HomeNews

NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Conference to spotlight military family issues

    Nearly 2,000 helping professionals from around the world are gathering in Chicago April 27 to share the latest family-related information and research and to hear from some of the nation's most renowned military family experts.The 2011 Family Resilience Conference will offer participants access to

  • Communication helps children cope with deployments

    For service members and their families, preparing for an upcoming deployment is another of the many challenges unique to military life. Letting children know that they can talk about their fears and worries when preparing for a deployment helps them prepare for stressful situations in the

  • Wilford Hall hosts multi-service ultrasound course

    Providers from across the U.S. attended a joint-service ultrasound course at Wilford Hall Medical Center here April 14 and 15.The course's formal title, "Current Concepts in Musculoskeletal Ultrasound 2011," was offered to 45 Air Force, Army and Navy medical personnel."Similar courses have been

  • Fitness center at Tyndall receives LEED Platinum award

    The fitness center here was awarded the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum level, the highest rating possible as of Aug. 20, 2010, under the group's green building rating system. The fitness center opened Aug. 20, 2010, and is the first building in

  • Air Guard, Reserve continue to fight Texas wildfires

    As of April 25, the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group continues to battle the wildfires that are raging throughout areas of southern Texas. The 302nd AEG, comprising Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units, has assisted with fire fighting efforts throughout the week. The group currently has six

  • Network would link defense functions, people

    To optimize U.S. cybersecurity using a new information-sharing enterprise network in a reduced-budget era, a top Defense Department official gave industry leaders a challenge: "We need your innovation."Robert J. Carey, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for information management integration

  • Post-disaster energy conservation continues with program at Yokota

    Energy conservation measures here recently increased with the start of the No Heat, No Cool program that began April 18. Members of the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron began shutting off the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in facilities and residential housing buildings as part of a

  • Commissary produce managers get 'top' recognition

    Produce industry officials will honor two Defense Commissary Agency produce managers during a convention in New Orleans in May.Jennifer Smith, from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Donald Courtright, from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., were chosen from hundreds of nominations by United

  • DOD officials recognize Air Force for environmental accomplishments

    Each year, Department of Defense officials recognize military personnel, teams and installations for excellent stewardship of natural and cultural resources entrusted to their care. Conservation efforts across the Air Force over the past year were rewarded April 15, when the Air Force was announced

  • Gates: Obama OKs Predator strikes in Libya

    President Barack Obama has approved the use of U.S. armed predator strikes in Libya, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said April 22."The president has said that where we have some unique capabilities, he is willing to use those," Secretary Gates said. "In fact, he has approved the use of armed

  • Wounded warrior returns to serve Air Force

    Gunar Moschner knows the pain and anxiety that follows a work-related injury, but he also knows help is available through the Air Force Wounded Warrior Program.Thanks to the program, and his own perseverance, Mr. Moschner is once again serving with the Air Force.His life today is a long way from

  • Air Force on track with KC-46A program

    Air Force and Boeing Company officials met for the KC-46A program post-award conference recently to discuss program specifics, including a technical overview of the program. The discussions, which took place in Harbour Pointe, Wash., featured details of the in-line production process, draft

  • Defense Finance and Accounting Service revamps website

    Defense Finance and Accounting Service officials are rolling out a redesigned website tonight to give the Defense Department's workforce easier, quicker access to the information they need. "We know our online visitors don't want to spend more of their time on our website than they have to," said

  • Satellite supports relief efforts in Japan

    The Wideband Global SATCOM system's unique dual-band and crossbanding capabilities are proving to be critical in the ongoing earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan, officials said. Intended for use with military operations, WGS is now using its capability to communicate across the frequency

  • Doolittle Raiders visit Offutt Air Force Base

    Almost 69 years to the day since their famous air raid on Japan, the five surviving Doolittle Raiders gathered April 14 through 17 for their annual reunion, this year in Nebraska.Included in this year's events, spread throughout Omaha and Lincoln, was a visit to meet the men and women of Offutt Air

