with joint exercise

    The 555th Fighter Squadron hosted a weeklong exercise with the U.S. and Netherlands joint tactical air controllers here Dec. 2, as a part of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces in Africa's "Forward, Ready, Now" initiative.

  • Hurlburt Airmen assist in motorcycle accident

    Senior Airman Laura Kinglocke witnessed and responded to a motorcycle crash while on her way into work at Hurlburt Field, Florida several weeks ago when motorcyclist Donald Dancer was thrown from his bike and onto the side of the road, potentially into traffic, on U.S. Highway 98.

  • AFSOUTH Airmen train Salvadoran firefighters

    Firefighters from the 612th Air Base Squadron's Fire Emergency Services facilitated the El Salvador's Autonomous Executive Port Commission airport firefighter live-fire exercise for 12 firefighters, Dec. 3.

  • GPS analysts bridge gap between launch, orbit

    As the Air Force continues to upgrade its most recognizable space constellation, a small team is busy testing and evaluating, and ensuring that each spacecraft is ready to begin its job of providing position, navigation, and timing to more than 3 billion worldwide users.

  • Train together, fight together

    It takes more than one military branch to defend America's freedoms as joint tactics play a key role in today’s warfighting missions.

  • Air Force selects 409 officers for squadron command

    More than 400 officers from various career fields have been selected for logistics, mission support, materiel leader, operations support and air base squadron command, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced Dec. 5.

  • Rescue loadmasters: Balance is key

    A rescue loadmaster squeezes around the tight space in the back of an HC-130J Combat King II. With a nearly 6,000 pound Humvee waiting to be airdropped, there is little room for maneuvering and zero room for error.

  • Nellis Airman powered by innovation

    Last December, certain variants of the F-16 Fighting Falcon had their ejection seat's oxygen system modified, which created a new requirement for oxygen bottle testing. This new change improved overall pilot safety, but also brought with it a hefty price tag -- which inspired one Airman at Nellis

  • Airman sells screenplay to Paramount Pictures

    For some, a visit to the dentist feels like a nightmare. But, for Capt. Eric Koenig, the 412th Aerospace Medicine Squadron dental flight commander, he hopes that it's his after-hours hobby that really keeps people awake at night.

  • Search continues for missing Airman in Guam

    An Airman who has been missing since Dec. 1 has been identified as Airman Alec M. Dye.Dye was deployed to Andersen Air Force Base from the 2nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and was last seen near Tarague Beach, Guam.

  • SecAF visits Yokota Air Base

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited here Nov. 20-21 to meet with Airmen, discuss her priorities and see first-hand Yokota Air Base’s mission and capabilities as the Pacific Air Forces airlift hub.

  • Colorado Air Guardsman's path to NFL

    Many young kids have hopes and dreams of doing something amazing when they grow up. Many want to be an astronaut, or a police officer. Others may want to serve in the armed forces or become a professional athlete.But for some, more than one dream can come true.

  • A running bond, connects sisters and father

    For 2nd Lt. Abigail Webber, running became a shared activity within her family, especially between Webber and her father, a retired Air Force colonel who ran a closer pace to Webber than her Boston Marathon-running sister.

  • Tool to safeguard PII scheduled for AF-wide December rollout

    The Digital Signature Enforcement Tool is scheduled for Air Force-wide integration Dec. 5, providing Microsoft Outlook email users with an interactive, automated virtual assistant to help ensure the security of personally identifiable information

  • Resiliency in numbers

    Most Airmen have probably heard the expression "there's strength in numbers." Most Airmen have also probably heard of Comprehensive Airmen Fitness. When it comes to building resiliency, the two are not unrelated.

  • Airman returns from front lines of fight against Ebola

    Before many volunteers could begin fighting Ebola in West Africa, an Air Force major was on the ground in Monrovia, Liberia, paving the way for safe execution of their mission. As an epidemiologist and international health specialist for the U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Surgeon

  • Egress systems get a makeover during AFSO21 event

    Master Sgt. Kenneth Kelly, the 48th Component Maintenance Squadron accessories flight superintendent, admitted it was nerve-racking to ask Maj. Mark Gray, the 48th CMS commander, about implementing innovative, yet radical, changes to maximize the efficiency of their shop during an Air Force Smart

  • First sergeants to supervisors: Here are 4 things you should know

    There are approximately 2,600 active-duty Airmen assigned to Fairchild Air Force Base and only nine fully trained, diamond-wearing first sergeants on duty.That's a little more than 280 Airmen to one first shirt. This proportion is not uncommon at most bases around the command and the Air Force.

  • Air Force identifies nickel-free material for F-35 aircraft systems

    Through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with the Air Force, Triton Systems, Inc., located in Massachusetts, developed a nickel-free material technology that is positioned for transition to several F-35 Joint Strike Fighter applications. Transition of this technology is

  • 67 selected for cyber squadron command

    More than five dozen officers have been selected for command assignments by the calendar year 2015 Cyberspace Operations Officer Command Panel, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced Nov. 26.

  • Aviator helps pilots fly in Big Sky Country

    Tech. Sgt. Michelle Bresson, a 40th Helicopter Squadron special missions aviator, has been assisting helicopter pilots at Malmstrom Air Force Base for nearly five years. Her responsibilities typically include keeping the pilots advised of anything that is going on with the aircraft. If there are any

  • Student pilot earns second set of wings

    Capt. William Smith, a 14th Flying Training Wing Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Class 15-02 student, became the first pilot to earn his silver wings in the new pilot-physician selection process during a graduation ceremony Nov. 21 at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi.

  • PACAF family shares story of adoption, love, duty

    For Majs. Brian and Amanda Evans, life is a constant balancing act with work and a family. At work, Amanda is the commander of the 15th Comptroller Squadron and Brian is a Special Operations Command Pacific air operations planner. At home, they're parents to three energetic kids -- two of whom are

  • Faith in training

    For an aircrew member, it is one of the worst-case scenarios. When faced with a crash landing or after being shot down, a crew might be forced to eject as a last resort – even if it’s over open water or enemy territory.

  • AFRL engineers awarded for fostering innovation, teamwork

    Two Air Force electronics engineers received the 2014 National Security and International Affairs Medal for saving the lives of Soldiers in Afghanistan by creating and deploying a new aerial sensor system to help U.S. Army and special forces units detect and destroy deadly improvised explosive

  • Life Cycle Management Center helps design transport isolation system

    The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) is playing a unique role in the United States' comprehensive Ebola response efforts in West Africa through the center's involvement in developing a transport isolation system. The system will enable safe aeromedical evacuation of Department of