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U.S. Air Force News

  • Air Force Reserve stands up first F-22 Raptor unit

    Air Force Reserve officials activated the first F-22 Raptor unit, the 477th Fighter Group, in a ceremony here Oct. 2, giving the Reserve a valuable part of America's newest and most sophisticated weapons system. "This is a most wonderful day for the AFRC because we have officially stood up our first

  • 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

  • Air Force Reserve support continuing

    As Operation Iraqi Freedom shifts from combat to reconstruction, hundreds of mobilized Air Force reservists are returning home to family and civilian life. Thousands more, however, remain on active duty, and Air Force Reserve Command officials here say they have no clear picture as of May 21 as to

  • Air Force Reserve supports joint exercise Ivy Mass 2024

    The 302nd Airlift Wing participated in a 10-day exercise stressing command and control capabilities in a scenario simulating a large-scale conflict from June 3-13th, at Peterson Space Force Base and Fort Carson, Colorado.

  • Air Force Reserve tests activation process

    The first of 24 bases scheduled for musters of individual ready reserve Airmen took place at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., on March 2. The Air Reserve Personnel Center conducts IRR musters, which are required by law, to enhance readiness and ensure the Air Force can "reach out and touch" the IRR

  • Air Force Reserve to form A-10 associate units

    As part of the Air Force's total force integration, Air Force Reserve Command officials are teaming up with Air Combat Command officials to establish two A-10 Thunderbolt II associate units in October. A classic associate group of about 215 reservists will support the active duty 23rd Wing at Moody

  • Air Force Reserve to form associate unit at Eglin

    As part of Air Force total force integration initiatives, the Air Force Reserve Command is teaming up with Air Combat Command to establish an associate unit at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The process is tentatively scheduled to start in fiscal 2008. Plans propose support of the 53rd Wing and its test

  • Air Force Reserve to form F-15E associate detachment

    As part of the Air Force's Total Force Integration, the Air Force Reserve is teaming up with Air Combat Command to establish an F-15E Strike Eagle associate unit in October. A detachment of eight instructor pilots, four instructor weapon systems officers and two administrative specialists will

  • Air Force Reserve to get C-17s at Wright-Patt

    Air Force officials will begin next year replacing 10 C-5 Galaxy aircraft with eight C-17 Globemaster III aircraft at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.The secretary of the Air Force and the Air Force chief of staff approved the change March 12. The officials anticipate that the first four C-17s

  • Air Force Reserve to operate with fewer reservists

    Air Force Reserve Command will operate with a smaller force in 2008. The fiscal 2008 Defense Appropriations Act signed by President George W. Bush Nov. 13 funds an end-strength of 67,500 reservists. Last year the projected end strength was 74,900. The new legislation also approves 9,999 full-time

  • Air Force Reserve to operate with more reservists

    Air Force Reserve Command will have a slightly larger force in 2007. The fiscal 2007 Defense Appropriations Act signed by President George W. Bush Sept. 29 funds an end-strength of 74,900 reservists.  That is 900 additional reservists compared to the fiscal 2006 end-strength of 74,000. The new

  • Air Force Reserve to test force support squadron concept

    Starting in October, the Air Force Reserve Command will test a new force support structure by merging mission support squadrons and services squadrons at seven locations throughout the United States. In the test, which will run for one year, the affected units will merge manpower and personnel

  • Air Force Reserve tops recruiting goal again

    For the sixth year in a row, Air Force Reserve Command officials have exceeded the command's recruiting goal.AFRC Recruiting Service surpassed its goal for the 2006 recruiting year Aug. 31 when officials accessed its 8,001st recruit as the number of people signing up continues to climb. Col. Francis

  • Air Force Reserve unit deploys to fight California fires

    Two Air Force Reserve Command firefighting C-130 Hercules aircraft left Oct. 23 to help battle the raging wildfires in Southern California. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, requested Department of Defense assistance in fighting the fires which put the wheels in motion for the

  • Air Force Reserve unit hosts IRR muster in Alaska

    Reservists from Air Force Reserve Command's 477th Fighter Group hosted an individual ready reserve muster here June 12. The purpose of a muster is to gather IRR members and to maintain their contact information and availability for activation to support a partial, total or full mobilization

  • Air Force Reserve welcomes its new commander

    Lt. Gen. John Healy received command of the Air Force Reserve Command from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., during a change of command ceremony at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, Aug. 3.

