NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Bagram honors fallen Airmen

    Service members from Bagram Airfield came together Dec. 23 to honor the memories of six Airmen killed in an improvised explosive device attack two days earlier.

  • DOD identifies Air Force casualties

    The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of six airmen who were supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel. They died Dec. 21 of wounds suffered when their patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle near Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.

  • Welsh shares holiday message

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and his wife Betty; Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein and his wife Dawn; and the Air Staff wish all Airmen and their families a wonderful holiday season.

  • Marilyn Thomas selected as Presidential Distinguished Rank Award winner

    The deputy chief management officer, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, was named the Air Force’s top Presidential Rank Award winner and recognized at the “Unlocking the Full Potential of America’s Federal Workforce” event hosted by the Office of Management and Budget Dec. 15.

  • Air Force cancels 2016 season of Tops in Blue

    Air Force officials announced on Dec. 21 that Tops in Blue, the service-unique entertainment program, will cancel its 2016 season, allowing an extended review of the program.

  • James shares holiday message

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and her husband, Frank Beatty, wish all Airmen and their families a wonderful holiday season.

  • NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance aircraft arrives at Edwards

    NATO's first Alliance Ground Surveillance aircraft arrived at Edwards Air Force Base Dec. 19 completing its first flight. The test flight marked the start of six months of ground and airborne testing at Edwards AFB before the aircraft is sent to its new home in Sigonella, Italy.

  • CSAF awards Silver Stars to Vietnam vets

    A star pendant necklace bought in 1984 has been tucked away for 30 years since its purchase. The necklace was a gift to Sue Roberts from her husband, Eric Roberts II, as a thank you for her efforts toward getting the Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to him and Ronald Brodeur’s upgraded to a Silver

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • AF introduces enlisted Global Hawk pilots

    Air Force officials announced a new initiative Dec. 17 to enhance the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance mission by integrating enlisted remotely piloted aircraft pilots into the force.

  • 525 selected for promotion to chief

    The Air Force selected 525 out of 2,521 eligible senior master sergeants for promotion to chief master sergeant for a 20.83 percent selection rate.

  • Norwegian F-35 flies for first time under Norwegian command

    Maj. Morten Hanche, a Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35 Lightning II student pilot training with the 62nd Fighter Squadron, flew the first Norwegian F-35 sortie here Dec. 14. Hanche has been training at Luke Air Force Base under the instruction of American pilots for the past several months in order to

  • 2,500th C-130 lands at Moody

    Fifty-nine years after the first C-130 Hercules was delivered to the Air Force, the 2,500th Lockheed Martin Corp. manufactured C-130 joined the 71st Rescue Squadron's fleet and legacy here Dec. 11.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • ACC charts path for remote aircrews, units

    Air Combat Command officials announced the results of their study into the remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) community in an attempt to normalize operations and ensure long-term mission success.

  • Enhanced Use Lease brings 30-MW solar energy project to Eglin AFB

    As part of an Air Force Community Partnership and Energy Program initiative, the Air Force and Gulf Power Company signed an Enhanced Use Lease Nov. 24 to develop a 30-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy project on a 240-acre parcel of land on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

  • AF twins receive French Legion of Honor for WWII service

    Seventy-one years after their World War II service in the Army Air Forces, identical twin brothers -- retired Air Force Reserve Majs. Raymond "Glenn" Clanin and Russell "Lynn" Clanin -- received the French government's highest distinction, the Legion of Honor medal.

  • US, Australia, Japan launch Operation Christmas Drop

    With the holiday season now in full swing, C-130 Hercules aircrews and support personnel from Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Royal Australian Air Force and the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan, began spreading cheer and joy while practicing critical humanitarian aid/disaster relief

  • Remembering Pearl Harbor: A ‘body blow’ to America

    When the first bombs exploded on a nearby airfield, marking the start of the Japanese sneak attack on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Edward Davis and others scrambled from a chow hall. The 94-year-old Army veteran said he and other Soldiers were having breakfast at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, when

  • Allies in a new era

    Two captains stationed at Kadena Air Base, Japan, discovered that their military roots go deeper than they had anticipated. Both Airmen are descendants of sailors who fought in the Battle of Midway in World War II, although fighting on opposite sides.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • SecAF implements additional security measures after attacks

    In response to the defense secretary’s call to improve the security and force protection of defense personnel after the tragic events in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James introduced more stringent security measures to reduce the possibility of violent acts directed toward

  • Moody deploys first HC-130Js

    The 71st Rescue Squadron deployed two HC-130J Combat King II aircraft for the first time Nov. 27. The HC-130Js, which deployed with more than 60 aircrew, support and maintenance personnel, bring a new set of capabilities to the airspace in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

  • AF presents Fisher House award to TAPS

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James presented the 2014 Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award to the founder and president of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors in a ceremony at the Pentagon Dec. 1.

