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U.S. Air Force News

  • AFMC seeks innovative ideas through IdeaScale Campaign

    Airmen and civilians from across the enterprise are invited to submit innovative ideas and solutions to improve the AFMC mission through the Air Force Ideation Platform, or IdeaScale, now through September 2020.

  • Air Force announces Spark Tank 2020 selectees

    Spark Tank also offers Airmen the opportunity to get their ideas in front of key enabling agencies that can share expertise and resources such as funding or personnel for the projects being presented and demonstrate pathways for intrapreneurs to make their initiatives successful.

  • Air Force sets foundation for energy optimization, lethality

    As 2020 approaches and the Air Force prepares to take on the challenges of the next decade, we must also review our successes and lessons learned from the last year. For Air Force Operational Energy, 2019 was a year for laying the foundation to build a more optimized and lethal force in the years to

  • Dyess AFB Airmen complete BACE exercise

    During the exercise, three C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the 317th Airlift Wing and the 19th Airlift Wing transported the equipment and personnel needed to successfully maintain and support flying operations for two B-1B Lancers from the 7th Bomb Wing’s 9th Bomb Squadron.

  • VCSAF meets with nuclear scientists, engineers about future operations

    The visit gave the leaders an opportunity to discuss future operations and algorithmic warfare – the method by which battles are fought using artificial intelligence and machine learning as a weapon system – with members of the Defense Department’s sole nuclear treaty monitoring center and the

  • Final CALCM missile package retired

    The CALCM missile has been employed in combat operations to include Desert Storm, Desert Strike, Desert Fox, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Decades later, the final missile package was disassembled to become demilitarized.

  • SecAF, CSAF end overseas tour with visit to Ramstein AB

    While visiting Ramstein Air Base, Secretary of the Air Force Barbara M. Barrett and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein met Airmen from the 86th Airlift Wing, 435th Air Ground Operations Wing and 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing as they presented an array of capabilities to give the

  • VCSAF visits Nigerien Air Base 201

    Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Stephen W. Wilson met with Airmen from Nigerien Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger, Sept. 23. The stop was one of eight bases included in the vice chief's tour focused on the initiatives of Airmen in deployed locations.

  • Changes to TSP coming in December

    The traditional login method, with a member’s username/account number and password, is enhanced by adding a one-time verification code members receive through email and/or text message each time the account is accessed.

  • Project NEXUS: Empowering the USAF’s digital talent

    Designed by the AETC technology integration detachment and hosted by the AFWERX-Austin hub, the beta test program was designed to fuel organic technology problem solving efforts for Airmen in their day-to-day workplaces.

  • Women’s Leadership Symposium inspires growth, diversity

    The two-day event drew more than 250 attendees from across the command. The symposium featured keynote speakers, issue-focused panels and collaborative networking discussions designed to empower women to help foster workplace environments that embrace diversity and promote leadership growth

  • Defense, industry partners plan for future multi-domain conflicts

    Experts from across the Air Force and the Department of Defense’s joint community, as well as industry partners, came to CyberWorx to analyze a single, yet complicated problem-set: how do we operate in contested environments ensuring a steady-state of tactical C2 support?

  • Retiring chiefs leave wisdom for mil-to-mil couples

    After a combined 52 years of service, this couple of chief master sergeants retired from the U.S. Air Force Oct. 25, 2019. Their 14 years as military-to-military spouses were full of challenges, victories and lessons to pass on.

  • Required financial readiness training for Reserve coming in November

    “In an effort to improve or sustain the financial readiness and literacy of all Airmen, the Air Force has directed that all military members will receive financial readiness training at key points throughout their career,” said Brande Newsome, headquarters Air Force Reserve integrated resilience

  • Air Force welcomes small businesses to pitch their space ideas

    The two-day event will feature esteemed keynotes, expert panels, innovative startup pitches, a dynamic expo floor of more than 60 booths and the potential for the participating small companies to win an on-the-spot contract with the Air Force.

  • AETC announces 2020 Spark Tank winner

    The 381st Training Group’s idea to transform low-fidelity training into a student-centered, solid foundation for space warfighters and Air University’s “give makerspace” idea that enables creative, innovative Airmen to devise solutions in a dedicated makerspace by providing physical space to work

  • Connectedness key to defeating the enemy

    For Tyndall Air Force Base, identifying the enemy has taken on a heightened sense of urgency since Hurricane Michael’s landfall on Oct. 10, 2018. The storm not only leveled the base, it also wreaked havoc on the lives of Airmen, civilian employees and family members displaced and impacted. Since

  • 16th Air Force to streamline cyber weapon systems

    Launched on July 1, 12N12 aims to replace, reduce and consolidate the tools, systems and applications operators and analysts employ within the cyberspace security and defense mission area by July 1, 2020.

  • Mobility, Air Force leaders kick off A/TA’s 51st convention

    The conference, which runs through Oct. 26, is a professional development opportunity offering AMC personnel and Total Force mobility partners exposure to forums, speeches, seminars and workshops geared toward bolstering knowledge of the mobility enterprise.