  • Airmen provide vital link in Japan earthquake and tsunami relief

    From a windowless vault within the Pacific Air Forces headquarters building, Airmen from the 561st Network Operations Squadron, Det. 1, provided the network support required to allow more than 770 sorties to deliver aid workers and supplies to Japan, starting March 12. "I'm excited to be part of

  • 2011 Team of the Year named

    Air Force and Air Force Association officials selected five first sergeants as the 2011 Team of the Year.Each year, the AFA recognizes a specific enlisted career field, as well as Airmen from across the Air Force, in that specialty, who demonstrate professionalism, technical expertise and

  • NASA specialists to descend on Offutt

    More than 20 NASA flight crew, ground crew and technicians are scheduled to arrive here late this month as the base's newest, if only temporary, members. The team will bring a NASA ER-2 to participate in the Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment over Oklahoma. This U-2-based platform

  • Budget cuts demand more DOD buying power

    As Defense Department officials seek additional cost cuts to support President Barack Obama's deficit-reduction efforts, weapons systems and other major procurement programs certainly will be on the table, but won't be enough to achieve the president's goals, the Pentagon's acquisitions chief said

  • C-130s continue support of fire fighting efforts in Texas, Mexico

    Under the command of U.S. Northern Command, six C-130 Hercules aircraft, equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, continue to support firefighting efforts in Texas and Mexico.Two of the C-130s, from the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., are

  • 4th SOPS closes the door on operations legacy

    In a ceremony held April 11, 4th Space Operations Squadron members decommissioned the Satellite Mission Control Subsystem, or SMCS, and the Air Force Command Post Terminal, closing the door on a legacy of operations."Today we turn the lights off on the command and control system that has been

  • Steering group leads Reserve Command to energy cost-cutting

    As energy prices continue to increase, Air Force Reserve Command officials maintain their resolve to lead cost-cutting efforts in energy consumption through existing and new initiatives. The Energy Management Steering Group serves as the focal point providing strategic direction for the command's

  • Air Force Climate Survey yields insights

    More than 172,000 Airmen across the Air Force voiced their opinions in the online Air Force Climate Survey from Oct. 8 to Nov. 28. After experts performed a comprehensive analysis, officials have recently released the total force results on the Air Force Portal. The climate survey is designed to

  • Dyess Airmen assist with Texas wildfires

    Members of the 7th Bomb Wing and 317th Airlift Group here are lending a helping hand in support of firefighting efforts throughout South Texas.From logistics to meals to maintenance, Airmen here will support four C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems and more

  • B-1B simulators go from 'Mario Brothers to Halo'

    The Air Force is currently upgrading four B-1B Lancer simulators here and at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.The $18.4 million project, which is scheduled for completion in September, will fully update visual and sensor databases, as well as projectors and display screens, of the original system built

  • First combat systems officers graduate from training program

    Ten lieutenants, including nine active-duty members and one member of the Wyoming Air National Guard, became the first class of combat systems officers to graduate from the 479th Flying Training Group's CSO training program here April 15. Previously, the Air Force had separate training tracks for

  • New CPR training wants you to switch your ABCs

    Most Airmen who have gone through CPR training remember being taught the ABCs, or airway-breathing-circulation.However, American Heart Association officials are suggesting people change the ABC sequence to CAB, or circulation-airway-breathing."Changing from ABC to CAB will save more lives," said

  • U.S.-trained Afghan pilots advance in Mi-17 course, designated as co-pilots

    The first two Afghan air force helicopter pilots to complete basic aviator training in the U.S. recently became qualified as co-pilots in the Mi-17 helicopter, the focal point of the Afghan air force's rotary-wing force. The qualification marks the halfway point in their Mi-17 training.In order to

