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U.S. Air Force News

  • Air Force meets recruiting goal for fiscal 2012

    All four active-duty services and five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their recruiting goals for fiscal 2012, officials announced Nov. 19.The Army Reserve shortfall was the result of precision recruiting, which was implemented in an effort to rebalance the force.All four active

  • Air Force meets recruiting goal for seventh straight year

    The Air Force met its recruiting goal for the seventh year in a row, but still faces challenges, said officials Oct. 12.In fiscal 2006, the Air Force brought in 30,889 individuals, exceeding its target by 130 Airmen, said Brig. Gen. Suzanne M. Vautrinot, commander of Air Force Recruiting Service.

  • Air Force meets recruiting goals for tenth year in a row

    The Air Force met its active-duty enlisted recruiting goal for the 10th year in a row and met its chaplain and Officer Training School accession goals for fiscal year 2009. "The Air Force continues to attract the highest quality men and women to serve in this great Air Force," said Brig. Gen. A.J.

  • Air Force meets, exceeds recruiting goals for eighth year

    The Air Force met its active-duty enlisted recruiting goal for the eighth year in a row and exceeded its chaplain and Officer Training School accession goals for fiscal 2007. "I'm proud of our highly professional recruiting force, who continue to exemplify the Air Force core values of integrity,

  • Air Force members earn Department of Energy awards

    Saving energy and money while helping the environment earned the Air Force several Federal Energy and Water Management Awards.The awards, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program, are given annually to recognize outstanding contributions toward increased energy

  • Air Force members receive 2014 International Affairs Excellence Award

    Air Force members accepted the 2014 International Affairs Excellence Award during the Air Force Association’s 2015 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition Sept. 14. This was the first year the award was split into four categories: officer, enlisted, senior civilian and junior civilian.

  • Air Force members recognized for decades of public service

    With 50 years of service each, two Air Force public servants were among 39 men and women recognized in the Pentagon courtyard May 5 with the Spirit of Service award honoring those whose government careers have spanned 48 to 68 years.As part of Public Service Recognition Week, May 1 through 7, Sara

  • Air Force members win Black Engineer of the Year Awards

    Senior leader officials recognized two Air Force members at the 32nd Black Engineer of the Year Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Global Competitiveness Conference, Feb. 9, 2018, in Washington, D.C., for exceptional achievements in STEM career fields.

  • Air Force Memorial progress 'wows' Airmen

    When Staff Sgt. Paula Newman stood at the base of the Air Force Memorial, all she could say was, “Wow!” Senior Airman Henry Hargrove said it “pretty much rocks.” The two 11th Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen from Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., were selected to visit the memorial and

  • Air Force Memorial: Airman keeps dedication VIPs safe

    In an average day, an Airman will do his or her part to make sure the mission is accomplished. For Staff Sgt. Joseph O'Donnell, the average day could mean saving the president's life. As a member of the Protective Services unit of the 316th Security Forces Squadron at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.,

  • Air Force Memorial: Former Airman contributes to dedication

    The Air Force has always played a large part in Douglas Landgraf's life. So, he sees it as only fitting that he is now playing an important role in the dedication of the Air Force Memorial. Mr. Landgraf served 11 years as an active duty Airman and he now works as an aircraft mechanic and ramp

  • Air Force Memorial: Inspiration leads to future success

    The Air Force Memorial was designed by the Air Force Memorial Foundation to represent different things to different people. For Staff Sgt. Paul Piper, it's simple inspiration. The sergeant can remember in the eighth grade when he was first inspired to serve his country during a visit to the D.C.

  • Air Force Memorial: Reflection of every Airman

    In her 23 years in the Air Force, Master Sgt. Valarie Foster has seen many changes. New uniforms, new aircraft and new missions, she's seen them all. But the one thing that hasn't changed, she says, is the attitude of the individual Airman. "People come and people go," she said. "But the spirit of

  • Air Force Memorial: Sergeant brings spirit of volunteerism to dedication

    Volunteering is a large part of Tech. Sgt. Donald Jones' job. "It just comes with the territory," he said. He works as the executive assistant to the Air Force District of Washington, D.C.'s command chief, and he's learned that what he doesn't volunteer for himself, he will eventually find himself

  • Air Force Memorial: Serving others is self serving

    The three spires of the Air Force Memorial were not locked into representing any one idea but left by design to the imagination of visitors to see all aspects of the Air Force by threes -- the three core values, or those who served before, serve today and will serve and even active duty, Reserve and

