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  • Serving country, African wild animals part of routine for ANG Airman

    For one Missouri National Guardsman, life as a Citizen-Airman is far from the wilds of her civilian career. Airman Casey Self, a zookeeper at the Kansas City Zoo, joined the 131st Bomb Wing to expand her resume from taking care of animals on land and water to people in the sky as well.

  • AFSA conference encourages, informs Airmen

    The strength and impact of the NCO corps was the theme of the night as Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning was keynote speaker during the Air Force Sergeants Association Convention and Professional Airmen's Conference banquet Aug. 28 in San Antonio, Texas.

  • AF tuition assistance application window delayed for FY14

    Airmen applying for tuition assistance in fiscal 2014 will see several changes in both eligibility for and administration of the program.Due to these changes, the application window for classes beginning on or after Oct. 1 will not open until Sept. 9 to allow for system updates.

  • Air Force reminds Airmen to avoid hemp seed products

    Recent news reports on the Air Force’s prohibition of a popular yogurt brand spotlighted a regulation, in effect since the late 1990s, aimed at ensuring military readiness. Recently, military members were told to avoid a Chobani yogurt called “Blueberry Power Chobani Flip” because it contains hemp

  • DOD announces same-sex spouse benefits

    Today, the Department of Defense announced its plan to extend benefits to same-sex spouses of uniformed service members and Department of Defense civilian employees, according to a DOD news release issued today.After a review of the department's benefit policies following the Supreme Court's ruling

  • Former Air Force leader passes away

    A former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was also a chief of staff of the Air Force, passed away Saturday in Falcon’s Landing military retirement community in Potomac Falls, Va.

  • Security forces Airmen -- ready to roll

    The 1st Special Operations Security Forces Squadron's bike patrol make their rounds almost daily through base housing and other designated areas, making their presence known with the goal of community policing and mobility in mind.

  • Leaders discuss roles of reserve components

    Continuing to perform an operational role, while solving manpower costs and dealing with shrinking defense budgets, was one of the challenges discussed by military and civilian leaders at the Reserve Officers Association 2013 National Security Symposium here Aug. 7-10.

  • Military Spouse of the Year, committed to National Guard families

    The schedule of a military spouse is an arduous one. Appointments, dinners, and family time are vital to maintaining normalcy despite the strain of military life.Alicia Hinds Ward, the 2013 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year, is another in the long line of military mothers and

  • Power of AF families

    Despite their distinguished status as the wives of Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody, Betty Welsh and Athena Cody casually fit in the circle of chatting coffee-drinking ladies like they've been here their entire life. Maybe it

  • Emerald Coast pays tribute to Air Force legend

    Nearly 1,000 service members, veterans and citizens from across the nation paid their respects to the life and legacy of a retired Air Force colonel during a funeral service Aug. 1 on Okaloosa Island, Fla.

  • VA grants up to one year of retroactive veterans benefits

    The Department of Veterans Affairs announced yesterday that veterans filing an original fully developed claim for service-connected disability compensation may be entitled to up to one-year of retroactive disability benefits.

  • 'Good debt' can bolster earning potential, official says

    Establishing "good debt" can be valuable for future earning potential, particularly in today's challenging economy, a Defense Department official advised here recently.Obtaining a student loan for a college education or a higher degree to pursue a professional career is an example of good debt for

  • DOD to Help Employees Affected by Housing Allowance Error

    Teams from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service will help civilian Defense Department employees in Europe, South Korea and Japan complete paperwork seeking to have repayment waived for living quarters allowances that were granted to them by mistake.In a memo to the commanders of U.S. European,

  • One of AF most decorated heroes passes away

    One of the most decorated Airmen in Air Force history, whose career spanned three wars and four decades, has passed away. Retired Col. George Everett "Bud" Day, an Air Force pilot, shot down during the Vietnam War and imprisoned in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" along with Sen. John McCain, defiantly

  • Hagel, Winnefeld Honor Korean War Vets, Those Still Serving in the Republic

    Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Navy Adm. James Winnefeld remembered the Korean War as the first time the world united under the banner of the United Nations to stand up to aggression and support the rule of law.The men spoke today at the ceremony here marking the 60th anniversary of the armistice

  • Air Force, Army effort saves government money

    In a joint effort between the firefighters of the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron and a deployed Army battalion, more than 60 Soldiers have been trained in the handling of hazardous materials, enhancing their emergency response skills and saving government dollars. Army Capt. Eric