  • Air Force Reserve wing at Scott receives first C-40 aircraft

    The Air Force Reserve Command's 932nd Airlift Wing here welcomed a new aircraft into its inventory Feb. 26 with the arrival of its first of three C-40Cs. The wing, the only Air Force Reserve unit in the state of Illinois with a flying mission, will use the aircraft to augment its mission of

  • Air Force Reserve: 68 years strong

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James spoke to the importance of total force integration during the Air Force Reserve’s 68th birthday celebration April 14 at the Pentagon.

  • Air Force reservist pitches for San Diego Padres

    When he is not wearing the blue and gray uniform of the San Diego Padres, relief pitcher Jason Szuminski switches to Air Force blue as a first lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve. The 6-foot, 4-inch, 220-pound right-hander is the only Air Force reservist in Major League Baseball. He is assigned to

  • Air Force reservists and retirees eligible for TRICARE healthcare programs

    TRICARE has affordable healthcare programs available for all Air Force Reserve retirees - including "gray-area retirees" and actively-participating Air Force reservists, no matter what orders they are on.Reservists who retire before age 60 are eligible for TRICARE Retired Reserve coverage while they

  • Air Force reservists fight fires in Idaho

    Two specially equipped C-130 Hercules and 29 reservists from here are helping squelch forest fires in Idaho.In the first three days since arriving Sept. 4 in Boise, Idaho, the C-130s and Airmen from Air Force Reserve Command flew 14 sorties and dropped 36,500 gallons of fire retardant supporting of

  • Air Force reservists lead trauma care advances

    As coalition forces fight to help Iraq transition to democracy, Air Force surgeons here are fighting to save lives with new surgical knowledge that may benefit military and civilian medical care for years to come.Finishing his third tour in combat, Air Force reservist Col. (Dr.) Jay A. Johannigman

  • Air Force reservists 'tweet,' blog, post their way to cyberspace

    A couple of times a day, Master Sgt. Collen McGee logs onto the 433rd Airlift Wing's Twitter account and "tweets" updates to 675 followers from around the world. Using the twitter handle of @AFRC_433, Sergeant McGee condenses messages to 140 characters, often including links to related Web sites.

  • Air Force responds to earthquake in Japan

    Defense Secretary Robert Gates reports U.S. military personnel in Japan are accounted for after the massive 8.9 earthquake and tsunami that struck March 11."As best we can tell, all of our people are okay, our ships and military facilities are all in pretty good shape," Mr. Gates said. Meanwhile,

  • Air Force responds to Hurricane Michael

    Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 hurricane Oct. 10, with Tyndall Air Force Base directly in its path. Active-duty and National Guard service members were pre-positioned to provide assistance during the storm. And within hours after the hurricane ended, additional Airmen

  • Air Force restarts job reservation system May 1

    As part of force-shaping efforts, the Air Force will restart the career job reservation system May 1.The CJR system will reduce career field shortages and overages, and balance the career force within each skill, according to officials. The CJR system allows Air Force officials to limit the number

  • Air Force restarts tuition assistance

    The Air Force has officially restarted military tuition assistance, effective immediately. The service restarted the program as a result of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013, where Congress called for the MTA program to continue in the current fiscal year. As a

  • Air Force restores moves to Academy

    Permanent change of station and temporary duty reporting has been restored for Airmen headed for the Air Force Academy, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.The 10th Air Base Wing commander implemented the stop movement order in response to an encroaching wildfire north of the Academy grounds.

  • Air Force restores moves to Keesler AFB

    Permanent change of station and temporary duty reporting has been restored for Airmen and civilians traveling to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., Air Force Personnel Center officials said.The 81st Training Wing commander implemented the stop movement order in response to Hurricane Isaac. The stop

  • Air Force rethinks air operations centers

    The Air Force needs to start thinking of its air operations centers as weapon systems if the service wants to remain the best in the world, the deputy chief of staff for air and space operations said."The AOC is fundamental to what makes us great as an Air Force," Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Keys said. "If