  • Fiscal 2011 enlisted force management programs conclude after meeting goal

    Air Force officials announced the closure of enlisted voluntary and involuntary force management programs for fiscal 2011 after meeting end-strength goals for enlisted Airmen. Force management programs announced in December 2010 were implemented to size and shape the force to meet congressionally

  • Air National Guard units respond to Texas wildfires

    Air National Guard officials in three states sent four specially equipped C-130 Hercules aircraft to Texas on April 18 to support civil authorities battling 32 wildfires.The C-130s, equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, were sent under the direction of the Joint Forces

  • Air Force Reserve C-130s support fight against Mexican wildland fires

    Two Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules aircraft conducted three aerial firefighting missions from here April 16 in support of the ongoing efforts to contain the wildland fires the Mexican state of Coahuila.The aircrew dropped about 9,000 gallons of fire suppressant on the effected area, approximately

  • 50th Space Wing officials accept ground system upgrades

    Officials at the 50th Space Wing accepted two Global Positioning System ground system upgrades during a ceremony here April 14.The ceremony signified a group effort between wing, Air Force Space Command and the Space and Missile Systems Center officials and their continued commitment to improve and

  • Air Force officials announce civilian strategic leader program assignments

    Air Force officials here April 18 announced the placement of the Air Force's newest senior leaders into command-equivalent positions as part of the civilian strategic leader program.The CSLP creates multi-skilled GS-14, GS-15 or equivalent level civilian leaders who navigate complex environments in

  • Teamwork essential to safely recovering aircraft

    Their job is to get planes in the air as quickly as possible, but once a plane is gone, they wait for it to come back.The more than 130 Airmen who work on ground crews here ensure when an aircraft lands after completing a 10-hour mission over the area of responsibility, it receives the best care to

  • Officials seeks process to fund urgent needs

    The Pentagon's top acquisitions official April 13 asked Congress to help set up a funding system so the Defense Department can more quickly meet deployed warfighters' most urgent requests.Ashton B. Carter, the undersecretary of defense for acquisitions, technology and logistics, thanked the House

  • Gates: America must balance idealism, realism

    Since the beginning of the republic, the United States has had to balance its idealistic impulses with realism, and that remains true today, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here April 14.Secretary Gates was the keynote speaker at the groundbreaking for the National Library for the Study of

  • CMSAF discusses quality-of-life, personnel issues on Capitol Hill

    The Air Force's top enlisted leader testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee here April 13 about personnel and quality-of-life issues impacting the enlisted force.Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy, alongside his sister-service counterparts, highlighted the importance of

  • Officials seek input on new consumer protection office

    Treasury Department officials met here April 13 with service members and their families to better understand financial challenges in the military community.Holly Petraeus, the head of the Office of Servicemember Affairs in the Treasury Department's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has been

  • Kandahar Air Wing achieves medical evacuation milestone

    A combined team of Afghan air force and coalition members conducted the first dedicated Mi-17 medical evacuation mission April 11 here. The team moved an Afghan National Army officer, who incurred a compound leg fracture, from Camp Bastion back to Kandahar.The planning for the inaugural mission

  • High school senior assignment deferment program automated

    In an effort to better serve military families, Air Force personnel officials have automated the High School Senior Assignment Deferment program application.  The program increases stability for military family members entering their senior year of high school. Active-duty officers lieutenant

  • Allergy tests covered for TRICARE beneficiaries

    Every year millions of Americans suffer from allergies, with symptoms ranging from irritating to life-threatening. TRICARE beneficiaries are eligible to receive care for the testing and treatment of conditions relating to allergies.According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious

  • Loadmaster crashworthy seat intended to increase safety

    In an effort to provide loadmasters with a safer and more structurally sound seat in cargo aircraft, engineers here recently installed a prototype of a new loadmaster crashworthy seat in an HC-130P Combat King. "The goal is to provide loadmasters with a more secure seat," said Senior Master Sgt.

