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  • Airman supports task force in Belize

    Senior Airman Mario Acevedo is one of the busiest airmen assigned to the U.S. Southern Command-sponsored New Horizons exercise in Belize. As the lodging representative, he makes room assignments, tracks personnel accountability and works with the host nation hotel to make sure things such as

  • Shaw AFB firefighters awarded DOD level honor

    Tech. Sgt. Joseph Charleston, the 20th CES station captain, and Senior Airman Boyd Korb, a 20th CES firefighter, were directly responsible for the lifesaving rescue of a downed civilian firefighter in Sumter, S.C.The Airmen received awards at the Air Combat Command and Air Force levels before going

  • Hero honored by American Red Cross

    Staff Sgt. Craig Petersen, a 366th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons load crew chief, was awarded the Military Hero Award by the American Red Cross June 19, in Boise, Idaho.

  • Kadena squadrons relocate to Guam for training

    Service members, aircraft and equipment from the 44th Fighter Squadron, 909th Air Refueling Squadron and 961st Airborne Air Control Squadron temporarily repositioned to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, June 18, as part of an aviation training relocation mission.

  • AF builds partnership with Baltic states

    Airmen from the 435th Contingency Response Group arrived at Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia June 16, to participate in the Air Force-specific portion of Saber Strike 2014.

  • Airmen wrap up African partnership program

    U.S. and African partners concluded a weeklong collaboration event with eight regional air forces in Dakar, Senegal June 20, aimed at strengthening relationships between the air forces and encouraging an exchange of ideas.

  • Airman excels on two wheels, continues to pedal forward

    It was summer 2007 in Wausau, Wisconsin. David Flaten had completed his first mountain bike race through the nine-mile forest course with no prior racing experience and a simple knowledge of cycling. After regaining the feeling in his legs, the now Senior Airman said he had fallen in love.

  • Inter-American SOS candidate applications due in July

    Active-duty captains proficient in the Spanish language may be eligible to attend the Inter-American Squadron Officer School at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

  • U.S. conducts successful missile intercept test in Pacific

    The U.S. military today successfully intercepted an intermediate-range ballistic missile test target launched from the U.S. Army’s Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, according to a Defense Department news release issued today.

  • Airmen repair runway in Afghanistan

    Airmen from the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron and the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Squadron completed flightline repairs to the main runway here June 9.

  • Women's symposium fosters networking, leadership development

    The Sea Services Leadership Association hosted the 27th Annual Joint Women's Leadership Symposium here June 12-13, to recognize the strengths and talents of women in the armed forces and discuss the unique aspects of being a female service member.

  • USAFE Band sets stage for APF Senegal

    The U.S. Air Forces in Europe six-person rock band "Afterburner" kicked off African Partnership Flight here June 13, with weekend performances and continues to reach new audiences.The band is in Senegal as part of APF Sengal, a week-long program featuring eight African nations meeting to discuss and

  • RPAs meet mission goals safe and on time

    Airmen stationed in the continental U.S. and in deployed locations throughout the world drew on decades of Air Force aviation experience to achieve 65 simultaneous remotely piloted combat air patrols last month.

  • EOD Airmen educate Congress on mission

    Military explosive ordnance disposal technicians and their civilian counterparts gathered on Capitol Hill June 11, to educate members of Congress about their mission and capabilities during EOD Day on the Hill.

  • CCAF graduates 350,000th student

    Base leaders, families and service members gathered here June 13 to welcome the spring 2014 graduates of the Community College of the Air Force.Officials awarded selected students with the Pitsenbarger Award Scholarship, the John and Kathy Hood Military Scholarship and made a special presentation to

  • ANG, Army test earthquake response

    More than 100 members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group and the U.S. Army’s 688th Rapid Port Opening Element deployed here June 16-19 for an exercise that will test their ability to respond to a major earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone.The exercise,

  • Air Force ready if called upon for Iraq

    The Air Force is fully engaged in planning efforts to provide options for the situation in Iraq and is ready to provide its capabilities if necessary, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said here June 17.