  • USAFE Band unites US, Ukrainian armed forces through music

    At the invitation of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, the 15-member team hosted master classes for local music students, jam sessions in the community and concerts in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Desna Military Training Centre and Kyiv.

  • Transition process improves through TAP refresh

    Before, TAP could be accomplished no later than 89 days before a military member’s separation date. Now, individuals can take advantage of the program 12-15 months before their final out — nearly a year difference.

  • AFMC successfully executes $66 billion portfolio in FY19

    Organizationally, AFMC manages 34% of the overall budget for the Air Force; executing funds across six centers, multiple platforms and Air Force installations, with missions ranging from, but not limited to, installation support and readiness to research and development, sustainment and technology

  • 380th ESFS brings proficiency firing to the AOR

    After months of relationship building, planning and paperwork, the 380th ESFS conducted the first proficiency firing course in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility on an Emirati firing range.

  • Air Force stands up new Advanced Aircraft PEO

    The new office was created to transform the Next Generation Air Dominance program into the Air Force’s Digital Century Series initiative, using digital engineering, modular open systems architecture, and agile software development to design advanced airplanes faster and enter production with a

  • The sky's the limit: Sheppard AFB innovation goes from ground up

    Mixed reality used by the 80th Flying Training Wing is a flying environment in a controlled setting that enables students to learn and make mistakes with a safety net. It was created through the use of 360-degree cameras, skilled pilots and actual images from flights over north Texas and southern

  • Air Force recognizes Energy Action Month 2019

    During Energy Action Month, the Air Force will emphasize the need for smart energy solutions and inform Airmen, Air Force senior leaders, policy makers and aligned organizations about what they can do to effectively distribute, generate and manage resilient and reliable energy across the enterprise.

  • Facilities, information technology top themes in AFMC We Need study

    Facility quality and Information Technology infrastructure topped the list of concerns identified through the Air Force Materiel Command’s AFMC We Need initiative, which aims to identify ways to best posture the command to meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy and the Air Force of the

  • Air Force reduces barriers for pregnant aviators

    Effective immediately, remotely piloted aircrew, missile operations duty crews and certain fully qualified pilots are authorized to perform their assigned duties during pregnancy without a medical waiver.

  • AFRL invents cargo aircraft tire change tool

    The 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, part of the Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California, who maintains the U. S. Air Force’s largest aircraft, the C-5M Super Galaxy, contacted the AFRL's JFWORX team seeking assistance to increase the safety and decrease the manpower requirements

  • Reserve readiness for today and the future

    The reemergence of long-term strategic and great-power competition necessitates that the Air Force Reserve grows its capabilities to meet the demands of the future operating environment while integrating with Air Education Training Command and the Air National Guard.

  • OEA introduces Energy StoryMap

    OEA, with its team of team of energy experts including engineers, project managers and policy analysts, serves as the single point of entry for all Air Force strategic facility energy and resiliency initiatives.

  • Safety professionals recognized at 2019 NSC Congress and Expo

    The National Safety Council developed the Rising Stars of Safety to help highlight up-and-coming safety professionals. Winners show leadership in safety and bring new ideas to existing problems at their organizations. The Air Force is the only organization, federal or industry, which has had a

  • Executive order offers better access to mental health resources

    Executive Order 13822, "Supporting Our Veterans During Their Transition From Uniformed Service to Civilian Life," directs the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security "to come together and ensure we have seamless access to mental health care and suicide prevention resources for

  • Lighting up the runway: 386th ECES maintains flightline

    The group of Airmen jump in their truck on the side of the taxiway. While bathing in the frosty air conditioning, a C-17 Globemaster III suddenly soars past the truck from the left, and moments later, an eardrum-bursting sound roars across the bright skies of Kuwait as the hulking aircraft lifts off

  • A dark night leads to a bright career

    “We didn’t know what the area below us really looked like,” said Maj. Gen. Timothy Leahy, Second Air Force commander. “It could’ve been rolling terrain and when we hit the ground, the helicopter could’ve rolled over and burst into flames. Everyone could’ve died.”

  • Yokota AB hosts Pacific Unity 2019

    The four-day bilateral training event spanning from Aug. 20-23 brought together Airmen from throughout the Pacific to team up with Japanese Air Self-Defense Force service members to learn the advanced rapid airfield damage repair skills necessary to respond in war-time contingency operations.

  • Air Force mandates dedicated space for nursing mothers

    The policy enables commanders to support nursing mothers by outlining procedures and requirements for establishing a private, secure (lockable from the inside) and sanitary location for the purpose of breastfeeding and/or expressing breast milk.

  • Space Flag holds first exercise with coalition partners

    Space Flag 19-3 integrated approximately 160 coalition participants, observers and distinguished guests in Air Force Space Command’s “Fight Tonight” exercise focused on using current capabilities to deter, deny and disrupt adversarial actions in the space domain.