  • Air Force retiree funerals change due to manpower cuts

    Base honor guards across the Air Force will be changing the way they perform retiree funerals starting Nov. 1 due to manpower cuts and high operations tempo as well as a higher number of retiree funerals than ever in Air Force history. The formal 10-person funeral will no longer be authorized for

  • Air Force retiree recalls harsh life in Poland during WWII

    Master Sgt. Sam Katchmar retired in June of ʼ68, 20 years after he began his service to the country in the newly-formed Air Force. American-born, his mother sold their family saloon and moved, with her six children, to Poland after her husband died in a coal mine accident. The family survived in

  • Air Force returns enlisted high year of tenure to standards

    Air Force manpower and personnel officials here announced Jan. 27 a return of enlisted high year of tenure limits to their pre-2003 levels."We've considered returning HYT limits to their normal levels for several years. Now that our Air Force end strength is stabilizing, it is an appropriate time to

  • Air Force returns to Wood Brothers for 2006 Nextel Cup Series

    The Air Force's participation in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series continues in 2006 as an associate advertiser with the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing No. 21 car. The 2006 race season marks the sixth year the Air Force has been racing with the Wood Brothers racing team. NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader replaces

  • Air Force reunites Alaska families with sled dogs

    For six days a week, a small 30-passenger, chartered plane touched down on the runway in Galena, Alaska, carrying a team of contractors with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, their equipment and supplies for conducting environmental investigations at the former Air Force Galena Forward Operating

  • Air Force revamping flight, operational medicine

    The Air Force Medical Service is restructuring flight and operational medicine by separating primary care and occupational medicine services into two distinct clinics, with the goal of improving care and creating more efficient and patient-centered workflows.

  • Air Force revamps AEF

    The Air Force will deploy Agile Combat Support Airmen under its redesigned air expeditionary force construct October 1.

  • Air Force reveals B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the first rendering of the Long Range Strike Bomber, designated the B-21, at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla., and announced the Air Force will be taking suggestions from Airmen to help decide the name of the

  • Air Force reveals newest recruiting campaign

    The U.S. Air Force is bringing back its "Aim High" advertising slogan after a 15-year hiatus with the launch of the "I am an American Airman" recruiting campaign Sept. 8. The integrated campaign, created by the Air Force's advertising agency, GSD&M, includes three commercial spots as well as new

  • Air Force Review held at memorial

    Air Force officials held an Air Force Review in "Heritage to Horizons" style revitalizing a 300-year-old military ceremony and presented it to a modern audience April 14 at the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va. The Air Force Review was hosted by Maj. Gen. Robert L. Smolen, the Air Force District

  • Air Force revises CJR 'wait list'

    The Air Force has revised the career job reservation list to meet end-strength goals under force shaping.While five new Air Force specialties have been identified as constrained, another six have been released from the list. All constrained Air Force specialties receive quotas and have a ranked

  • Air Force revises wing, vice and group command screening board process

    This year, the Air Force implemented a revised process for the 2022 wing, vice and group command screening boards to streamline notification, align more closely with joint partners and enhance senior leader talent management. Approximately 24% of all O-6 positions are command billets and half of the

  • Air Force rewards outstanding munitions unit

    Members of the 31st Munitions Squadron at Aviano Air Base recently earned the Air Force's 2011 Maintenance Effectiveness Award, excelling in all graded areas, particularly after acting as the lead munitions squadron for NATO forces during Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector."We possess an

  • Air Force risks air dominance without F/A-22

    Without the F/A-22 Raptor, the Air Force could face losing its lead in fighter aviation to other nations, said Maj. Gen. John D. W. Corley, director of Air Force Global Power Programs at the Pentagon."We need this aircraft," Corley said. "It's the only new U.S. aircraft that will be able to put

  • Air Force risks becoming too small to succeed under sequestration

    During testimony on Capitol Hill Jan. 28, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III stressed the negative impact sequestration will have on future Air Force capabilities, emphasizing further budget cuts will lead to low morale and declined readiness in the Air Force.