  • Hagel talks sequestration with Joint Base Charleston civilians

    Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed sequestration and defense budget cuts with several hundred Air Force civilian employees during a town hall here July 17.He opened the discussion by thanking the entire military family -- those in uniform, the federal civilians who support them, and the

  • Hagel calls DOD education support a strategic priority

    The Defense Department's commitment to military families and to quality education for military children is a strategic imperative that leaders will maintain, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in remarks July 9.During closing remarks at the Military Child Education Coalition's 15th National Training

  • Through Airmen's Eyes: Airman saves lives, delivers twins

    (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.)It was a typical day for Senior Airman Rainier Jeffrey as he rode to the Upolu Hospital in Samoa. As a medical technician deployed out to sea with the

  • Naples-based wife named Air Force 'Spouse of the Year'

    Sonya Rayford Cage, spouse of Allied Joint Force Command Naples member, Maj. Ernest Cage, was awarded the 2013 Joan Orr Air Force Spouse of the Year for her outstanding support to local military personnel and their families. This honor follows closely on the heels of her US Air Force NATO spouse of

  • Air Force JAG turns 20

    Celebrating 20 years of providing the Air Force with trained and qualified judge advocates, civilian attorneys and paralegals, the Air Force Judge Advocate General's School recently commemorated the historic occasion."The 20th anniversary of the JAG School building dedication is a momentous day in

  • Jennies to jets to stealth: Bomb wing turns 90

    From Jennies to jets to stealth bombers, the 131st Bomb Wing's history really began with its co-located flying squadron, now the 110th Bomb Squadron, which traces its roots back to the 110th Observation Squadron. The 110th OS was organized by Maj. Bill Robertson and his brothers, Lieutenants Frank

  • Concentration camp survivor to fighter pilot: 'Freedom a beautiful thing'

    "I was pretty young with all this but I was probably, at first, more revengeful than I should have been. When the occasion arose, I did not give the Germans very much of a chance. I took it out on them. I may have been wrong but I guess I was very vengeful so I didn't give them a break, but I

  • SecDef: DOD welcomes Supreme Court decision

    Defense Department officials will move forward in making benefits available to all military spouses, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today in a statement issued after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which had prevented federal agencies from offering all of the same

  • Fanning becomes acting Air Force secretary

    Under Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning became the acting secretary of the Air Force June 21, succeeding Michael Donley, who departed the position after more than five years.Fanning was confirmed under secretary by the Senate April 18 and, under federal law, automatically assumes the job of

  • Academy firefighters step up efforts to combat Black Forest blaze

    Sixteen firefighters and five vehicles from the U.S. Air Force Academy Fire Department joined with their counterparts from Peterson and Schriever Air Force bases, Fort Carson's 4th Infantry Division, the Colorado National Guard and local community agencies to battle a fire in Black Forest that has

  • Maintainers apply innovative protection to C-130s

    Rocks kicked up when landing a C-130 Hercules on unimproved runways can damage the fuselage of the aircraft. To combat this problem, maintainers in the 302nd Maintenance Group here began putting tape on the plane's belly. In January, they took another step by applying protective tape to the forward

  • Combat communications group and wing inactivate

    Air Force Space Command and 24th Air Force officials announced inactivation of the 689th Combat Communications Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and the 3rd Combat Communications Group at Tinker AFB, Okla. Inactivation of both units is scheduled for September. The inactivations are part of overall

  • Airmen must understand business of cyber, general says

    As U.S. Cyber Command gains strength and steadily extends its range across the newest warfare domain, it has called on all the services over the next five years to contribute trained-up teams of cyber operators to ensure U.S. military freedom of action, defensively and offensively, in cyberspace.For

  • After 3 decades, maintainers keep B-1 on top

    With a career that spans across three decades and a warfighting reputation that rivals nearly every aircraft in the Air Force's arsenal, the B-1 Bomber has established itself as one of the United States' most crucial assets to maintaining air and ground superiority. This achievement was built on the

  • AF excepts civilians affected by tornadoes from furlough

    The Air Force announced Monday, June 3, that civilian employees whose homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable by the recent Oklahoma tornadoes will be "excepted" from administrative furlough.While most Air Force civilian employees received their notices May 28, Tinker Air Force Base delayed