  • Research examines blast impact on human brain

    There's little debate about the risk of a brain injury when a service member gets a blow to the head, whether from an enemy round or from crashing against a wall or being inside a vehicle during an explosion.But some of the foremost academic researchers from around the world, working in cooperation

  • Initial cyber INWT class graduates

    Sixteen Airmen graduated from the first Intermediate Network Warfare Training class here March 31.Members of the 39th Information Operations Squadron developed the nine-week course to serve as initial-qualification training for cyber defense operators. The Airmen created the course in six months,

  • Hanscom team helps 'forge' new path for software development, testing

    Acquisition by its nature is a fairly rigid business, governed by established rules and procedures designed to ensure integrity, fairness and programmatic oversight. This creates a vexing problem for those trying to increase acquisition speed and agility. It's particularly challenging when dealing

  • North to south: U.S. defenders train Iraqi partners

    More than a dozen Iraqi air force security forces students took a step closer toward autonomous base security after graduating from a training course taught by Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air advisers April 7. The two-week course aimed to prepare the initial cadre of Iraqi airmen planning to

  • B-1B Lancer upgrade will triple payload

    Airmen from the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron began their first phase of demonstrations of a multiple ejector rack on a B-1B Lancer here March 22.If fielded, 16-carry modified rotary launchers will increase the number of 500-pound joint direct attack munitions and laser-guided JDAMs carried by

  • Air Force announces MC-12 basing decision

    The Department of the Air Force recently announced it will base the MC-12W Liberty aircraft here. The announcement comes following the completion of an environmental assessment that concluded with a finding of no significant impact, clearing the way for the final decision. The first MC-12W aircraft

  • Two units redesignate to test, integrate air, space, cyber C2 domains

    To effectively test and integrate operational air, space and cyber command and control, or C2, domains, two units redesignated as test organizations here April 5.The 505th Operations Group and 505th Operations Squadron became the 505th Test and Evaluation Group and 505th Test Squadron. The units are

  • Enlisted medics honored at Armed Services YMCA gala

    Air Force active-duty, Reserve and Guard enlisted medics were among those from all service components honored at the Armed Services YMCA's 5th Annual Angels of the Battlefield Gala at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here March 31. Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, the commander of

  • Air Force officials announce enlisted supplemental promotions

    More than 50 Airmen have been selected for promotion to the next higher rank as part of the April enlisted supplemental promotion process. The enlisted supplemental promotion release announces those Airmen selected for promotion who tested outside of their required cycle due to an extended temporary

  • Former COMUSAFE awarded highest Latvian honor

    A former commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe was presented the highest Latvian honor April 1 in a ceremony in Washington D.C. Retired Gen. William Tom Hobbins, the USAFE commander from 2005 to 2008, was awarded the Order of Viesturs, First Grade, by Latvian President Valdis Zatlers in recognition

  • Critical self-assessment puts Global Strike Command on the right path

    With the Air Force conducting operations on multiple fronts across the globe and facing shrinking resources, Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen are focusing on finding smarter ways to accomplish the mission."(The Analyses, Assessments and Lessons Learned Directorate) is the entity that is aimed

  • Webinar set for new TRICARE Young Adult program

    TRICARE and Military OneSource officials have teamed up to host an interactive webinar Monday, April 11,  from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT about the new TRICARE Young Adult program. Military parents and dependent children under age 26 are encouraged to participate. The webinar will cover who qualifies

  • Gates, Shinseki agree to joint electronic medical records

    Two years after they joined President Barack Obama in announcing plans to create a joint virtual lifetime electronic record, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki have agreed to create a joint common platform for their departments' electronic medical

  • General discusses Reserve efficiencies, budget on Capitol Hill

    As Congress continues to debate and find ways to fund the fiscal 2011 budget, Reserve leaders were on Capitol Hill to testify and answer questions about the president's fiscal 2012 budget that was introduced in February.The House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land

  • DJC2 system provides communications support for JSF, USFJ

    Personnel assigned to the Joint Communications Support Element at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., were recently deployed here to provide joint-support-force command and control operations for Operation Tomodachi. The primary support responsibility for the JCSE members sent here is to operate the