  • Air Force advances innovation at “Spark Collider”

    In Air Force-speak, the Spark Collider “will accelerate the matching of Air Force problems with viable solutions” by being equal parts speed dating, tech showcase and pitch sessions. The Air Force’s effort to innovate is part of a central tenet for defending the United States as outlined in the

  • 419th Civil Engineers help relocate Alaskan village

    With the nearest interstate highway roughly 600 miles away, 419th CES personnel were transported to the village by helicopter. Their tools and supplies were brought in via a barge on local waterways.

  • AFRL’s Digital Hangar to support lifecycle management of aerospace systems

    The Air Force Research Laboratory’s “Digital Hangar,” a concept created by Dr. Rick Graves, an Air Force Research Laboratory’s design and analysis branch aerospace research engineer, is a virtual repository containing digital surrogates of aerospace systems that have been gated through rigorous

  • Speed wins: MacDill AFB contracting awards 100k in swift fashion

    With the success of its first Pitch Day, MacDill AFB showcased how partnerships with local businesses are an integral part of advancing innovation to improve warfighting capabilities. Even further, Pitch Day was a testament to the base’s efforts to open their doors even more to small businesses in

  • Air Force brings defense planning into 21st century through modern software

    For much of the defense community, the ease and functionality of modern technology is not translated to military planning systems. While cumbersome acquisitions processes, funding issues and security concerns are often valid causes, many Department of Defense processes (and any software associated

  • Operation Rapid Forge concludes

    The 10-day operation helped ensure U.S. forces’ ability to fulfill the European Deterrence Initiative, a policy to assure and defend NATO allies, while promoting deterrence in an increasingly complex security environment.

  • Pilot Prep Program: 'Right answer for the Air Force'

    The new Air Force initiative to fill the need for military pilots was forged by Brig. Gen. Christopher M. Short, director of the Aircrew Crisis Task Force at the Pentagon. It’s one of many Total Force partnerships between the Air Force and its longtime auxiliary, CAP.

  • Kentucky Air Guard home to DoD’s only search and rescue dog

    In response to scenarios like the Haitian earthquake, Parsons spearheaded a new approach, developing the squadron’s Search and Rescue K-9 program. The effort, launched in 2018, is designed to increase the capabilities of disaster response teams in locating and recovering personnel through the use of

  • CSAF visits Spangdahlem AB

    Goldfein attended a luncheon at the base dining facility with squadron commanders and superintendents from the 52nd Fighter Wing before meeting with all Sabers to discuss ongoing Air Force initiatives and the base’s significance in the overall Air Force mission.

  • 509th MXS propulsion flight Airmen boost readiness to 18-year high

    The 509th Maintenance Squadron Propulsion Flight has achieved the highest engine readiness rate across the active-duty Air Force. 40 jet engine mechanics operate out of a repair center on base, ensuring the readiness of Whiteman Air Force Base’s 44 billion dollar fleet of B-2 Spirits.

  • AFMC conducts focus groups across enterprise

    The AFMC We Need enterprise-wide initiative, launched in late June 2019, seeks inputs and recommendations from AFMC civilian and military Airmen that can help posture the command to best support the National Defense Strategy today and in the decades to come.

  • ‘1200 in 12’ initiative succeeds as final new hire pledges oath

    The Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex announced its initiative during a press conference Aug. 15, 2018. The task at hand was to hire 1,200 new workers within 12 months, or by the end of fiscal 2019. At the time, 7,200 personnel worked for the complex, providing maintenance and repair for several

  • AFMC launches “AFMC we need” initiative

    The command-wide activity will seek the input of military and civilian Airmen across the headquarters and center footprints to recommend changes to posture the command for mission success in the decades to come.

  • Air Force officials announce tour length changes

    The tour length reduction from four to three years for military training instructors, military training leaders, Air Education and Training Command technical training instructors with prefix “T”, “J”, or “X” and stateside professional military education instructors was announced July 1, renewing the

  • Air Force BRAC program reaches innovation milestone

    AFCEC’s Base and Realignment Closure team developed and transferred geospatial data for 39 BRAC installations onto the Air Force GeoBase program and was the first organization to complete the Air Force wide task.

  • AFIT students inform Pentagon energy initiative as part of new course

    Initiated and funded by Air Force Operational Energy, the course covers topics such as aircraft physics, aircraft energy requirements including propulsion & mission systems and the technologies used to meet those requirements. Future technologies are also considered, along with operational factors

  • Air Force announces Junior ROTC instructors of the year

    The award program recognizes AFJROTC instructors’ “diligent work and outstanding achievement” in the development of cadets and encourages excellence through recognition of superior accomplishment. In addition to national recognition for their educational performance and award presentation from the

  • Air Force Academy teams up with Test Pilot School in new candidacy program

    Test Pilot School is a highly competitive, 48-week educational opportunity for aviators, combat systems officers, remotely piloted aircraft pilots and engineers. Graduates of the course receive a Master of Science in flight test engineering and go on to test a variety of aerospace weapon systems for