  • Tips on financing college education

    Defense Department officials encourage parents and students to consider various strategies for financing college education, the director of the Pentagon's office of family policy and children and youth said.In a recent interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Barbara

  • Live to ride, ride to live another day

    Commentary: Some memories are Kodak moments - the kind you want to recall again and again. Others are more sinister, hanging around unwanted, as a reminder of life's darker side. One such ominous memory combines one of my greatest joys and my greatest fear into a valuable life lesson.On a beautiful,

  • AF provides special counsel to sexual assault survivors

    Often, when survivors of sexual assault are "put on the witness stand, they can feel like they're being attacked," said Capt. Dustin Kouba, a special victims counsel attorney. "I feel like I'm almost defending them ... I'm like their big brother."The Air Force is taking the lead on providing special

  • Director details furlough plans for DOD schools

    Students, teachers and parents of the Defense Department's schools can be confident that despite the department's upcoming civilian furloughs, the school year will start on time, the Department of Defense Education Activity's director said May 22.DODEA operates schools overseas and at some U.S.

  • Hagel emphasizes summer safety in message to Department

    Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urged service members, civilian employees and their families May 23 to enjoy the upcoming summer, but to do so safely.In a message to all Defense Department activities, Hagel emphasized the need to make good decisions during a time of year that resulted in more than 80

  • Memorial Day: Remember our veterans

    The Civil War ended nearly 150 years ago on May 9, 1865, marking the beginning to a new era. However, many lives were lost during the more than four-year war; and, as a result, the Grand Army of the Republic established what was then called "Decoration Day" three years later on May 5, 1868.It wasn't

  • Obama emphasizes concern about sexual assault in military

    The crime of sexual assault undermines the trust needed for the U.S. military to do its missions, President Barack Obama said after meeting with his military leaders May 16.Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the service secretaries, and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and the rest of the Joint Chiefs of

  • Air Force Reserve submits construction plans to Senate

    The top leaders from the Air Force's active and reserve components went to Capitol Hill May 15 to provide statements and answer questions about their plans for new construction projects in fiscal 2014.Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., chairman, and Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., the ranking member of the

  • DOD Comptroller: Sequestration devastates U.S. military readiness

    During a Senate hearing yesterday on President Barack Obama's $9.5 billion military construction budget request for fiscal 2014, Defense Department Comptroller Robert F. Hale said the severe and abrupt budget cuts imposed by sequestration are devastating the U.S. armed forces.Hale and John Conger,

  • Breedlove takes charge at European Command

    Gen. Philip M. Breedlove took command of U.S. European Command here today during a ceremony at the command's headquarters with Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter presiding.Breedlove succeeds Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, the first sailor to hold the command. Stavridis is retiring following a

  • AF energy chief 'service to America' finalist

    The nonprofit Partnership for Public Service announced their 2013 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America medalists, which included a senior Air Force official. Dr. Kevin Geiss, Air Force deputy assistant secretary for energy, was recognized as a finalist May 7 on Washington's Capitol Hill. The

  • Official warns of predatory businesses, offers Airmen finance tips

    Holly Petraeus, the head of the Office of Servicemember Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, discussed predatory business practices and personal financial tips with the military community here May 6.Petraeus visited Yokota AB to hear first-hand of service members' financial hardships

  • Dover Airman in 'fight of his life'

    Sometimes a headache is just a headache. Other times it can be the sign of something much worse.Just ask Maj. Shawn Boyle, an Individual Mobilization Augmentee reservist with the 436th Airlift Wing/Judge Advocate office. Boyle, who lives outside of Pittsburgh, Pa., was experiencing what he thought

  • First Lady announces certification plan for veteran jobs

    First Lady Michelle Obama today unveiled the new Information Technology Training and Certification Partnership to put thousands of service members to work with industry-recognized IT certifications in hand before they leave the military.Obama, who made the announcement at the White House Forum on

  • Family servicemembers' group life insurance benefit changes

    Service members married to other service members are no longer automatically enrolled in the Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance program, Pentagon officials said.The change was effective Jan. 2, and to date affects about 4,500 service members, Coast Guard Cmdr. Kristen Martin, who heads the