  • VA budget request signals commitment to vets

    President Barack Obama's $132 billion 2012 budget request for the Veterans Affairs Department demonstrates that despite a tight fiscal environment, the U.S. officials stand by their commitment to men and women who have served in uniform, Deputy VA Secretary W. Scott Gould told American Forces Press

  • Contracting Airmen play crucial role in Operation Tomodachi

    A C-17 Globemaster III carrying a series of pipes, hoses and related equipment that the U.S. Government purchased to help the people of Japan cool the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant arrived here March 29.At 2.7 kilometers in length and a weight of more than 20,000 pounds, the

  • Dover Airmen support Operation Odyssey Dawn

    Three C-5M Super Galaxy aircrews from here delivered cargo March 23 to 27 in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn.The Air Force Reserve's 709th Airlift Squadron and the active-duty 9th AS here worked together to deliver 387,000 pounds of cargo. On March 18, the secretary of defense approved and ordered

  • EBIS launches online retirement tool

    The Employee Benefits Information System launched a web tool March 31 that will allow Air Force appropriated fund civilian employees to accomplish additional benefits-related actions online, such retirement planning.The eRetirement tool is the latest of many tools implemented by the Air Force

  • Policy aims to better identify, treat concussions

    A memorandum that took effect throughout the Defense Department in June is expected to have a major impact on efforts to identify and treat traumatic brain injuries in the combat theater faster and more systematically, medical officials reported at the recent Armed Forces Public Health Conference in

  • Air Force debuts pilot enlisted developmental team

    The Air Force's top enlisted leader addressed the service's first pilot enlisted development team March 31 for senior noncommissioned officers in the nuclear weapons career field. Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy met with Air Force Personnel Center assignments representatives and EDT

  • VA officials begin process to create open source electronic health record

    Department of Veterans Affairs officials released a draft Request for Proposal April 1 aimed at forming an open source community around its ground-breaking Veterans Integrated System Technology Architecture, or VistA, electronic health record, or EHR, system. When award is made under a planned RFP

  • CMSAF highlights Airman resiliency during hearing

    The Air Force's top enlisted Airman testified before the House Subcommittee for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies here March 30, about quality of life in the military.Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy, alongside his sister-service counterparts, spoke about

  • Air Force officials present budget to appropriations committees

    Air Force leaders discussed the service's fiscal 2012 budget request and their concerns about operating under a continuing resolution with members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees during hearings here March 30 and 31.In the March 30 hearing before the Senate Appropriations

  • Top enlisted leaders share views with Congress

    Improving housing and child care, giving better access to health care and education, and intervening earlier in high-risk behavior are areas the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps are focused on to maintain a high quality of life for service members and their families, the services' most-senior

  • Ellsworth Airmen join Operation Odyssey Dawn

    B-1B Lancers from the 28th Bomb Wing were launched early March 27 from their home station here to strike targets in Libya in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn. "Nearly 700 Ellsworth Airmen are currently deployed around the world supporting existing overseas contingency operations," said Col. Jeffrey

  • ANG, Reserve Airmen contribute to Operation Odyssey Dawn

    In response to the recent conflict in Libya, approximately 50 Air National Guardsmen and Air Forces reservists joined forces with their active duty counterparts and coalition partners to run the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center here.Members of the 603rd AOC, in partnership with the 617th AOC,

  • Euro Hawk undergoes testing at Edwards AFB

    Engineers with the 772nd Test Squadron facilitated electromagnetic interference testing on a Euro Hawk unmanned aircraft at the Benefield Anechoic Facility here March 10 and 11.They teamed with representatives of Northrop Grumman Corporation and the German government to complete the testing.The Euro