  • Air Force role in Basra is different

    For anyone flying into Basra International Airport, the feeling certainly must be different than flying into Baghdad International.First of all, anyone stepping off the plane is immediately greeted by British Royal Air Force airmen, which is certainly different than Baghdad. Additionally, the area

  • Air Force rolls out new rifle qualification course

    Airmen taking the new Air Force Rifle Qualification Course are finding themselves learning more than just basic marksmanship skills.Changes requiring more intensive weapons training were published in September by the Air Force Security Center and officially took effect Dec. 1."Our combatant

  • Air Force ROTC cadet Virginia Tech shooting victim

    An Air Force ROTC cadet was officially identified April 18 by Virginia Polytechnic Institute officials as one of the 32 students and faculty killed during the shooting incident at the school April 16. Cadet Matthew La Porte was a sophomore in Air Force ROTC Detachment 875 and the Virginia Tech Corps

  • Air Force ROTC cadets find their Pathway to Blue

    Second Air Force held their fifth annual Pathways to Blue event at Keesler Air Force Base, where more than 250 Air Force ROTC cadets and enlisted members attended to learn about different officer career fields, April 5-6.

  • Air Force ROTC closing detachments next summer

    Air Force ROTC officials are closing detachments at the University of Akron in Ohio, and Grambling State University in Louisiana next summer.In the summer 2007, officials will close AFROTC detachments at the University of Memphis in Tennessee; University of Cincinnati in Ohio; Wilkes University in

  • Air Force ROTC detachment command opportunities available

    Eligible active-duty line of the Air Force lieutenant colonels and lieutenant colonel-selects interested in summer 2016 Reserve Officer Training Corps detachment command opportunities have until May 27 to request consideration for these positions.

  • Air Force ROTC detachment commanders' board meets Nov. 8

    The Air Force ROTC detachment commanders’ board, originally scheduled for Sept. 8, has been rescheduled to Nov. 8 at the Air Force Personnel Center here.The board will select Air Force ROTC detachment commanders for July 2005 reporting dates.Lieutenant colonels and colonels interested in applying

  • Air Force ROTC detachments remain open

    Five Air Force ROTC detachments previously identified for closure will remain open on a two-year period of evaluation, as recently approved by Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche.The detachments are at the University of Memphis in Tennessee; University of Cincinnati in Ohio; Wilkes

  • Air Force ROTC returns to Harvard

    Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James helped return the Air Force's tie to one of the country's most prestigious institutions April 22. The secretary signed an agreement at Harvard University, Massachusetts, re-establishing the Air Force ROTC detachment there.

  • Air Force ROTC unit established at Yale

    The secretary of the Air Force and the president of Yale University signed an agreement here Sept. 12 establishing an Air Force ROTC detachment on the campus, which marks a renewed presence at Yale for the Air Force.Yale's commitment to service, intellectual excellence and diversity make it the

  • Air Force rugby team continues successful streak

    The Air Force men's rugby team won its seventh consecutive Armed Forces Rugby Championship tournament  Nov. 6.Players on the team are active-duty, Air National Guard and Reserve Airmen of all ranks and career fields from across the Air Force. They all play in local rugby clubs and on base intramural

  • Air Force runners dominate Marine Corps Marathon

    Air Force runners took home bragging rights from the Marine Corps Marathon this weekend, with both the men's and women's teams winning first place in the military services division. The top times from the top four male and top two female runners are added together. The Air Force marathoners

  • Air Force running goes digital

    Beginning Sept. 1, Air Force medical officials will take new strides to get Airmen running safely.The Air Force Telehealth Office will conduct a six-month study to investigate the outcome and efficiency of online running instruction. The study will examine the effectiveness of a newly developed set

  • Air Force safety also applies to space

    When it comes to safety in the Air Force, much of the focus on mishap prevention goes into preventing and investigating slips, trips and falls. Ground safety applies to every member, regardless of their primary duty, and all can benefit from practicing prescribed safety methods in their everyday

  • Air Force Safety Automated System vital to tracking, preventing mishaps

    The Air Force Safety Center continues to develop and deploy enhancements to the Air Force Safety Automated System to provide accurate mishap information and timely risk mitigation data to all levels of command. AFSAS is a Web-enabled mishap reporting and analysis system that's accessible 24/7

  • Air Force Safety Center announces annual awards

    Air Force Safety Center officials recently named the Air Force Safety Award recipients for fiscal 2003.They are:-- Secretary of the Air Force Safety Award: Category I, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; Category II, U.S. Air Force Academy.-- Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois Memorial Award: Air Mobility

  • Air Force Safety Center announces Unit Risk Forecasting tool

    The tool utilizes over a decade of historical safety data, unit personnel data, predictive capabilities, and mitigation strategies developed by safety professionals to give commanders and decision makers a visual toolkit to minimize risk at the unit level.