  • Official discusses Transition Assistance Program at House hearing

    The Defense Department, in concert with the military services and interagency partners are successfully implementing the department's revamped Transition Assistance Program, a senior DOD official told a House Armed Services Committee subcommittee here April 24.Dr. Susan S. Kelly,  the principal

  • Massachusetts Air National Guard responded to marathon bombing

    Every year on Patriot's Day, a Massachusetts state holiday commemorating the opening battle of the American Revolution in 1775, the 102nd Security Forces Squadron deploys a team of Airmen to line the route of the annual Boston Marathon. Their mission: to augment local law enforcement by providing

  • Reserve, Guard leaders discuss FY14 budget

    The top leaders from Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force Reserve and National Guard were on Capitol Hill here April 17 to provide statements and answer questions regarding their FY14 budget proposals.Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., the chairwoman of the full U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sen.

  • Carter: DOD will prevail against uncertainty

    The Defense Department will prevail against both strategic and budgetary uncertainty, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter told members of the military community April 16.Carter spoke to service members and civilian employees during a visit to Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The base is home to U.S.

  • Air Superiority: Advantage over enemy skies for 60 years

    A few months after the D-Day invasion in June 1944, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower surveyed the Normandy beaches with his son. "You'd never get away with this if you didn't have air supremacy," then 2nd Lt. John Eisenhower told his father. "Without air supremacy," the elder Eisenhower replied, "I

  • Air Force Reserve celebrates 65 years of historic service

    President Harry S. Truman signed legislation on April 14, 1948, establishing the modern-day Air Force Reserve. The new organization reaffirmed the "Citizen Airmen" concept that reaches back to the Army Air Service reservists of the First World War. This came seven months after Truman established the

  • Sexual assault awareness 'begins at top'

    To combat and put an end to sexual assault in the military, the Defense Department has designed programs to boost victim medical care, increase assault reporting and hold offenders accountable for their crimes, the director of the Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office said here

  • Hagel seeks to limit convening authority powers under UCMJ

    Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will ask Congress to change military law so that commanders cannot overturn major convictions, the secretary announced in a written statement issued today.Article 60 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice currently gives power to "convening authorities," or commanders,

  • MilPDS upgrade complete: Review emergency contact information

    If you married, have a new address or experienced significant life changes in March, you should review your emergency contact information to ensure it is accurate, Air Force Personnel Center officials advised.The Military Personnel Data System manages such military personnel and pay information as

  • Alaska trooper gains, gives at Air Force NCO academy

     Tech. Sgt. Brian Zeisel with the Alaska Air National Guard is modest about the recognition he gets from leading his Alaska State Trooper K9, "Argo," through some dangerous law enforcement dispatches.As a full time State Trooper with more than 10 years' service, thousands see Zeisel's patrols in

  • Anonymous crime tips possible with mobile app

    Suspicious or illegal activity can now be anonymously reported directly to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations using a mobile phone application or by texting 'AFOSI' and the tip to 274637 (CRIMES) in an SMS text message.AFOSI launched these methods to capitalize on cyberspace capabilities

  • Medic shows courage after rocket attack

    Three weeks after arriving to her deployed location in Afghanistan, insurgents showered then-Tech. Sgt. Angela Blue's base with 80-millimeter mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine gun fire.During the attack, she received a radio request to report to the Afghan National Army side of the

  • DOD requires more base closings, official says

    The Defense Department possesses more real estate than it needs and is looking to close additional bases and installations in the United States and abroad, a senior DOD official told a House panel March 14.Air Force leaders agree, according to Kathleen I. Ferguson, acting assistant secretary of the

  • Pentagon delays sending furlough notices to civilian workforce

    Pentagon officials have put off sending furlough notices to civilian employees until they've had a chance to analyze how pending legislation that would fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year will affect the Defense Department.Officials now estimate that furlough notices will go

  • Keesler personnel chief named Air Force's best

    The personnel chief at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., has been named the top Air Force manpower and personnel flight chief of the year.Becky Green, 81st Force Support Squadron, leads a 68-member flight that includes military and civilian members, is responsible for planning, development and

  • West Point visit sparks illustrious 30-year AF career

    Describing her career as "inconceivable," there isn't much that Maj. Gen. Sharon K. G. Dunbar would want to change. "I've done more than I ever imagined," said the small-hometown-in-Illinois commander of the Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Md. "I've met incredible people