  • Cadets create MRAP lift, win competition

    During the 2013 summer, the Air Force Research Laboratory had a problem that no contractor seemed able to solve. The lab took the task to the three service academies and challenged them to find a solution.

  • SecAF: Total force readiness has atrophied

    While elements of the Air Force are always prepared to meet the country's readiness needs, total force readiness has deteriorated, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told the Defense Writers Group here June 18.

  • Afghan air force learns self-sustaining casualty evacuation care

    The flightline is filled with aircrew and C-130 Hercules engines are starting up for another Afghan air force casualty evacuation mission.Within two years, the Afghan air force has made significant improvements to their casualty evacuation capabilities...

  • Malmstrom completes final Minuteman III configuration

    Air Force Global Strike Command met a major milestone June 16, when maintainers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, removed the last multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle in the Air Force intercontinental ballistic missile inventory from a Minuteman III.

  • Generating Airpower: The heart of an F-16

    When Airman 1st Class Ashton Youngblood was 17 years old, he spent an entire year rebuilding a Ford F-150 pickup truck from the ground up. He didn't know it at the time, but it was just a minor tune-up for what his career had in store.

  • Westover airlifts 26 tons of aid to Nicaragua

    A training mission doubled as a humanitarian relief effort for Reserve Airmen from the 439th Airlift Wing, Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, as 13 Airmen delivered 26 tons of cargo to Augusto Cesar Sandino International Airport, Nicaragua, June 10.

  • Air Force C-130s land at Lielvarde AB for the first time

    Three U.S. Air Force C-130J Hercules from the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, landed on Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia, June 17, making them the first U.S. Air Force aircraft to land at the newly renovated installation.

  • Engineering and Installation Airmen keep the mission connected

    Every time a connection is made to the internet to contact loved ones back home, or an aircraft flies over head, a signal is running through a cable somewhere keeping everyone communicating. Learn more about the Airmen who make the connection.

  • Airmen rescue injured mountain climber

    Two Airmen from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord risked their lives to rescue an injured climber from Mount Rainier May 28.

  • DOD, AF leaders look to F-35 maintainers for help

    The Pentagon will continue to seek aircraft maintainer suggestions and industry partner investments to reduce operating and sustainment costs by 10 to 20 percent as F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter improvements develop, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics

  • Airmen can change how the Air Force does business

    Creative, motivated Airmen are the key to changing how the Air Force does business, and every Airman has an equal opportunity to make a lasting contribution through the Airmen Powered by Innovation program, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

  • AFCEC, AFCYBER partnership boosts infrastructure security

    The commander from Air Forces Cyber and the director the Air Force Civil Engineer Center signed an initiative here June 12, designed to strengthen the security of industrial control systems, or ICS, supporting critical Air Force infrastructures.

  • Cheating in ALS: Zero tolerance for compromise of core values

    The best way to succeed in Airman Leadership School, and not resort to cheating, is to be open and honest with leadership before enrolling, understand the gravity of the demanding coursework, and be prepared for it, said Senior Master Sgt. Leyla Gillett, Langley Air Force Base ALS commandant.

  • Whiteman B-2s train in UK

    Two B-2 Spirits flew to the U.S. European Command area of operations June 8 to train and integrate with U.S. and allied military forces in the region.

  • Misawa launches first Global Hawk

    The RQ-4 Global Hawk made its first operational flight out of Misawa Air Base on June 6. The flight marked two milestones: the first time an RQ-4 mission has flown out of Japan, and the first operational mission flown out of a jointly-used civilian and military airfield.

  • Airmen, Sailors build Navy mines for B-1 deployment

    Ellsworth Airmen partnered with several U.S. Navy minesmen June 2 through 7 during a joint training mission to exercise the B-1B Lancer's capabilities in deploying Navy mines.The 28th Munitions Squadron members teamed up with midshipmen from the Naval Munitions Command Seal Beach for the first time

  • Airmen wrap up 'Eager Lion' over Jordan skies

    For the past two weeks, Airmen from around the world converged in Jordan to provide airpower to sister services and partner nations throughout Exercise Eager Lion 2014.Between May 25 and June 8, the scenarios that played out over the skies of Jordan included various air-to-air and air-to-ground

  • Mountain Home Fire Department receives DOD award

    The Mountain Home Air Force Base Fire Department was recently recognized as the winner of the 2013 Department of Defense Fire and Emergency Services of the Year award in the small fire department category.

  • AF to implement new feedback process July 1

    In a recent message to Airmen, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody announced plans to begin implementing a more comprehensive Air Force evaluation system for officers and enlisted members. The first step in the process will be the July 1

  • AF releases new feedback forms

    During the past year, Air Force leaders have been shaping a new and more comprehensive Air Force evaluation system for officers and enlisted Airmen.The new system is designed to better meet the needs of the Air Force and Airmen, differentiate more effectively between good and great performers, and

  • U.S., Polish Airmen support largest combined training

    U.S. and Polish airmen started training together at Lask Air Base, Poland, June 2, during the largest theater security cooperation event ever hosted by the U.S. Air Force Aviation Detachment in Poland, according to Av-Det officials.

  • Secretary James visits 403rd Wing

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James met with civic leaders, toured facilities and spoke to the Airmen and senior leaders of the 403rd Wing alongside Mississippi's 4th district U.S. Representative Steven Palazzo and U.S. Senator Roger Wicker during a visit to Keesler Air Force Base in

  • Eglin welcomes final F-35A

    The 58th Fighter Squadron became the Air Force's first complete F-35A Lightning II squadron after they welcomed their 26th and final F-35A May 28 at the 33rd Fighter Wing, here.

  • Pacific Defender builds multi-national security ties

    Andersen Air Force Base hosted a Security Forces Pacific Defender international subject-matter expert exchange, or SMEE, May 19-23, to help build partnerships across the Pacific region and promote interoperability.

  • AF 'impossible' rescue mission recognized

    On the remote coastline of Eastern Iceland, inaccessible to ordinary travel, a plaque was dedicated May 30 to commemorate a U.S. Air Force rescue team operation accomplished 20 years earlier.On Jan. 10, 1994, members of the 56th Rescue Squadron, then located at Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland,

  • Nuclear deterrence medal approved for total force Airmen

    The Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal, approved May 27 by Secretary of the Air Force Deborah James, is among several incentives focused on attracting and retaining high-caliber Airmen in the nuclear mission, Air Force Personnel Center officials said May 30.

  • Battlefield Airborne Communications Node ensures warfighter connectivity

    Three recent achievements demonstrate how a critical communications capability managed here is continuing to keep warfighters connected. The Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, or BACN, translates and distributes imagery, video, voice and data, often from disparate elements, improving

  • AF pilot helps in airline emergency

    An in-flight medical emergency caused Capt. Mark Gongol, a B-1B Lancer pilot, to jump into action and help safely land a commercial 737 on Dec. 30, 2013.

  • Biden to Class of 2014: 'You carry America on your back'

    The Air Force Academy's Class of 2014 will face new missions as the United States draws down in Afghanistan, but the challenges they encounter will be no less formidable and complex, Vice President Joseph R. Biden said during the Academy's commencement May 28.

  • Driving fatigued: One Airman's consequences

    "I heard a rumbling noise, then silence and then an intense 'bang' followed by another," said Master Sgt. David Louis Ingram Jr.'s as he recalled the noises he heard during a tragic car accident that would change his and his family's lives forever.

  • AF honors fallen hero with ship renaming

    The Air Force decided May 23, to honor a fallen hero by naming the service’s newest pre-positioning vessel after Air Force logistician Capt. David I. Lyon.

  • Wrenches to wings: munitions maintainer becomes F-15C pilot

    Second Lt. Kyle Wheeler once prepared weapons for the F-15C Eagle as an munitions maintenance operator. After earning his commission, Wheeler is in the initial stages to climb into the cockpit and drop the weapons he once delivered.

  • Hurricane Hunters partner with NOAA to educate public

    The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron flew to the Tallahassee Regional Airport in Florida, May 22 to team up with the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the fourth day of a week-long Hurricane Awareness Tour.

