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U.S. Air Force News

  • Keeping the eyes of the eagle sharp

    On the night of Oct. 4, 1958, 111 passengers boarded a Pan Am Boeing 707 at New York's Idlewild Airport for a non-stop 8 hours and 41 minutes flight to Paris' Le Bourget Airport. The journey ushered in the jet age for the United States and made the world a seemingly smaller place.

  • Air Force Military Athlete of the Year selections due April 30

    Nominations for the Air Force Military Athlete of the Year are due April 30, said Air Force Personnel Center officials. The program allows the Air Force to recognize outstanding male and female athletes and highlight their athletic performance and accomplishments throughout the last year.

  • First ever 'Tonnerre Lightning' refining language of war

    British, French, and U.S. Airmen wrapped up the inaugural exercise Tonnerre Lightning 14-1 here and other operating locations March 28. The tri-lateral exercise, which replicates a coalition response to a contingency operation, developed as a method for the U.S., the United Kingdom and France's air

  • CMSAF: All Airmen need feedback

    In his latest Roll Call, the Air Force’s senior enlisted Airman stresses the importance of all Airmen receiving, meaningful and purposeful feedback to reach their full potential.

  • Air Force officials stress balance in face of budget constraints

    While testifying on Capitol Hill March 25, DoD’s top personnel leaders all agreed that in light of likely future budget reductions, slowing compensation and benefits growth is a difficult but necessary step to balance the rising cost of personnel with readiness and modernization requirements.

  • Initial phase of Joint STARS effort begins

    The Air Force's Joint STARS recapitalization effort is taking off as a Hanscom AFB-led team moves toward replacing the aging fleet and beefing up its ability to detect threats, process data and distribute information.

  • CSAF: Budget cuts affect combatant commands

    Painful budget reductions will reduce the future capabilities of combatant commanders, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III told Congress here March 26. Testifying alongside Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's defense

  • Alaska National Guard participates in statewide disaster exercise

    Approximately 1,150 Air and Army National Guardsmen from Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Arizona, California, Nevada, Idaho, Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah are set to participate in exercise Alaska Shield 2014 across the state, March 27 through April 2.

  • Airmen destroy BLAC ICE

    The 435th Contingency Response Group recently joined security forces from Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany for a training course on tactical leadership.

  • Maintenance Airmen encompass Forward, Ready, Now

    With a designated flightline office space, the self-proclaimed "quiet professionals" from the 31st Fighter Wing are continuing to support the 555th Fighter Squadron, both of Aviano Air Base, Italy, during their participation in an international training mission hosted by the Polish air force here.

  • New tool provides Offutt AFB maintainers with just the right blend

    A new tool, no bigger than a yard stick, is making work a lot easier for maintenance professionals of the 55th Wing who are responsible for keeping Offutt Air Force Base aircraft flying. The tool stands to save the Air Force hundreds of thousands of dollars.

  • Creech AFB leaders laud senior master sergeant selectees

    For many, advancing to the top of the elite senior non-commissioned officer tier is a significant and demanding accomplishment. Some Airmen and families who equally endure these trials were recently congratulated in a very personal way.

  • Air Advisors train Afghan pilots and maintainers

    Afghan pilots and aircraft maintainers are a vital part of the Afghan National Air Force and increase its operational capabilities, and with the aid of a group of U.S. advisors, they are making huge strides in that direction.

  • Lieutenant continues legacy started by great uncle, Medal of Honor recipient

    Facing a wave of enemy Communist forces, and knowing that staying behind would likely lead to his capture, Army Chaplain (Capt.) Emil J. Kapaun disregarded the evacuation order and willingly risked his life to tend to the wounded.Kapaun, according to numerous battlefield accounts from the Korean

  • USO offers support to grieving families

    In line with their long-standing tradition of supporting the troops and their families, the USO provides care for families of the fallen who travel to Dover Air Force Base, Del.

  • SecAF wraps up Afghanistan tour

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited multiple Air Force units at five bases in Afghanistan, March 19-22. This is her first official visit outside the United States since being appointed in December 2013.

  • Developmental education application windows open in March

    Eligible active duty officers and Department of the Air Force appropriated fund civilian employees can apply beginning in March for intermediate and senior developmental education opportunities, Air Force Personnel Center officials said March 24.

  • Fit to fight or fighting to get fit?

    March is typically focused on the madness of college basketball or growing a fabulous mustache. But it's also a time to watch both what's on the table during your favorite team's game or on the verge of getting caught in that carefully groomed crumb catcher.

  • CSAF showcases Air Force, Airmen to Georgia civic leaders

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III spoke to approximately 180 members of Leadership Georgia, a group of influential state citizens and leaders, about the Air Force's contributions to national security and the innovative spirit of its Airmen at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., March 21.

  • Transportation official urges planning before PCS moves

    With warmer weather comes peak moving season, so when orders are in hand, people should plan ahead to ensure the most hassle-free relocation, a senior official who oversees personal property moves for military families said in a recent interview.