  • Academy holds memorial service for first African-American graduate

    Charles V. Bush, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy's Class of 1963 and a Vietnam veteran, was laid to rest during a memorial service at the Academy March 16.Bush, also known as "BG-1" for being the Academy's first black graduate, died Nov. 5, 2012, at his home in Lolo, Mont.Friends and family

  • AF to retain additional intratheater airlift aircraft through fiscal 2014

    The Air Force announced it will retain additional airlift aircraft through fiscal 2014 in response to a congressional mandate to retain an inventory of 358 intratheater airlift aircraft.The Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act signed into law Jan. 3, 2013, included language directing

  • Women's roles evolve quickly following World War II

    Within the time span it took for women in television to transform from the female stereotypes portrayed on "I Love Lucy" to the more modern, late-century version found on "Murphy Brown," women in the U.S. Air Force were making strides that far outpaced their Hollywood counterparts.By the end of

  • Sequestration impacts ripple across Air Force

    Air Force senior leaders issued updated guidance to leaders of Air Force major commands and addressed the service's Airmen last week on how the service will operate under sequestration and a continuing resolution for the remainder of the fiscal year.Acting Under Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Jamie

  • Seasoned Airman, young 'AF cop' early female casualties of war on terror

    A seasoned loadmaster assigned to special operations and a young security forces Airman, barely 21-years-of-age, have the distinction as the first female Airmen to die during the Global War on Terror in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom respectively.Staff Sgt. Anissa Shero was deployed

  • Strategic Command: Cuts could erode capabilities

    The U.S. Strategic Command can execute its full mission responsibilities today, but the impacts of fiscal uncertainty and declining resources in the next six months or a year could change that, Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler said today.Testifying here before the House Armed Services Committee,

  • Time now to get smart on sequestration, furlough

    Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta notified Congress recently that should sequestration occur, the Department of Defense will initiate furlough for its 800,000-plus civilian employees. Congressional notification is required at least 45 days from a planned furlough, with implementation anticipated

  • Simulator prepares medical staff for obstetric emergencies

    Child birth, although a natural process, can sometimes pose certain emergency risks.Advances in technology however, have been able to significantly decrease these maternal and prenatal risks associated with child birth. Most notably, the 366th Medical Group Obstetric service boasts such technology

  • If sequestration triggers, furloughs begin in late April

    If sequestration is triggered next week, unpaid furloughs for civilian Defense Department employees will start in late April, Pentagon officials said here today.Sequestration is a provision in budget law that will trigger major across-the-board spending cuts March 1 unless Congress agrees on an

  • Panetta issues message to DOD workforce on sequestration

    With major, across-the-board defense spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today issued a message to the Defense Department workforce.Here is the secretary's message:For more than a year and a half, the president, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I have

  • Medical wing, San Antonio hospital collaborate to hone AF nursing skills

    The Air Force partnered with a community hospital to develop highly-skilled nurses who are trained for humanitarian and peacetime missions. These medical Airmen's skills are proven to increase patient survival rates in theater hospitals.Building the partnership was instrumental in meeting an

  • Panetta signs memo extending benefits to same-sex partners

    Calling it "a matter of fundamental equity," Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today signed a memorandum to the service secretaries and the Pentagon's top personnel official extending benefits to same-sex partners of service members.Here is the secretary's announcement of the policy

  • Act like a Superhero

    I was recently picking up a few items at a local retail chain at lunchtime; everywhere I walked, someone wanted to shake my hand or say, "Thank you for your service." It made me proud to be wearing the uniform of the U.S. Air Force.While waiting in the checkout lane, I noticed a little boy shopping

  • African Americans in leadership

    The 1950s were a tumultuous time for the United States as the winds of changes blew across the country and the social landscape was transformed as the Civil Rights movement went into full swing. In 1954, the Supreme Court case ruling in Brown v. Board of Education overturned laws that permitted

  • Air Force nuclear force anticipates budget constraints

    The Air Force Global Strike Command predicts budget cuts triggered by sequestration will reduce B-52 flying hours by 10 percent and lead to a 20 percent reduction in overall flying hours should the law kick in on March 1, Air Force Lt. Gen. James M. Kowalski said.Kowalski, the commander of Air Force