  • Force protection, fire department team up for uniform burn

    Staff Sgt. Joshua Hellmich has done more than his fair share of "dumpster diving." It's up to this young NCO, along with members of his team assigned to the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's force protection flight, to ensure that no piece of critical information leaves the installation.

  • Combat Hammer 2014: Boosting RPA strike proficiency

    Airmen from the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing and the air-to-ground weapons system evaluation program, or WSEP, team participated in the 2014 Combat Hammer exercise May 12-15, to operationally assess and evaluate the reliability, maintainability, suitability, and accuracy of remotely

  • Travis AFB hosts historic MWD trial

    The Travis Air Force Base trial brought 66 competitors from 29 different agencies to the base, with more than 400 spectators in attendance. The competition tested the ability of military working dog handlers and canines to work in cohesion in the fields of explosives and narcotics detection,

  • DOD sends UAV, 80 Airmen to help Nigerian search

    The Defense Department's addition of an unmanned aerial vehicle and 80 Air Force troops to U.S. efforts supporting Nigeria's search for over 200 missing schoolgirls has turned the mission into an air operation. The UAV system and Air Force personnel were deployed not to Nigeria but to neighboring

  • B-1B crews validate Ellsworth's long-range strike capability

    Two B-1B Lancer aircrews flew a 30-hour, non-stop, long-range precision strike training mission from Ellsworth to strike targets on a range near Guam before landing back on base as part of a Global Power training mission, May 13 and 14.

  • Premium DOD exercise hones special operations skills

    More than 1,500 Special Operations Forces from around the services participated in Emerald Warrior, a two-week joint service, inter-agency and partner nation exercise that concluded May 9 at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

  • Colorado ANG, Jordan: 10 years of brotherhood

    When Airmen from the Colorado Air National Guard's 140th Wing arrived May 11 as judges for exercise Eager Tiger, it marked the reunion of a partnership 10 years in the making.

  • Israeli, American armed forces prepare for bilateral exercise

    More than 200 service members from both nations’ militaries conducted an opening ceremony May 15 at Hatzor Air Base, Israel, in advance of an exercise aimed at improving the combined defense capabilities and the overall interoperability of U.S. European Command and the Israel Defense Forces.

  • Air Force moves closer to KC-46A beddown

    The Air Force is a step closer to bedding down its anticipated fleet of KC-46A Pegasus aerial tankers. Officials recently announced Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma will serve as the Air Force's KC-46A formal training unit and McConnell AFB, Kansas will be the first active duty-led main operating base

  • Polish military decorates AF special ops civilian

    The Polish Armed Forces awarded one of its highest military decorations May 6 to an Air Force Special Operations Command civilian. Roy Vaughn, an AFSOC exercise planner, received the Polish Armed Forces Medal during a ceremony in Warsaw, Poland. Vaughn played a major role in training PAF to operate

  • Aviano AB Airmen support Army mission to Poland

    Airmen from Aviano Air Base recently supported a series of troop movements in partnership with U.S. Army Europe's Land Forces Assurance Exercises.Aircraft services technicians assigned to 724th Air Mobility Squadron here, worked around the clock to provide air mobility operations and support to the

  • Expeditionary group wraps-up Baltic deployment

    The 48th Air Expeditionary Group handed over the reins of NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission to the air forces of Poland and the United Kingdom during a ceremony at Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania April 30.

  • Hometown friends serve together on deployment

    For Air Force Lt. Col. Elizabeth Clay, Air Force Col. Brad Hoagland made a difference in her life and career more than 28 years ago, when the two were in high school. Today, they find themselves serving together halfway around the world -- he as the vice commander of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing

  • ANG unveils new senior enlisted leader management office

    The Senior Enlisted Leader Management Office was unveiled by Air National Guard Command Chief Master Sgt. James W. Hotaling to the state and wing command chiefs during the annual Command Chief's Huddle held here May 11-12.

  • Exercise Eager Tiger 2014 off to a roaring start

    Exercise Eager Tiger 2014 officially kicked off May 11 at an air base in northern Jordan, bringing together U.S. and Jordanian military forces and giving them the chance to participate in friendly competitions while expressing their commitment to regional security and stability.