  • Rollout approaches for Young Adult TRICARE enrollment

    TRICARE will soon allow qualified young adults, up to age 26, to purchase military health plan coverage on a month-to-month basis.TRICARE officials announced plans to roll out the new Young Adult Program, including an option to make coverage retroactive to Jan. 1, in the near future.This will ensure

  • Air Force officials outline efficiencies processes

    In compliance with Department of Defense efficiency guidance, Air Force officials confirmed plans here March 29 to implement fiscal 2012 budget proposals that shift dollars and people from overhead and support functions to modernization and warfighting areas.During testimony to members of the

  • Project Crossbow enhances capabilities

    A collaborative U.S. Air Force and United Kingdom Royal Air Force program is making it easier for the two services to share information collected via intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.The program, dubbed Project Crossbow and modeled on the U.S. Air Force's Distributed Common

  • Budget slows defense growth, comptroller says

    Cost savings reflected in the fiscal 2012 Defense Department budget do not represent a cut from current funding levels, but rather a slower rate of growth than has been seen in recent years, the Pentagon's comptroller and chief financial officer told a Senate committee here March 29.Defense

  • Realignments add to busy summer moving season

    With a busier-than-usual military moving season about to kick into high gear, officials are asking service members to book their moving dates early and keep flexibility in mind when doing so.The military moved more than 230,000 shipments last summer alone, and this year officials are expecting an

  • VA officials work to break disability claims backlog

    Former Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Tyrone Allen is part of a growing legion within the Veterans Affairs Department striving to make good on VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki's pledge to "break the back of the claims backlog."Allen understands firsthand the frustrations many veterans feel as they wait

  • Yokota Airmen central to supporting Operation Tomodachi

    Airmen working in the Emergency Operations Center here have been central to processing and coordinating disaster relief efforts in support of Operation Tomodachi. Emergency Operations Center members work on a strategic level to coordinate emergency preparedness, emergency management and disaster

  • Officers share cross-flow experiences, skills

    Cross-flowing into one career field from another isn't a new concept for Airmen. Most officers, at one time or another throughout their career, have served in a position or job outside of their original or primary Air Force Specialty Code. Take, for example, Lt. Col. Ginger Wallace, a former

  • Maintainers build mount for Fukushima sensors

    Since March 11, Airmen all over Yokota Air Base have performed key tasks in support of Japanese relief efforts, but for two Airmen the work took a greater personal significance March 28. The two Airmen, aircraft structural maintainers with the 374th Maintenance Squadron, worked overtime building a

  • Commander discusses Yokota's role in Operation Tomodachi

    Yokota Air Base's role as the sole airlift hub of the western Pacific increased in significance following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan.Col. Otto Feather, the 374th Air Wing commander here, discussed the importance of the wing's partnership with Japan to ongoing relief

  • Summit seeks to improve nonmedical care

    A summit to improve the coordination of nonmedical care for wounded warriors and their families will draw leaders and experts from several federal agencies, the services and the private sector to Leesburg, Va., March 29 through 31.The Wounded Warrior Care Coordination Summit is hosted by the Defense

  • Acquisitions improvements need permanence, Carter says

    With spring coming in Afghanistan, the Defense Department is set to perform the same "remarkable" work it conducted in last year's troop surge to get warfighters everything they need while working to institutionalize those procedures, the department's undersecretary for acquisitions, technology and

  • Yokota AB Airmen play vital role in cooling Fukushima power plant

    A team of Airmen from here labored nonstop March 25 through 27 to design and create essential components for water pumps to be used at a nuclear power plant in northern Japan. The power plant, located roughly 130 miles north of here in Fukushima Prefecture, incurred catastrophic damage to its

  • Study makes suicide-prevention program recommendations

    A new study commissioned by the Defense Department affirms many of the suicide-prevention efforts being made within DOD and the military services and recommends ways to strengthen them.In preparing "The War Within: Suicide Prevention in the U.S. Military," the Rand National Defense Research