  • Medical teams convene to consider applicants for command

    Medical corps development teams will convene in May and June to select eligible lieutenant colonels for squadron command candidacy for projected calendar year 2015 vacancies, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

  • AF physician assistant named ‘PA of Year’

    It was her first year working as a physician assistant, and a patient had just left her exam room when she heard a burst of gunshots in the distance. Within seconds, screams filled the hospital as people scrambled for cover. In the midst of the chaos, a piercing silence fell over the clinic and her

  • Airmen must revalidate dependents

    By Dec. 31, every Airman will be required to provide their servicing finance office with documentation for all dependents as part of Air Force audit readiness efforts.

  • US begins training sorties in Poland

    U.S. Fighting Falcons assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, began off-site aerial training for the first time since their arrival at Detachment 1, 52nd Operations Group here, March 18.

  • SecAF shares 'way ahead' with USAFE Airmen

    For her first stop during her first overseas trip as the Secretary of the Air Force, Deborah Lee James toured Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and spoke with U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Airmen March 17.

  • Astronauts train at Maxwell AFB

    To prepare for the rigors and dangers of space travel, astronauts attend different training scenarios at facilities all over the world. One Air Force facility at Maxwell Air Force Base was repurposed to suit the astronauts needs.

  • AF recruiter helps build Afghan forces

    Deployed as an adviser with the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing/NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan Senior Master Sgt. Carmelo Vega Martinez, a Ponce, Puerto Rico native is the only Air Force recruiter deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

  • 12 Aviano F16s, support personnel arrive in Poland

    At the invitation of the government of Poland, twelve 555th Fighter Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcons and approximately 200 personnel assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, Italy, arrived at the U.S. Air Force Aviation Detachment at Lask Air Base, Poland, March 14-15.

  • CSAF: Every budget decision hurts

    The Air Force’s fiscal 2015 budget request was built to ensure its combat power remains unequaled, Welsh told members of the House Armed Services Committee.

  • SecAF addresses budget challenges in Congress

    Newly-appointed Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James wanted to see the Air Force in action, so she spent her first 11 weeks on the job visiting 18 bases in 13 states, she told members of the House Armed Services Committee March

  • First female assumes command of ANG fighter wing

    Col. Sherrie McCandless , the first woman selected to command the 124th Fighter Wing and first female wing commander in Idaho Air National Guard history assumed command in a ceremony on March 2, at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho.

  • Cyber supports Red Flag for first time

    For the first time in Red Flag's nearly 40-year history, the 24th Air Force played a significant role in the Cyber Mission Force, or CMF, at the Air Combat Command-sponsored exercise held at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Jan. 27 through Feb. 14.

  • Changes coming to deployed Airman pay

    Starting June 1, Airmen deployed to several locations will see significant changes to pay programs. The biggest change includes the discontinuation of imminent danger pay, or IDP, in multiple countries.

  • Investigation board determines cause of KC-135 crash in May

    Air Mobility Command has released the results of an accident investigation that examined what caused the May 3, 2013, crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker in the Kyrgyz Republic. The crew of three, en route from the Transit Center at Manas to Afghanistan on a combat aerial refueling mission, perished in

  • Minot rescue crew saves two motorists

    Members of the 54th Helicopter Squadron responded to a search and rescue request involving two men trapped in the bed of their truck in Savage, Mont., when an ice flow caused the river to overrun its banks, March 10.

  • AF budget director outlines challenges, opportunities to AFA members

    With the Air Force making every dollar count, the fiscal year 2015 President’s Budget request was presented to the Air Force Association by Maj. Gen. James Martin, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller deputy assistant secretary for budget, March 11, during

  • Squadron, group command applications due April 18

    Eligible line officers interested in 2015 command opportunities must complete and submit senior rater endorsed statements of intent to the Air Force Personnel Center in time to meet the April 18 deadline, AFPC officials said.

  • ‘Transition GPS’ helps troops re-enter civilian world

    Feedback on “Transition GPS,” which prepares service members to enter the civilian workforce, indicates it improves on the program it replaced, the director of the Defense Department’s Transition to Veterans Program office said here March 11.

  • Airman gets lifetime opportunity to brief Queen

    The Air Force prides itself on giving Airmen opportunities. For Capt. Brusle Sherburne IV of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency, his special job afforded him the chance meeting of a lifetime. As the first U.S. Air Force exchange officer at Tactical

  • First F-35 Lightning II arrives at Luke AFB

    Escorted by two F-16 fighting Falcons, Luke Air Force Base's first F-35 Lightning II arrived a little after 11 a.m. March 10 from the Lockheed Martin factory in Fort Worth, Tex.

  • First sergeants deploy, discover family members

    Sleep-deprived and weary from days of travel, in a blur of new names and faces, one of the first people most Airmen deploying to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing meet is their respective unit’s first sergeant.