  • Yesterday's Air Force: Reverse Lend-Lease

    The logistics of war are complicated and having the right aircraft at the right place and time is a key to victory. At the beginning of U.S. involvement in World War II the Reverse Lend-Lease program set the U.S. up for success.

  • NORAD celebrates 60 years tracking Santa

    The North American Aerospace Defense Command is celebrating the 60th anniversary of tracking Santa’s Yuletide journey. The NORAD Tracks Santa website launched Dec. 1. It features Santa’s North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, activities and more.

  • Senior leaders stress safety this holiday season

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody recently issued a tri-signature letter to all Airmen, asking them to stay safe during the holidays.

  • AF releases Form 910, implements forced distribution

    The revised Air Force Form 910, Enlisted Performance Report (airman basic through technical sergeant); and interim change 3 to Air Force Instruction 36-2406, “Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems,” have been published on the Air Force e-Publishing website.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Top AF analysis performer recognized

    Kevin Williams, the director of Air Force Studies, Analyses and Assessments, presented the Lt. Gen. Glenn A. Kent Leadership Award to Jacqueline Henningsen during the fall Corona summit at the U.S. Air Force Academy on Nov. 4.

  • Air University focused on deterrence

    The end of the Cold War, coupled with the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, caused American decision-makers to focus on present-day conflicts, but a resurgent Russia, the rise of new non-state actors and new threats in the cyber realm have brought about a renewed focus on the concept of deterrence,

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Upgraded E-3 Sentry deploys to combat theater

    The first E-3G Sentry (AWACS) arrived in Southwest Asia Nov. 18, marking the deployment of the most comprehensive modification to the weapon system in its 38-year history. The Block 40/45 improved communications, computer processing power, threat tracking and other capabilities.

  • SecAF makes first visit to Djibouti

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James met with Airmen and senior leaders stationed at Camp Lemonnier and the U.S. Embassy, as well as senior members from the Djiboutian military, during her first visit to the country Nov. 12.

  • Air Force acquisition lead moves to MITRE

    The Air Force announced Nov. 18 that Dr. William A. LaPlante, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, is transitioning from government service to a senior position at the MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that operates federally funded research and development

  • Strengthening alliances with music

    The U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific performed at the 2015 Japan Self-Defense Force Marching Festival at the Nippon Budokan Arena in Tokyo Nov. 13-15.

  • Wheelchair rugby makes debut for Warrior CARE Month

    Fifty-pound wheeled chariots made of steel, aluminum and over-sized wheels were the modes of battle Nov. 16 as teams of joint-service wounded, ill and injured kicked off a demonstration of wheelchair rugby.

  • EUCOM implements travel restrictions to France

    United States European Command has implemented travel restrictions to France that apply to all Defense Department personnel. Specifically, unofficial travel (leave, liberty and special pass) to France is prohibited.

  • Veterans in Blue: honoring those who served

    The Air Force maintains a special portrait display in the Pentagon as part of its commitment to honoring the devotion and service of veterans. Volume VI will replace volume V of the Veterans in Blue project this November.

  • Reflecting on Veterans Day

    Veterans and their families, both young and old, reflected on the sacrifices made by Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, who provide this nation with the best fighting force in the world, during a Veterans Day ceremony Nov. 11 at the Air Force Memorial, which overlooks the Pentagon and Potomac

  • Yokota enhances capabilities through exercise

    Members of the 374th Airlift Wing participated in exercise Vigilant Ace 16 from Nov. 1-10, in conjunction with a Samurai Readiness Inspection at Yokota Air Base. Vigilant Ace is a large-scale exercise on the Korean Peninsula designed to enhance the interoperability of U.S. and allied forces through

  • Art therapy helps close the wounds of Air Force vets

    As a mortuary affairs Airman, retired Master Sgt. Justin Jordan handled dozens of bodies of service members, many of whom were killed downrange. But one mission at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, finally made him crack.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • F-15Es arrive at Inclirlik Air Base

    Six F-15E Strike Eagles arrived at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, Nov. 12 in a demonstration of the United States' unwavering support to peace and stability in the region.

  • Air Force International Affairs builds international Airmen

    The Air Force’s International Affairs deputy shared why building global air force partnerships through integrating political-military relationships, security assistance, technology and information disclosure issues ensures relationships endure during an Air Force Association monthly breakfast Nov.

  • Air Force shows leadership, commitment in Dubai

    American Airmen showcased the capability of airpower through senior leader engagements, Airmen interactions with a global audience, and aircraft on the ground and thundering through the skies at the 2015 Dubai Airshow during the week of Nov. 11.