  • Air Force Memorial's soaring spires completed

    The Air Force Memorial's stainless steel spires were finished Sept. 21 with the placement of the top segment of the third spire, providing the first complete view of the memorial's design.Reaching a height of 270 feet and located on a promontory overlooking Arlington Cemetery, the memorial will

  • Air Force men place second in basketball championship

    The Air Force men's basketball team finished second in the 2004 Armed Forces Men's Basketball Championship, held May 22 to 31 at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.The team opened the tournament with an 81-77 victory over the Navy team. Edward Simpson, from Randolph AFB, Texas, led the team with 14

  • Air Force men take armed forces volleyball crown

    The Air Force men’s volleyball team won the 2005 Men’s Armed Forces Volleyball Championship here May 16.The Airmen began their run to the title by defeating the Navy 25-23, 25-17, 22-25 and 25-22. After the Army defeated the Marines -- 12-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19 and 25-17 – they were in a position

  • Air Force men’s soccer team shuts out San Diego State, 4-0

    David Schill and Colin Eames each scored a goal and added an assist as the Air Force Academy soccer team defeated San Diego State University here Nov. 7, 4-0. With the victory, Air Force improved to 8-8-1 overall and 4-6 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and moved ahead of the San Diego

  • Air Force mental health programs encourage seeking help

    The number of Airmen seeking mental health care has increased over the last five years-- and this is a trend Air Force leaders encourage, according to a lead psychiatrist with the office of the Air Force Surgeon General.

  • Air Force mentor-protégé team wins Nunn-Perry award for cyber applications

    A mentor-protégé team earned the Nunn-Perry award March 2 for achievements in cyber applications for the Air Force, officials from the service's office of small business said here March 4. Ball Aerospace, Colorado Engineering, Inc. and Florida International University were recognized at the annual

  • Air Force merging information technology offices

    The secretary of the Air Force announced Dec. 7 plans to consolidate three headquarters-level organizations under one commander. The offices of warfighting integration, the chief information officer and communications operations will be reorganized into the office of networks and warfighting

  • Air Force MIAs from Vietnam War are Identified

    The Department of Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office announced June 14 that the remains of four Airmen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.They are; Capt. Peter H. Chapman, II, Centerburg,

  • Air Force Military Athlete of the Year selections due April 30

    Nominations for the Air Force Military Athlete of the Year are due April 30, said Air Force Personnel Center officials. The program allows the Air Force to recognize outstanding male and female athletes and highlight their athletic performance and accomplishments throughout the last year.

  • Air Force military family of the year visits Washington

    Working together as a team is the advice the Air Force military family of the year has for coping with frequent deployments. "Know your resources, such as key spouses," said Master Sgt. Wayne Ojala, the superintendent of the Airman and Family Readiness Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. "And take

  • Air Force Military Treatment Facilities pilot medical readiness

    Air Force Medicine has a non-stop global readiness mission. Medical Airmen must be prepared to deploy on short notice to provide life-saving and performance-enhancing healthcare in diverse, austere and isolated locations, and all Airmen must be medically ready to deploy. To achieve this readiness

  • Air Force mission is more than just aircraft

    While typical perceptions associated with the Air Force in combat might involve aircraft dropping bombs on targets, the several hundred security forces Airmen deployed here are proving these stereotypes outdated. The Air Force's main mission at Kirkuk is not to fly daily combat sorties, but to

  • Air Force mission requires diverse talent

    The Airman in charge of leading the Air Force's diversity efforts said the work is a "strategic imperative" for the service and our nation. "The Air Force's global engagement strategy requires a different approach -- a different mindset," said Col. Shawna O'Brien, chief of the Air Force's new

  • Air Force mission takes man 'a million miles' from home

    It was a "one-in-a-million" opportunity that Jim Young said has taken him more than a million miles away from home.Dr. Young, chief historian of the Air Force Flight Test Center here, first made the journey from his Burbank home to his desk here in 1981 and has been driving the same 180-mile stretch

  • Air Force mobile app takes off

    The Air Force Recruiting Service's first smartphone app, Make-it-Fly, hit the Apple app store recently. This free app challenges users by allowing them to build and fly their own aircraft. To complete the series of nine mission objectives, users must choose from different fuselages, wings, engines

  • Air Force mobilizes for Hurricane Rita

    As Hurricane Rita churns through the Gulf of Mexico, the Air Force is mobilizing forces in anticipation of the storm hitting the Texas Gulf Coast.The Category 5 hurricane -- some are already calling it a “monster storm” -- could make landfall near Galveston by late Sept. 23 or early Sept. 24,

  • Air Force modernization takes B-2 to North Pole

    A B-2 Spirit flew from here to the North Pole and back Oct. 27 on a mission to test the aircraft's hardware and software upgrades, endurance and its performance at extremely high latitudes. The 18-plus hour mission consisted of developmental and operational test points to prove that the B-2's

  • Air Force mom juggles 6 kids, deployed husband, own career

    She looked up to the ceiling and took a deep breath as tears began to glisten from behind her dark, square-framed glasses - a stark contrast to the precise composure displayed just moments before."My mom was..." she stopped, blinking rapidly and clearing her throat. "When my sister and I were

  • Air Force Mortuary Affairs branch unites family of missing Airman

    Losing a loved one can be one of the most difficult experiences in life, causing family members to make major adjustments to compensate for the loss.This can be exceptionally difficult for families with loved ones missing in action who have never returned from war.Members of the Air Force Mortuary

  • Air Force mortuary staff ensures dignity, honor for fallen

    Under a deluge of rain, the 757 touched down here late at night, returning Army Staff Sgt. Michael David P. Cardenaz home. He had been killed just a few days before in an enemy attack in Afghanistan. With family and friends near, an Army carry team marched in slow, measured steps to the aircraft,

  • Air Force motorcycle mishaps hit historic lows

    In fiscal year 2019, the Air Force saw a 69% reduction in motorcycle fatalities and a 41.5% decrease in lost-time injuries over a 10 year period. Fatalities dropped from 13 in 2010 to four in 2019 and lost-time injuries during that same period decreased from 224 to 131.

  • Air Force Motorcycle safety forum set for May 28

    A five-year review of motorcycle mishaps to Air Force members revealed incidents are on the rise. These mishaps resulted in 72 deaths from 1999 to 2003, and the Air Force ratio of mishaps per capita exceeded the national average.To increase motorcycle safety awareness, the Air Force Safety Center

  • Air Force moves closer to KC-46A beddown

    The Air Force is a step closer to bedding down its anticipated fleet of KC-46A Pegasus aerial tankers. Officials recently announced Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma will serve as the Air Force's KC-46A formal training unit and McConnell AFB, Kansas will be the first active duty-led main operating base

  • Air Force moves radios to narrowband

    As the demand for radio frequencies continues to grow, so does the need to increase efficiency. Air Force Communications Agency officials here helped create more capabilities by providing the roadmap for moving the Air Force away from wideband to narrowband radios. Land mobile radio systems enable

  • Air Force moves to bring about RPA mission relief

    The Air Force is pursuing a range of options that will, in combination with a reset in the number of sustainable combat air patrols, help alleviate long-term stress on Remotely Piloted Aircraft crews.

  • Air Force moves to institutionalize enterprise architecture

    Leaders of the Air Force's information technology, warfighting integration and operations communities took a major step recently to further the service's transformation efforts by creating the Air Force enterprise architecture council structure.Enterprise architecture is a formal process designed to

  • Air Force moving forward on more efficient energy

    The Air Force has taken a service-wide approach to create a robust, resilient and ready energy security posture, said the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy at the Air Force Association's 2011 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition here Sept. 20.Mission requirements

  • Air Force moving hybrid battalion into Darfur

    Air Force members are providing airlift support to the Rwandan military, moving United Nations armored personnel carriers, Rwandan soldiers, food, medicine and equipment in and out of the Darfur region Oct. 24.The Rwandan battalion is one of two working as the United Nations-African Union Hybrid

  • Air Force 'moving in right direction' on nuclear program, Gates says

    Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates pointed to broad initiatives within the Air Force he said are helping to return its nuclear mission to "the standards of excellence for which it was known throughout the entire Cold War." Speaking at the Carnegie Institute for International Peace Oct. 28, Secretary

  • Air Force MQ-1 crashes in Iraq

    An Air Force MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle crashed Nov. 29 at approximately 11 a.m. local time. The crash site was in an unpopulated area. The aircraft is a medium-altitude long-endurance, remotely piloted aircraft. The MQ-1's primary mission is conducting armed reconnaissance. A board will

  • Air Force MQ-9 crashes in Seychelles

    An Air Force MQ-9 Reaper crashed at the Seychelles International Airport in Mahe at 10:22 a.m. Dec. 13. The MQ-9 was not armed and no injuries were reported. The Seychelles government leaders were immediately notified, and the U.S. military and the Civil Aviation Authority of Seychelles are

  • Air Force MTI named Military Times Airman of the Year

    A 326th Training Squadron military training instructor facilitator has been selected as the Military Times 2017 Airman of the Year for her exceptional service over the course of a 15-year Air Force career.

  • Air Force museum director to receive national award

    The director of the National Museum of the Air Force was recently selected as a recipient of the National Aeronautic Association Wesley L. McDonald Elder Statesman of Aviation Award.Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles D. Metcalf is one of four recipients this year who will be honored at the NAA Fall

  • Air Force museum director to retire

    Air Force officials announced Oct. 28 that retired Maj. Gen. Charles D. Metcalf will retire as director of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force effective Dec. 31.General Metcalf will retire after 14 years as the museum's director. Prior to joining the museum, he served for nearly 36 years on

  • Air Force Museum displaying aviation art

    More than 250 original paintings by aviation artists will be featured when the Air Force Museum here offers "A Centennial Celebration of Aviation Art" for a limited engagement during 2003.To commemorate the Centennial of Flight, this art collection epitomizes the aviation history and recalls a

  • Air Force museum launches new Web site

    The National Museum of the United States Air Force is getting a new look online. The museum's new site features easy-to-navigate links to nearly 4,000 pages of museum news, exhibits, research information and more. In addition, more than 4,000 photographs will be available to download. The new Web

  • Air Force Museum offers virtual tour

    The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Virtual Tour is now fully embedded with audio and video hotspots, and touch-screen devices, offering online visitors the opportunity to experience the entire museum.Located at www.nmusafvirtualtour.com, the final two areas to be embedded -- the Cold War

  • Air Force museum receives highest national recognition

    The National Museum of the United States Air Force has again achieved accreditation by American Association of Museums officials. It is the highest national recognition a museum can receive.  Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies and to

  • Air Force Museum receives WWII stone roller from China

    A stone roller Chinese workers used during World War II to construct airfield runways as long as 8,500 feet in Kunming, China, will make a permanent stop at the Air Force Museum here this summer.Hundreds of Chinese workers pulled the roller, made of solid stone and weighing nearly 11,000 pounds, to

  • Air Force museum will display Disney military art

    From "Donald Duck" to "Jiminy Cricket," a special exhibit that showcases more than 50 of Walt Disney's original World War II insignia designs will open Dec. 13 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The exhibit, entitled "Disney Pins on Wings," will include the original Walt Disney

  • Air Force museum wins heritage award

    The National Museum of the United States Air Force recently was awarded the 2007 Air Force Heritage Award by the USAF History and Museums Program for its exhibit, "Return with Honor: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia." The exhibit, which opened in May 2006, features reproductions of three

  • Air Force musicians join AEF rotations

    Air Force bandsmen rarely play to boisterous crowds of 2,000 people dancing, singing and stage-diving, but at one deployed location in Southwest Asia, that is what happened. The show was among several in the Middle East as part of the Air Force Band of Mid-America’s tour during its first air and

  • Air Force musicians take a visible stand against drug abuse

    The Air Force's Band of the West is reaching out to thousands of school children in San Antonio with a "Stay in School" and "Say No to Drugs" message.In a 10-year partnership program with the San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Band of the West's rock n-roll ensemble "Top Flight"

  • Air Force must stay the course with FTF, AEF

    The Air Force must transform through Future Total Force and stay the course with the Air and Space Expeditionary Force concept, said the directors of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard. The Future Total Force concept is the Air Force's plan to better integrate the Air National Guard, Air

  • Air Force name added to ‘The Wall’

    The name of an Air Force staff sergeant was among six added to Vietnam Veteran's Memorial here May 13. Staff Sgt. Donald S. Carson, a San Francisco native, was injured in a military aircraft accident in Thailand on April 12, 1963, and died a few days later. His name was omitted from “The Wall”

  • Air Force named among top HBCU supporters

    In a 2009 survey, U.S. Black Engineer and Information Technology magazine recently named the Air Force among the "Top Supporters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities." USBE & IT magazine and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Computer Science at Howard University, Washington,

  • Air Force named executive agent for Katrina-related funds

    In a recent memorandum, defense officials named the Air Force as the executive agent for Hurricane Katrina funding. As the executive agent, Air Force officials will ensure services within the Department of Defense are reimbursed for expenses incurred while providing Hurricane Katrina relief support,

  • Air Force names 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year

    Air Force officials have selected the service's top enlisted Airmen, naming the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2005.An Air Force selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center here considered 45 nominees who represented major commands, direct reporting units, field operating agencies and

  • Air Force names 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year

    Air Force officials have selected the service's top enlisted members, naming the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2006. An Air Force selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center here considered 33 nominees who represented major commands, direct reporting units, field operating agencies and

  • Air Force names 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year

    Air Force officials released the names of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2004.An Air Force selection board considered 45 nominees who represented major commands, direct reporting units and air staff agencies. The board convened at the Air Force Personnel Center here in May and selected

  • Air Force names 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year

    Air Force officials selected the service's top enlisted members, naming the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2012, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.An Air Force selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center considered 35 nominees who represented major commands; direct

  • Air Force names 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year

    Air Force officials announced the service's top enlisted members, naming the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2013.An Air Force selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center considered 36 nominees who represented major commands; direct reporting units, field operating agencies and

  • Air Force names 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year

    Air Force officials have selected the service's top enlisted members, naming the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2008. An Air Force selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center here considered 33 nominees who represented major commands, direct reporting units, field operating agencies and

  • Air Force names 2005 Mission Support Award winners

    The winners of the 2005 Mission Support Awards were announced May 2.The results are: PersonnelGen. Robert J. Dixon Personnel Award: Senior Master Sgt. Jimmy Jones, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Gen. Horace M. Wade Innovation Award: Tech. Sgt. Wendy Davis, Tyndall AFB, Fla. Gerrit D. Foster Jr.

  • Air Force names 2005 Sijan award recipients

    The Air Force recognized four Airmen with the service's 2005 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award. The Sijan award annually recognizes Airmen who demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities while assigned to organizations at the wing level or below. The 2005 recipients are: Senior officer --

  • Air Force names 2006 Mission Support Award winners

    The winners of the 2006 Mission Support Awards were announced April 27. The results are: Personnel Gen. Robert J. Dixon Personnel Award: Maj. Kevin D. Heckle, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Gen. Horace M. Wade Innovation Award: GS-12 Steven A. McCarver, Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex, Ala. Gerrit D.

  • Air Force names 2006 Sijan award recipients

    Air Force officials announced four Airmen have been selected for the 2006 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award Jan. 23. The Sijan award annually recognizes Airmen who demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities while assigned to organizations at the wing level or below. The 2006 winners are:

  • Air Force names 2007 Sijan award recipients

    Air Force leaders recognized four Airmen with the service's 2007 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award. The Sijan award annually recognizes Airmen who demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities. The Senior officer category winner is Lt. Col. Laura A. Soule, who is assigned to Lackland Air

  • Air Force names 2011 top athletes

    Air Force officials recently named the service's 2011 top male and female athletes of the year. Capt. Weston S. Kelsey, a force support officer from the 310th Mission Support Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., is the 2011 male athlete of the year. Airman 1st Class Emily J. Shertzer, an

  • Air Force names 2020 Athletes of the Year

    Every year, the Air Force recognizes one male and female military member for their athletic accomplishments. Each installation nominates candidates by submitting packages that highlight their top athlete’s sports-related achievements, military awards and civic recognition from the past calendar

  • Air Force names 2-star to lead F-35 Integration Office

    With the initial operating capability date of the F-35 Lightning II quickly approaching, the Air Force appointed Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian as the director of a larger Air Force F-35 Integration Office, Feb. 1.

  • Air Force names athletes of the year

    The Air Force announced its 2003 Athletes of the Year on Dec. 3 at the annual Athletic Business Conference in Orlando, Fla.This year’s Athletes of the Year are Capt. Kevin Eastler, from F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.; and 1st Lt. Laura McDonald, from Randolph AFB, Texas.Eastler, the United States’

  • Air Force names battlelab award winners

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2003 Air Force Battlelab Project Officer and Enlisted Project Officer of the Year awards. Winners are: -- First Lt. Brian Herman from the Information Warfare Battlelab at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. -- Tech. Sgt. Ronald Newpher from

  • Air Force names best commander, spouse team

    The Air Force’s best wing commander and spouse team was recently named by Air Force Personnel Center officials at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.The 2003 recipients of the General and Mrs. Jerome F. O’Malley award are Col. William A. Chambers, 11th Wing commander here, and his spouse, Bonnie.“My

  • Air Force names combat controller, special tactics officer award winners

    The winners of the Air Force's 2005 annual awards for combat controller and special tactics officer were announced today.The award winners are: Special Tactics Field Grade Officer of the Year: Maj. Michael Martin, 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C. Special Tactics Company Grade

  • Air Force names communications, information award winners

    The following Airmen, teams and units are winners of the 2003 Air Force Communications and Information awards for 2003.Air Force communications and information individual award winners are:-- Outstanding Field Grade Officer: Maj. Kimberly Ullman from the Pentagon in Washington.-- Outstanding

  • Air Force names EEO winners

    The winners of the 2004 Air Force Distinguished Equal Employment Opportunity Awards were announced recently by the Air Force deputy chief of staff for personnel.The awards recognize individuals for outstanding support and contributions to the objectives of the Air Force civilian EEO and affirmative