  • Air Force Safety Center officials build awareness with family campaign

    Air Force Safety Center officials here released the first public service announcement highlighting volunteer family members active in saving lives and preventing mishaps.The center is using Airmen's families to influence behaviors as part of the safety center's campaign during the Year of the Air

  • Air Force Safety Center recognized for young drivers program

    Members of the Air Force Safety Center's Ground Safety Division received the National Safety Council's Outstanding Effort in Training Young Adult Drivers award for "sincerity of heart" in keeping young adult drivers alive and safe behind the wheel of Air Force vehicles and their own personal

  • Air Force Safety Center wins 22 communications awards

    The Air Force Safety Center has won a total of 22 communications awards from two different programs that recognize excellence in communications.  Eighteen Awards of Excellence were presented by Communicator Awards and four Awards of Excellence were presented by APEX.Communicator Awards is the

  • Air Force Safety goes mobile

    The Air Force Safety Center released a mobile version of the Airman Safety App, Nov. 15, enabling Airmen at installations Air Force-wide to voluntarily report safety issues with their devices as they encounter them.

  • Air Force safety magazine gets new website

    Wingman, the Air Force's official quarterly safety magazine, has a new digital home. Readers can find the current and all future issues of Wingman at www.wingmanmagazine.af.mil. Due to a Department of Defense initiative for organizations to find greater efficiencies, Air Force Safety Center

  • Air Force safety officials launch Critical Days of Summer website

    May 25th marks the first day of the Critical Days of Summer safety campaign. The summer is a welcome time of year marked by warmer weather and increased participation in outdoor activities. Unfortunately, it's historically the time of year when the Air Force experiences disproportionately more

  • Air Force salutes hospitalized veterans

    Airmen worldwide are visiting Veterans Affairs medical centers this month to deliver support and encouragement.They are joining celebrities, civic groups and community leaders during 2004 National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans week Feb. 8 to 14. The annual salute honors hospitalized veterans and

  • Air Force saves Airmen time, no longer requires first year evaluations

    Air Force officials announced Jan. 4, 2018, Enlisted Performance Reports are no longer required for regular Air Force Airmen in the grade of airman first class and below with less than 36 months’ Time-In-Service or Air Reserve Component Airmen below the grade of senior airman.

  • Air Force saves money through energy-efficient lighting

    With an energy efficiency commitment, Air Force officials pursue leading-edge technologies for energy efficient lighting as part of its energy strategy for the 21st century. The Air Force spends about $1 billion annually for the 77 trillion British thermal units of energy required to run more than

  • Air Force saves native remains

    Quick action and the use of high-tech radar at an old radar site allowed an Air Force team to find 15 unmarked graves of Alaska natives that were in danger of being washed out to sea this winter.Earlier in the year, the rural village of Port Heiden, Alaska, saw their old graveyard get torn apart by

  • Air Force says farewell to most powerful ICBM

    The era of the Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile, often credited with helping end the Cold War, is coming to its own close Sept. 19 with the final phase of the deactivation process.The deactivation began in October 2002 after President Bush set a plan in motion in 2001 to reduce the

  • Air Force school focuses on cybersecurity

    "The wars of the future will be fought in the cyber domain" sounds like a bad movie tagline from 20 years ago, but it's becoming truer by the day, and the Air Force is readying troops for that battle.Brig. Gen. Walter D. Givhan, the commandant of the Air Force Institute of Technology at

  • Air Force scientists battle aviator fatigue

    Air Force scientists here are using their research to help battle fatigue in aviators. “Fatigue from sustained operations can place pilots at severe risk from (decreased alertness) unless effective fatigue-management strategies are (used)” said Dr. John Caldwell, a scientist with the Air Force

  • Air Force scientists develop transparent transistors

    Air Force Research Laboratory scientists have demonstrated world-record performance of transparent transistors created from thin-film nanocrystalline zinc oxide which can function, undetected, on clear surfaces such as glass or plastic. Lead investigator Dr. Burhan Bayraktaroglu of AFRL's Sensors