  • No second chances: AFE Airmen ensure pilot safety

    Pilots rush into the locker room, preparing for another day of flying. Laughing and joking, they throw on their gear and grab their helmets. To them, it's just another day, but the Airmen that serviced their equipment look on slightly anxiously as they see the pilots walk out the door to their

  • AF veterans reveal what Veterans Day means to them

    The day when nearly 70 bullets riddled his HH-3E Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopter as his crew tried to save two Airmen during the Vietnam War remains vivid for retired Chief Master Sgt. Dennis Richardson. It was March 14, 1968, and Richardson, a flight engineer at the time, and others were called

  • AF strengthens ties with community through partnership program

    The Air Force Community Partnership Program (AFCP), one of the 13 Make Every Dollar Count initiatives launched by the Air Force, is currently working with 51 installations and local communities to improve and strengthen community and Air Force partnerships.

  • Cadet earns top Civil Air Patrol honor

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III presented the General Carl A. Spaatz Award to Cadet Col. Matthew Jackson, a Civil Air Patrol cadet, during a Nov. 9 ceremony at the Pentagon.

  • AF leaders release Veterans Day message

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody have issued a Veterans Day message to Airmen.

  • Doolittle Raider honored with shadow box

    Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, one of two surviving members of the Doolittle Raiders, just turned 100 years old in September. He is as lively as ever and received a shadow box during his visit, Nov. 5.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Air Force, Afghan senior leaders discuss defense training

    Heidi H. Grant, the Air Force’s deputy undersecretary for international affairs, met with Afghan Maj. Gen. Ghulam Sakhi, of the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, and several of his Afghan delegation members during an Oct. 27 visit to the Pentagon.

  • First lady visits, praises troops at Al Udeid AB

    The service members at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, are performing demanding duty without complaint as they represent the United States, first lady Michelle Obama told troops on the base Nov. 3.Joined by late night talk show host Conan O'Brien and other entertainers to perform a USO-style show, Obama

  • Academy grad preps for second spacewalk

    A 1995 Air Force Academy graduate and astronaut aboard the International Space Station is scheduled to make his second walk in space at 7:10 a.m. EST Nov. 6.

  • Securing the future by Bending the Cost Curve

    Bending the Cost Curve, one of the 13 Make Every Dollar Count cost initiatives launched by the Air Force, includes a growing and evolving set of more than 20 acquisition reform activities. These activities are focused on finding ways the Air Force can be more effective at how it spends money to get

  • BLUE: Space -- The High Ground

    The Air Force impacts billions of people across the world through operations in space, including GPS and missile warning. In this episode of BLUE we meet the Airmen who perform these missions, discovering what they do and why they do it.

  • Stone promotes to senior airman, staff sergeant

    Spencer Stone, the airman first class who helped prevent a gunman’s attack on a French train in August, promoted to the rank of senior airman at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Oct. 30, 2015. Following this promotion, Stone was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant, effective Nov. 1, by order of Air

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • ACC intel officer shares new ISR perspective

    Air Combat Command’s senior intelligence officer shared her perspective on fusion warfare with the intelligence community, defense industry and media during an Oct. 22 assembly at the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.

  • AF announces KC-46A preferred, reasonable alternatives

    Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, has been chosen as the preferred alternative for the first Reserve-led KC-46A Pegasus main operating base, Air Force officials announced Oct. 29. The KC-46As are expected to begin arriving in 2019.

  • AF leaders testify on F-35 progress

    Leaders in the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office and the Air Force F-35 Integration Office testified on the fifth-generation aircraft’s development before a House Armed Services subcommittee Oct. 21 on Capitol Hill.

  • Air Force awards LRS-B contract

    The Air Force announced today the contract award of Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) and early production for the Long Range Strike Bomber to Northrop Grumman Corporation.

  • Air Force releases new SAPR strategy

    Air Force leaders released a five-year Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Strategy that will guide the Air Force in developing a robust prevention model while continually honing response capabilities today.

  • Complex closes out productive year with 217 aircraft serviced

    A total of 217 aircraft -- including C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules and F-15 Eagle models -- were serviced in fiscal year 2015, which ended Sept. 30. That number includes 15 unscheduled depot-level maintenance aircraft, with two C-5s, three C-17s and 10 C-130s.

  • AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • KC-46 test aircraft touches down at Edwards

    The KC-46 program's first test aircraft, a Boeing 767-2C (EMD-1), departed from its home at Boeing Field in Seattle and touched down at Edwards Air Force Base for the first time for testing Oct. 15.

  • U-2 brought to forefront with ‘Spies’ premiere

    The Air Force’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission areas were highlighted with the release of a major motion picture Oct. 16. The Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office teamed with movie producers to tell the story of Capt. Francis Gary Powers, an Air Force U-2 pilot who was shot