  • Family of missing pilot expresses optimism for his safe return

    "If anyone could survive something like this, it would be Luc," she said.Cassy Gruenther spoke the words with full confidence sitting on the couch of her home in northeast Italy. Her husband, Capt. Lucas Gruenther, 32, has been missing since officials at Aviano Air Base, Italy, lost contact with the

  • New copays for some TRICARE pharmacy customers

    New copayments for prescription drugs covered by TRICARE will go into effect February 1. The Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act requires TRICARE to increase copays on brand name and non-formulary medications that are not filled at military clinics or hospitals. There is no increase

  • Reserve announces revised force structure actions

    Air Force Reserve Command officials are moving forward with force structure changes authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2013.Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard leaders collaborated to develop one Total Force Proposal in response to concerns raised by

  • Obama takes oath of office recognizing military contributions

    President Barack Obama took the ceremonial oath of office for his second term as the 44th U.S. president and commander in chief on the steps of the U.S. Capitol here Jan. 21, honoring the men and women in uniform who have preserved America's freedoms throughout its history.More than 5,000 military

  • Air Force leaders issue Martin Luther King Day message

    Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy send the following Martin Luther King Day message to the Airmen of the U.S. Air Force:"As America commemorates the federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther

  • Tops in Blue gets boost from Air Force licensing program

    Tops in Blue, the Air Force's premier traveling entertainment troupe, was selected to receive $100,000 from the Air Force's Trademark and Licensing Office.The Trademark and Licensing Office, which operates with the Air Force Public Affairs Agency here, processes requests from around the world

  • DOD official lauds veterans commercial license effort

    Maryland has joined 33 other states in agreeing to waive the skills test for veterans and service members who have military training that would entitle them to a commercial driver's license, a senior Defense Department official said today.Frank C. DiGiovanni, director of training, readiness and

  • New tools in use for investigating, prosecuting child pornography

    A few years ago, individuals who viewed and downloaded child pornography were rarely discovered. However, with new technology and assistance from the Department of Justice, law enforcement agencies within the Department of Defense are successfully detecting and prosecuting more offenders. These

  • Deadline nears to nominate employers for recognition

    Reserve-component service members have until Jan. 21 to nominate their employers for a 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, according to a Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve news release.Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense agency, manages

  • U.S., Canada think ahead to NORAD Next

    More than a half century since it was established to confront the Cold War threat, North American Aerospace Defense Command is at a new crossroads as officials in the United States and Canada determine the capabilities it will need to confront emerging challenges and threats in the decades

  • AF legal team advises Afghans

    Members of the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing here are helping the Afghan air force Kandahar air wing leadership and legal office implement military justice and hold the wing's servicemembers accountable to military standards. Maj. Deanna Daly, Staff Judge Advocate for the 451st AEW, and her

  • Air Force to provide dedicated legal counsel to sexual assault victims

    A new Air Force pilot program designed to provide legal assistance to victims of sexual assault will begin later this month.The Special Victims' Counsel Program will give sexual assault victims legal assistance and help them navigate the criminal justice system with lawyers trained to handle their

  • Fiscal cliff legislation affects military, civilian paychecks

    The legislation President Barack Obama signed Jan. 2 postponed the fiscal cliff and means changes to military and civilian paychecks, Defense Finance and Accounting Service officials said today.The legislation increases Social Security withholding taxes to 6.2 percent. For the past two years during

  • Obama Signs $633 Billion Defense Authorization Act

    President Barack Obama signed the $633 billion fiscal 2013 National Defense Authorization Act into law yesterday.The legislation, which cleared Congress last month, authorizes the department to act in any number of instances. "There are certain things that cannot be done without [the authorization

  • DOD heightens training, prevention to target human trafficking

    To spark awareness and vigilance against a growing global human rights crisis, President Barack Obama has proclaimed January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.Linda Dixon, the Defense Department's program manager for combating trafficking in persons, told the Pentagon

  • Panetta memo describes possible sequestration effects

    While many remain hopeful that Congress and the administration will reach a deal that avoids sequestration, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has issued a memo describing the potential implications of going over the fiscal cliff.Planning for the effects of an across-the-board cut in defense spending

  • AETC declares Eglin ready for F-35 training

    Following an independent evaluation of Eglin's capability to conduct F-35A Lightning II pilot training, Air Education and Training Command announced Dec. 17 that the 33rd Fighter Wing can do so starting January 2013. "The preliminary results provided by the Joint Operational Test Team show the F-35A