  • AF undersecretary: Budget uncertainty worries Airmen

    Airmen are worried about budgetary uncertainty, and service leaders pledge to be transparent about priorities and programs available as the service moves forward, Air Force Undersecretary Eric Fanning said here March 11.Speaking to the Defense Writers Group, Fanning told reporters he has heard from

  • Deployed Airman handcrafts hockey rink

    A resourceful Airman’s idea has resulted in the first outdoor hockey rink in this theater of operations.Airman 1st Class Joshua Hanson of the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, developed a proposal to build a nearly arena-size hockey rink at his deployed location here.

  • DOD's top enlisted leader honors ACC Airmen, families

    Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke during Air Combat Command’s annual awards dinner, where he lauded troops for their service and their families for their unwavering commitment.

  • Air Force officials announce FY15 force structure changes

    Air Force officials released force structure changes today resulting from the Fiscal Year 2015 President’s Budget announced March 4.To ensure the service successfully transitions to a leaner force that remains ready, the Air Force plans to remove almost 500 aircraft across the inventories of all

  • CSAF, CMSAF visit Altus AFB

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody and their spouses, Betty and Athena, spent two days here to tour the installation and meet Airmen and their families March 5 and 6. Welsh also served as keynote speaker at the Altus Chamber of Commerce

  • DOD official discusses nuclear deterrence in Congress

    The Defense Department's nuclear deterrent is the ultimate protection for the United States while also assuring distant allies of their security against regional aggression, a senior Pentagon official told Congress March 7.

  • Department of Energy seeks award nominations

    Each year the U.S. Department of Energy sponsors the Federal Energy and Water Management Awards. These awards honor individuals and organizations making significant contributions to the efficient use of energy and water in the federal government. The Air Force looks to stay on top, having won 21

  • Dogs help vets cope with PTSD, trauma

    Though she was home, Capt. Mary McGriff felt no comfort. She was alone but anxious, quiet but uneasy. She felt no safety behind locked doors. The doctor's words rang fresh in her mind, behind splintered memories of her 2005 deployment to Iraq.

  • Enrollment for free CCAF-credit culture course now open

    The Air Force Culture and Language Center is now accepting applications for the spring 2014 session of "Introduction to Culture."The ITC course is entirely online, self-paced and is offered at no charge to enlisted active duty Airmen, Air Force reservists or Air National guardsmen enrolled in

  • Through his brothers’ eyes: A Paralympic journey

    In one moment Senior Airman Sean Halsted felt the rough texture of the rope in his hands, and in the next, it was gone. That millisecond was all it took to leave the young Airman with a debilitating injury that would cause him to reassess his entire future.

  • AF nuclear enterprise: 'the way forward'

    The Senate Armed Service Committee’s Subcommittee on Strategic Forces heard testimonies from key defense and military leaders on nuclear forces and policies in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2015 and the Future Years Defense Program during a hearing, March 5.

  • 6 F-15s, KC-135 to augment NATO mission in Baltics

    This week, the United States will send six additional F-15s and one KC-135 to augment the mission, the official said. These aircraft -- currently based at Lakenheath in the United Kingdom -- will be deployed to Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania.

  • SecAF discusses current, future challenges with ACC Airmen

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited here Feb. 27 to learn about the base mission and discuss the challenges facing the Air Force."This is my introduction to Air Combat Command," she said. "I have seen nothing but enormous energy from the Airmen here as they describe how excited they

  • Chaplain visits raise morale of missile field Airmen

    For Airmen who work in the missile field here, the hours are long, the workload can be heavy and the location is remote. Recently the chapel here implemented a program here to bridge the gap between the solitude of life in the field and Malmstrom AFB.

  • Air Force presents FY 15 budget request

    The Air Force presented its fiscal year 2015 President’s Budget request today, following similar briefings by the Department of Defense and its sister services.

  • Air Force focuses on sustainability for Earth Day 2014 observance

    Each year Air Force installations around the world observe Earth Day on April 22 by taking actions to support the Air Force's Earth Day theme of "Conserve Today - Secure Tomorrow."This year, Air Force activities will focus on sustainability, referring to the capacity to continue the mission without

  • Admin career field to make comeback

    A previous administrative career field will make its second debut across the Air Force in May 2014, providing support staff at all Air Force levels and eliminating a special duty echelon.

  • SecAF discusses Air Force future, budget during defense summit

    Defense industry leaders and analysts received an insight into the proposed Air Force transformation and a preview of the Fiscal Year 2015 Air Force budget during the Bloomberg Government Defense Transformation Spending and Strategy Summit Feb. 26.

  • Getting the word back home has never been easier

    The Joint Hometown News Service launched a new online submission system Feb. 17, making it easier for service members and Department of Defense civilians to publicize achievements such as promotions and decorations, to their local media outlets.