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  • CSAF presents Purple Heart to pararescueman

    After being hit by enemy fire April 18 during a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Staff Sgt. Robert L. Disney Jr. was on the receiving end of the lifesaving steps he knows well as an Air Force pararescueman.At a Pentagon ceremony April 30, he received a Purple Heart presented by Air

  • Force development prepares airmen for success

    Force-development efforts are under way to ensure the Air Force’s enlisted corps remains the best in the world, said the service’s top enlisted leader.According to Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray, force development is simply a methodical approach to giving airmen the tools,

  • One doctor makes up deployed dental flight

    The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing has a dental flight. It is a flight of one.Lt. Col. (Dr.) Alan Sutton is the sole source of minor dental treatment for servicemembers at this forward-deployed location. Treatment includes extractions, fillings, root canals, maintaining orthodontic appliances and

  • Aziz brings total of 'Top 55' in custody to 12

    With Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and sometime-spokesman Tariq Aziz now in American custody, 12 of the 55 most wanted Iraqis are accounted for, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today. Rumsfeld said during a noon Pentagon press briefing that coalition forces also have "a number" of other

  • People are the key to air power, CSAF says

    The men and women of the Air Force are the basis of America’s air and space power, according to the Air Force chief of staff.“It’s all about smart people and the tools they’ve used in new and different ways,” Gen. John P. Jumper told an audience April 24 at the National Air and Space Museum

  • Roche, Jumper to speak at academy graduation

    Air Force officials announced April 23 that Dr. James Roche, secretary of the Air Force, and Gen. John Jumper, Air Force chief of staff, will speak at this year's Air Force Academy grauation. "Both personally are very much involved in the Air Force Academy and Air Force military education, and

  • Cooperation key for coalition success, Hailston says

    The key to the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom was the outstanding cooperation among all of the services and coalition partners, the top Marine in the command said today.Speaking from his headquarters in Bahrain, Marine Lt. Gen. Earl Hailston said that force planned and executed the operation as

  • Iraqis need work, paychecks, U.S. administrator says

    American officials are working to reconstitute Iraqi government ministries and get employees back to work and receiving paychecks, the man charged with getting Iraq running again said today.Jay Garner, director of the Pentagon's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, said in a Baghdad

  • Ground commander lauds land troops' success in Iraq

    Coalition forces are nearing the end of combat operations, but the campaign will continue, the chief of coalition land forces said during an interview from Baghdad.In a videoconferenced briefing with Pentagon reporters, Army Lt. Gen. David McKiernan said the ground campaign against the regime of

  • Coalition takes "Queen of Spades," continues security operations

    The coalition has trumped the Queen of Spades in the Iraqi most-wanted deck.Muhammad Hamza Zubaydi, a former prime minister and member of the Revolutionary Command Council in Iraq, is in coalition custody, said U.S. Central Command officials. He is the highest-ranking member of the former regime

  • Air Force names legal award winners

    Air Force office of the judge advocate general officials have named the winners of their 2002 annual awards. They are:-- Albert M. Kuhfeld Award for judge advocate of the year: Maj. James K. Floyd, Air Force Legal Services Agency, Bolling Air Force Base, D.C.-- Reginald C. Harmon Award for Air

  • New ID cards are secure, ready

    The high-tech identification common access card currently replacing the familiar green ID card worldwide is secure and proven in combat, despite some rumors to the contrary."Worries are unfounded" that the new ID cards are easily accessible to identity thieves or even hostile forces, said Chief

  • SARS has minor impact on upcoming exercises

    With major combat operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom wrapping up, airmen are watching the news closely for a potential new enemy -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.Recent intense media coverage may make it seem as though the virus, known as SARS, is spreading uncontrollably. However, the

  • Air Force, Central Command set war trophy policy

    Servicemembers deployed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom may be tempted to bring home souvenirs of their war experience, but Air Force legal officials are urging them to think twice. Depending on the item, bringing home a "war trophy" could lead to court-martial, said Lt. Col. Karen L. Manos,

  • Air component commander updates troops on Operation Iraqi Freedom

    Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the Operation Iraqi Freedom Combined Forces Air Component commander, visited this deployed location recently to update the troops on Operation Iraqi Freedom and to award a B-1B Lancer flight crew from the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing Distinguished Flying Crosses for

  • U.S. war leader visits airmen

    The leader of U.S. Central Command stopped April 18 at a forward-deployed bomber location to show his appreciation for the job the airmen here have done.Army Gen. Tommy Franks gave a hearty "thanks" to more than 1,200 airmen who supported and flew 100-plus B-52 Stratofortress combat missions in

  • Surgeon's skills stay sharp helping base

    The doctor and nurses, shrouded in gowns, gloves and facemasks, lay stainless-steel scalpels and clamps neatly on the plastic-covered tray next to the patient.One of the nurses squeezes around the operating stretcher to adjust the overhead lamps while the doctor picks up his tools and prepares to

  • U.S. airfield troops sustain operations, assist Iraqi populace

    U.S. Army and Air Force troops at an airfield in southern Iraq are providing military air and logistical support -- and much-needed medical and other assistance to local Iraqis."Now that we've transitioned to the post-hostility phase, we're really getting our medical people out into the local

  • Doolittle Raiders honor fallen comrades

    The Doolittle Raiders held their traditional goblet ceremony April 16 during the group's 61st annual reunion, held here and in the local community this week. During the goblet ceremony, the men toast with cognac and then turn over the goblets of those who have died since the last meeting.Each

  • Another regime leader captured; Coalition forces transition

    Iraqi Kurds handed over the Ba'ath Party regional command chairman for East Baghdad to coalition special operations forces yesterday, U.S. Central Command officials said this morning.Samir abd al-Aziz al-Najim was the "4" of clubs in the deck of cards issued to coalition troops to identify the 55

  • Operation Iraqi Freedom marks new way of war fighting

    The successful application of teamwork and technology in Operation Iraqi Freedom marks a turning point in American war fighting, the U.S. military's senior officer said here April 16."What we've done in Iraq has been dramatically different" than how the American military has fought wars since the

  • Joint effort stands up Iraqi air base

    The Army said it was "austere." The Air Force called it "downright primitive."Regardless of the description, commanders on both sides agree the effort to turn an Iraqi air base into a coalition operations hub has been one of the finest examples of teamwork seem so far during Operation Iraqi

  • Schriever navigator makes movie magic

    He has been a Confederate infantryman, a Union surgeon and a prisoner of war killed at the Battle of the Bulge, but his best role is a navigator with the Air Force Space Command Battle Lab here.As a Hollywood extra, Maj. Allen Vickrey enjoys working in historic epics that bring the past to

  • U.S., U.K. medical forces work together

    Wounded British forces may speak the same language as some of their new medics, but they definitely have a different accent.Air Force medical teams have joined British forces to receive and care for British soldiers evacuated to a deployed Operation Iraqi Freedom location. While United Kingdom

  • Coalition forces still conducting operations

    While major combat action is certainly winding down in Iraq, coalition forces are still conducting operations in the country, said U.S. Central Command officials in Qatar today.In Al Ramadi April 15, a commander with the 3rd Infantry Division accepted the capitulation of the Iraqi regular army 12th

  • U.S. troops to be in Iraq 'not one day longer' than necessary, Myers says

    American troops will be in Iraq "as long as required and not one day longer," the U.S. military's senior officer said here today.Saddam Hussein's regime is history and "the process of returning Iraq to the Iraqi people has begun," Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of

  • CFACC provides guidance for coalition air campaign

    Before one of the most intense and precise air campaigns in the history of modern warfare began March 19, a video teleconference was held that included President Bush, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield, U.S. Central Command commander Gen. Tommy Franks and Combined Forces Air Component Commander

  • Now showing: April 14 edition of Air Force Television News

    The Air Force's role in Operation Iraqi Freedom and an update by two Air Force senior leaders on what is being done to address the rape and sexual assault issue at the Air Force Academy highlight the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Most of the program's focus is on Operation Iraqi

  • F/A-22 provides technological leap forward

    One cannot view the F/A-22 Raptor as only a replacement for current Air Force fighters, the service's top acquisition official told lawmakers April 11."(The F/A-22) is basically a technological leap forward to counter the threats we perceive (we will face) in the future," said Dr. Marvin R. Sambur,

  • Tough, brave troops fight for freedom

    America's men and women in uniform are brave, tough and courageous, President Bush said today after visiting more than 70 wounded service members and their families at two military hospitals."It's an amazing thing when you see a person wounded, sitting there in a wheelchair or bound up in bandages

  • Combat Ops continue in Iraq, humanitarian aid pours in

    U.S. and coalition troops are searching out and eliminating pockets of Saddam-regime diehards, while providing much needed humanitarian relief to the Iraqi people.That's the message Army Brig. Gen. Vince Brooks, U.S. Central Command spokesperson delivered today at a press conference in Qatar.For

  • Improved 'Dragon Lady' still seeks, finds today's prey

    The 48-year-old U-2 "Dragon Lady" still reigns supreme as the leader among manned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.Even with newer, unmanned aerial vehicles like Global Hawk and Predator -- welcomed by increasing numbers of warfighters, and now joining the U-2 in ISR missions

  • Airborne Red Horse teams joins the mix

    The Air Force has a new capability thanks to the members of three new Airborne Red Horse teams. Red Horse teams provide the Air Force with a mobile, rapid-response civil engineer force to support contingency and special operations in remote, high-threat environments worldwide. In wartime, the

  • Free Iraqi forces: 'Members of the team' liberating Iraq

    They're intimately familiar with Iraqi language and culture, they wear distinctive uniforms, they serve with U.S. civil affairs troops in Iraq -- and they don't like Saddam Hussein.Who are these guys?They're members of the Free Iraqi Forces working with U.S. Army and Marine Corps civil affairs units

  • Coalition continues fight in Baghdad, northern Iraq

    The deaths of two American service members since Iraqis toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad yesterday emphasized that combat in Iraq is not over."The enemy is surrendering and scattering, but not everyone, and not yet," Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke said during a press conference

  • Readiness, reconstitution concerns loom large

    Military readiness may crumble if Congress does not approve additional funding soon, the Joint Staff director of operations told senators April 9."Our previous wartime experiences have proven that readiness is a fragile commodity," Lt. Gen. Norman A. Schwartz told members of the Senate Armed

  • SECAF: Mobility key to war effort

    The secretary of the Air Force praised Air Mobility Command for quietly building up resources in Southwest Asia before the opening days of the war in Iraq. He also lauded the continued "spectacular" air support during the campaign to remove the Iraqi regime from power."Under the direction of

  • Nuclear forces transform to meet requirements

    The Air Force is modernizing its strategic systems even as the nation reduces its nuclear stockpile, the director of Air Force nuclear operations said April 8.Brig. Gen. Robert L. Smolen, director of nuclear and counterproliferation at the Pentagon, testified before the Senate Armed Services

  • Initial enlistment bonus program on track

    New recruits are now getting signing bonuses within days instead of months thanks to a completely revamped process, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials here."It's a tremendous success story," said Master Sgt. Robert Tullgren, superintendent of the center's enlisted accessions and

  • Lancer hits regime leadership target

    An Air Force B-1B Lancer struck a building in a residential area in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 7 where a high-level Iraqi leadership meeting was believed to be ongoing.Officials at U.S. Central Command confirmed the attack during the daily press briefing at their forward headquarters in Qatar on April

  • Air Force announces transportation awards

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 U.S. Air Force Transportation Awards.Unit winners include:-- Vehicle maintenance unit: 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-- Vehicle operations unit: 86th LRS, Ramstein AB, Germany.-- Combat readiness

  • CENTAF command chief addresses issues

    As Air Force operations continue in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the service's senior enlisted member in Southwest Asia says the exact future of operations has yet to be determined."The war isn't over," said Chief Master Sgt. Mack Williams, U.S. Central Command Air Forces command chief master

  • Academy programs rank among nation's best

    The U.S. Air Force Academy has one of the nation's top undergraduate engineering programs, according to U.S. News & World Report.The national news magazine just released its America's Best Colleges 2003 edition, which rated universities in a number of general areas. In terms of specific academic

  • Thrift Savings Plan open season begins April 15

    Civilian and military employees can sign up for or change Thrift Savings Plan accounts during "open season" from April 15 to June 30."TSP is an easy, long-term retirement savings plan that everyone should consider," said Maj. Alessandra Stokstad, chief of the Air Force Personnel Center's contact

  • U.S. forces drub Baghdad defenders, WMD search continues

    U.S. military combat action in Baghdad yesterday may have inflicted thousands of casualties on the enemy, a senior U.S. Central Command spokesperson said today."It certainly demonstrated our ability to operate within Baghdad at a time and place of our choosing and to inflict severe damage on anyone

  • Coalition air effort runs gamut of missions

    With their dazzling accuracy played out frequently for worldwide television audiences, precision-guided weapons have made media favorites out of strategic and tactical bombing missions.But there is a wide variety of other air operations going on around the clock that are just as important to the war

  • Personnel data system upgrade smooth, uneventful

    One week before the end of March, in the middle of a war, the military personnel data system underwent a major database upgrade -- and nobody noticed."After some of the things we've gone through that made MilPDS almost a four-letter word throughout the Air Force, this is an important

  • Lynch to rescuers: 'I'm an American soldier, too'

    The special operations mission to rescue Army Pfc. Jessica D. Lynch from Iraqi captivity was a triumph of joint planning and execution, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart.Renuart, operations chief at U.S. Central Command, gave more information about the Lynch rescue during a press conference in

  • Pentagon revises smallpox vaccination policy

    Department of Defense officials are taking a watchful approach to the department's smallpox vaccination program after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reported investigating whether a sequence of cardiac deaths was associated with the vaccine.Government officials have

  • JAG discusses rules of combat

    When Americans go to war, they are armed with more than the best weapons and training the nation has to offer -- they are equipped with the "rule of law."According to the Air Force's senior lawyer, the United States fights wars differently from other nations."The Constitution governs everything we

  • Agreement establishes Fighter Associate Program

    Air Force Reserve Command and Air Combat Command have joined forces to begin the Fighter Associate Program.Gen. Hal M. Hornburg, ACC commander, and Lt. Gen. James E. Sherrard III, AFRC commander, signed a memorandum of agreement that took effect April 2.The Fighter Associate Program is designed to

  • AF provides Congress with Raptor update

    Air dominance is the first priority of any combat commander and the F/A-22 Raptor will provide it for them, Lt. Gen. John D.W. Corley said in congressional testimony April 2.Corley is the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition at the Pentagon."Air dominance provides

  • Highlighting cruel nature of Iraqi regime

    Since the beginning of the war in Iraq, defense officials have pointed out the Iraqi regime's policy of consistently ignoring the laws of armed conflict and the Geneva Conventions.From setting death squads on their own people to holing up in mosques and shrines, regime forces have flouted

  • Precision munitions provide 'great capability,' carry 'great responsibility'

    Precision munitions and careful targeting have enabled Operation Iraqi Freedom planners to maximize the effects of missiles and bombs and minimize unintended Iraqi civilian casualties and collateral damage."I believe that we have proven, to date, that we have waged a very precise -- and very focused

  • Advanced scopes give engine mechanics an edge

    New digital borescopes are allowing mechanics here to more efficiently and accurately inspect aircraft engines getting aircraft back in warfighters' hands quicker.The fiber-optic borescopes detect, measure and retrieve damaging foreign debris from inside aircraft engines. This allows Oklahoma City

  • B-52 crews use 'smart-guided' cluster bomb

    Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crews made history April 2 when they dropped six sensor-fused cluster bombs on a column of Iraqi tanks headed south out of Baghdad.The bombing runs resulted in the destruction of the tanks and marked the first time in history that CBU-105 Wind Corrected Munitions

  • Air strikes hammer remote terrorist camp

    Coalition air strikes during Operation Iraqi Freedom are not only yielding the systematic demolition of the Saddam Hussein regime, but are hammering international terrorist organizations as well.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers, in an April 1 Pentagon press briefing,

  • Scientists, engineers vital to Air Force mission

    The Air Force is having difficulty recruiting and retaining its civilian and military scientist and engineering workforce, Gen. Lester L. Lyles, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, told senators March 31.If the service wants to retain its position as the world's premier air and space force, it

  • Air Force surgeon general: 'We are ready'

    Improvements in the deployment process since the 1991 Gulf War have resulted in a more fit and healthy fighting force, the Air Force surgeon general told a House committee March 27."Our military now finds itself engaged in war on multiple fronts -- in fact, a greater percentage of our troops are

  • Senior leaders welcome independent academy review

    Even as the Air Force takes its first steps toward correcting problems that led to allegations of sexual assault at its academy, the service's leaders told lawmakers they would welcome a third-party investigation.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P.

  • More than 100,000 coalition troops in Iraq

    More than 300,000 coalition troops are deployed in support of combat operations, with more than a third of those inside Iraq, defense officials said March 31.In addition, each day about 2,000 coalition servicemembers, "flow" into the theater each day, Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke said at a

  • Federal employees will see bump in pay

    Most federal employees will soon see a larger 2003 pay increase thanks to an amended Executive Order 13282 providing retroactive locality pay. The increase varies by locality from .9 to 1.7 percent and will be retroactive to Jan. 12.Officials at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service should

  • Coalition air strikes weaken Republican Guard

    Air strikes continue to weaken Iraqi Republican Guard forces, the vice director for operations on the Joint Staff told reporters during a March 31 press briefing at the Pentagon.Army Maj. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal said coalition air forces have used 3,000 precision-guided weapons since March 28,

  • Coalition bringing all powers to bear on Iraq

    Coalition forces are bringing all powers to bear on the Iraqi regime, Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, vice director of operations for U.S. Central Command said today during a briefing in Qatar.Coalition forces on the land, air and sea are targeting the things nearest and dearest to the regime's

  • Iraqi units may have orders to use chem/bio weapons

    Coalition forces have seen indications that Iraqi units have been given the freedom to use chemical weapons, Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said today.Brooks, deputy director of operations at CENTCOM's deployed headquarters in Qatar, told a press conference that intelligence sources indicate that

  • Bomb kills U.S. troops near Najaf; Iraqi missile damages Kuwait City mall

    Five U.S. 3rd Infantry Division soldiers were killed in Iraq today by an apparent suicide bomber at a road checkpoint near Najaf."That kind of activity, I think, is something that is a symbol of an organization that's beginning to get a little bit desperate," Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart, a

  • B-2 strikes Baghdad communications tower

    An Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber shook downtown Baghdad after hitting a key communications facility with two precision-guided munitions March 27.Massive plumes of smoke and debris rose from the target, a large tower on the east bank of the Tigris River. Officials at Operation Iraqi Freedom's Combined

  • Bush, Blair: Coalition loosening Iraqi regime's 'grip of terror'

    "Slowly, but surely, the grip of terror around the throats of the Iraqi people is being loosened," President Bush said today.Accompanied by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush spoke at a press conference at Camp David, Md. He said coalition forces are "advancing day by day in steady progress

  • Remote returnees get a breather

    Airmen returning from overseas remote "short" tours will receive six-month exemptions from deploying with their new units on scheduled air and space expeditionary force deployments.The policy change is the result of input from airmen in the field, according to Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Peppe, special

  • Air Force, Army leaders examine air-ground ops

    The Air Force and Army chiefs of staff are leading a focused effort to examine air-ground operations in order to improve the two services' combat capability.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki said they recognize the need to improve air-ground

  • Leaders outline academy overhaul

    Four U.S. Air Force Academy leaders will be replaced as part of sweeping changes designed to ensure a safe and secure environment for the school's cadets, officials announced at a Pentagon press briefing March 26.The changes were announced by Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air

  • Roche, Jumper give Senate war update

    The U.S.-led "coalition of the willing" has achieved total air dominance in the skies over Iraq, Air Force leaders told members of the Senate on March 26."The Iraqi air force has not flown a single sortie against coalition forces," Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche told members of the

  • General: Iraqi regime showing 'true colors'

    The Iraqi regime has "shown its true colors" in recent days with brutality and disregard for international rules of warfare, a U.S. Central Command official said today.Army Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks, deputy director of operations at CENTCOM's deployed headquarters in Qatar, said Iraqi forces are

  • Coalition progress 'phenomenal,' DOD officials say

    Six days into the campaign against Iraq and the coalition progress has been "phenomenal," Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said today.Clarke, briefing at a Pentagon news conference with Army Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, said the coalition is making progress on the sea, land and air."On the

  • Secretary, chief address Operation Iraqi Freedom

    The following is a joint message from Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper:"As our nation calls upon its armed forces to meet this next challenge in the war on terrorism, the men and women of the U.S. Air Force will play a pivotal role in

  • Iraq Campaign to Get Tougher as Troops Approach Baghdad

    U.S. and coalition forces have made great gains so far during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but the going will likely get harder in coming days.Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered that message today on the Fox News Sunday television show."Anybody who thinks this

  • Officials urge against unsolicited troop mail

    To bolster force protection, the general public is urged not to send unsolicited mail, care packages or donations to forward-deployed servicemembers unless they are a family member, loved one or personal friend, said Department of Defense officials.On Oct. 30, DOD suspended the "Operation Dear Abby"

  • Some Incirlik people return to United States

    The first of several flights contracted to bring more than 1,300 Air Force family members and nonmission-essential civilian employees from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, arrived at Charleston International Airport, S.C., on March 21.Armed with teddy bears, cell phones and dog biscuits, more than 100

  • Franks: Iraq Campaign Is 'Unlike Any Other in History'

    U.S. and coalition forces will liberate Iraq, end Saddam Hussein's regime and find and confiscate the dictator's weapons of mass destruction, Operation Iraqi Freedom's senior military commander said today.At just under three days' action, American and coalition forces are conducting simultaneous

  • Korean War vets get medals 50 years later

    Airman 2nd Class Harry Woodville, a Korean War veteran, has received a medal he waited 50 years for: the Korean War Service Medal.The Republic of Korea first offered the medal 50 years ago, but a law prevented U.S. troops from accepting medals from foreign countries. In 1999, the law was changed and

  • 'Only a Matter of Time' Before Saddam's Regime Is Destroyed

    DoD officials today offered no timeframe when U.S. and coalition military operations in Iraq would conclude, but they emphasized that time was running out for Saddam Hussein and his regime."There are a lot of unknowns" involved in trying to predict when Operation Iraqi Freedom would end, Pentagon

  • U.S. Troops Hit Terrorist Complex In Northern Iraq

    U.S. troops yesterday attacked a terrorist complex located in northern Iraq, Army Gen. Tommy Franks said."We did strike, last evening, a terrorist complex," Franks, the senior military officer overseeing Operation Iraqi Freedom, told reporters today at his Qatar headquarters.U.S. Defense Secretary

  • 'Gray Eagle' awards presented to longest-serving pilots

    Just minutes after airmen deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom began the highly anticipated "shock and awe" attack on Baghdad on March 21, Air Force leaders paused to pay tribute to two of the service's longest-serving pilots.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers and Maj. Gen.

  • Leaders tell Congress about new aircraft, missions

    The Air Force's senior leaders presented their vision of the service's next-generation fighter and a new mission for an old warhorse to members of Congress on March 19.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper briefed members of the House

  • Friendly fire hearing officer recommends against courts-martial

    The two Illinois Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots implicated in a deadly "friendly fire" incident last year should not face courts-martial, the investigating officer's report said.Majs. Harry Schmidt and William Umbach, of the 170th Fighter Squadron, face a variety of charges stemming

  • Vice chief airs readiness concerns to Congress

    Today's high operational tempo is affecting the Air Force's ability to conduct necessary training, which may affect readiness, the service's vice chief of staff told lawmakers March 18.Gen. Robert H. Foglesong also told members of the House Armed Services Committee subcommittee on readiness he was

  • A day at the market

    Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche rings the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on March 18. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper spent two days in New York for television and radio interviews to answer questions on Air Force involvement in a potential war with

  • Medical care for airmen affected by Stop-Loss

    A previously overlooked provision of law allows up to four months of Tricare transitional health care benefits for airmen separating from the service after having been retained under Stop-Loss.The benefits will apply to any airman separating after the current and any future Stop-Loss actions,

  • Live from New York

    Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche (right) and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper (center) answer questions posed to them by MSNBC News anchor Lester Holt while appearing on "Lester Holt Live" on March 17. Roche and Jumper are in New York for two days of television and radio

  • Officials establish sexual assault hot line

    Air Force officials have established a phone line for U.S. Air Force Academy cadets to report sexual assault to the inspector general.Current and former cadets can contact the IG by calling (703) 588-1541 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST.The IG began an investigation March 10 of individual

  • Roche, Jumper address incoming cadets' parents

    The service's senior leaders recently penned a letter to parents of incoming Air Force Academy cadets, promising to protect their children as "we would our own."Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper sent letters March 13 to the parents of

  • Air Force implements Stop-Loss

    The assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs has authorized the use of Stop-Loss to retain specific skills needed to meet national security objectives. Effective May 2, 43 officer and 56 enlisted specialties will be affected by Stop-Loss."We do not take this action

  • Vandenberg prepares for last Atlas II launch

    The last Atlas IIAS rocket scheduled to be launched arrived here March 12. A C-5 Galaxy ferried the historic booster and its Centaur upper stage from Denver, landing at the airfield here around 10:30 a.m.Lt. Col. Clinton Crosier, 2nd Space Launch Squadron commander, said the booster and upper stage

  • Air Force leaders explain effect of encroachment

    Two Air Force leaders testified before Congress on March 13 about the effects of environmental encroachment on the service's mission.In separate testimonies, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Robert H. Foglesong and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics

  • Leaders discuss cultural renewal at Air Force Academy

    A special report by the Air Force general counsel on the recent rise in sexual assault allegations at the U.S. Air Force Academy is scheduled for release at the end of MarchBut, the service's top leaders said March 10 that they will not wait that long to initiate needed changes.Secretary of the Air

  • Eberhart briefs Congress on U.S. Northern Command

    The commander of America's newest combatant command briefed members of Congress on March 13 about the progress his unit has made since its inception less than six months ago.Gen. Ralph E. Eberhart, who took control of U.S. Northern Command when it was established Oct. 1, told members of the House

  • Teets, Lord tell Senate the nation needs 'space cadre'

    The Air Force's top two space officials told lawmakers March 12 that development of a "space cadre" was one of their top agenda items for national security space programs in 2004.Undersecretary of the Air Force Peter B. Teets and Gen. Lance W. Lord, commander of Air Force Space Command, also told

  • 'Flying Sergeants' helped forge Air Force legacy

    They were not paid much, their opportunities for promotion were limited, and they were treated harshly in training, but that did not stop three generations of enlisted aviators from becoming pilots in the Army Air Corps.Beginning in 1912, enlisted pilots played an important role in writing the

  • Roche: Academy problems are a 'corporate responsibility'

    Citing policies that were "clearly not smart," the Air Force's senior official acknowledged March 6 the service has a corporate responsibility for the barrage of sexual assault charges filed at the U.S. Air Force Academy.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche told members of the Senate Armed

  • Joint STARS takes off for second deployment

    Two E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft and several dozen airmen here answered the call of duty March 5 as they headed to a forward-operating location to support operations in Southwest Asia.The aircraft and airmen are assigned to the 116th Air Control Wing here.According to