  • Air National Guard supports coalition operations over Libya

    The Air National Guard is contributing to Operation Odyssey Dawn with Airmen from 11 air refueling wings supporting the international coalition enforcement of a United Nations authorized no-fly zone, National Guard officials said March 22 here.Aircraft and crews from Alaska, Arizona, Illinois, Iowa,

  • Airman's money-saving solution rewarded by IDEA program

    The Innovative Development Employee Awareness program awarded an inventive Airman a $10,000 check March 17 here.Airman 1st Class Shawn W. Smith, a 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron instrument flight control system journeyman, was rewarded for his submission that suggested a change in the

  • Air Force aerial layer networking concept to enhance warfighter connectivity

    By 2024, the Air Force's fleet of aircraft, space and surface systems will contribute to and use various aerial layer networking functions to support joint capability areas, officials said here March 23.Following the publication of the October 2009 Joint Aerial Layer Network Initial Capabilities

  • Military children need nation's support

    Military children need the support not just of the Defense Department, but the "whole of nation" to ensure they're ready for the future, a DOD official said here March 23."Military children are resilient, but they need a lot of help," said Robert L. Gordon III, the deputy assistant secretary of

  • New Security+ certification course offered at Keesler AFB

    A new course to provide Security+ certification to cyberspace support Airmen prior to air expeditionary force deployments began March 21 here.The course is currently programmed to train 1,297 students annually in Keesler AFB's 336th Training Squadron.Last December, during a training advisory meeting

  • F-22 Raptor flown on synthetic biofuel

    An F-22 Raptor successfully flew at supercruise March 18 on a 50/50 fuel blend of conventional petroleum-based JP-8 and biofuel derived from camelina, a weed-like plant not used for food.The flight was the capstone of a series of ground and flight test events conducted by members of the 411th Flight

  • Test report: AFNet effective, suitable, mission-capable

    The effort to manage Air Force web and email operations as one, consolidated enterprise took a giant step forward March 18, with release of a testing report on Air Force Intranet Increment 1, referred to as AFNet Inc 1. The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center's evaluation showed that

  • Medical group decontamination team freshens up skills

    The set-up outside of the 95th Medical Clinic here March 17 looked like a scene from a disaster movie. Medics dressed in plastic suits worked to decontaminate patients while acting as a barrier between the infected and the clean.Fortunately, the scene outside of the medical clinic was simulated. The

  • Tax laws benefit service members, families

    Service members and their families have a few tax advantages at their disposal, as well as a few extra days in which to complete their taxes this year, a Defense Department tax expert said.Due to Emancipation Day, a holiday recognized by the District of Columbia, government officials have pushed the

  • PACOM officials direct distribution of potassium iodide tablets

    As a precautionary measure, U.S. Pacific Command officials directed distribution of potassium iodide tablets March 22 here. Base officials, however, are stressing there is no indication of increased exposure here. "We want everyone who may need the pills to be prepared, whether it's because of

  • Air Force special operations Airman supports Marine units

    Airmen from the 353rd Special Operations Group are providing support for relief operations in Japan in a variety of ways. For one communications specialist from the group, that means being one of only three Airman forward deployed with a team of Marines. Senior Airman Adam Colby, a special

  • Advisers aid weapons delivery to Iraqi partners

    Iraqi and U.S. weapons crews and pilots completed a $250,000 weapons-delivery mission from Sather Air Base, Iraq to here March 14.A half dozen Airmen assigned to the 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron here accompanied their Iraqi army aviation command partners to accept delivery of nearly

  • NATO, USAFE officials host international flight surgeons

    NATO Allied Air Component Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe officials hosted more than 200 international military medical personnel here March 14 through 18 during the 2011 European Flight Surgeons Conference and NATO Research and Technology Organization Short Course.Flight surgeons, public

  • Senior leaders thank KC-46A source selection team

    Department of Defense and Air Force senior leaders flew here from Washington March 21 to congratulate the team responsible for the source selection of the Air Force's top acquisition priority: the KC-46A tanker. Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley; Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition,