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U.S. Air Force News

  • RQ-4B soars past 10,000 flying hours

    An RQ-4B Global Hawk embarked on an Operation Inherent Resolve mission March 7, which sent the aircraft soaring past the 10,000 flying-hour milestone at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia.

  • Ground equipment Airmen keep aircraft aloft

    It’s the minute details of tasks that make what Airmen do so vital to accomplishing their missions. For the Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) flight, these details have a profound impact on flightline operations each day.

  • AF mental health services helps a family recover

    Two Colorado Springs area-NCOs have been on a journey of recovery since losing their son to leukemia nearly nine years ago, a journey they said couldn't have happened without the mental health services available to Airmen and their families.

  • 'Special Program' emerges to combat cyber insider threats

    It's not often that the public gets to hear about the Air Force's inner workings when pertaining to highly classified networks; however, a special programs team from Hanscom Air Force Base’s Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks Directorate has recently emerged, making their

  • AF research will improve camera for targeting munitions

    In order for an imaging munition to find and make its mark, a variety of information is required, including high-resolution video imagery. Future Air Force munitions will likely feature wide field-of-view (WFOV) imaging seekers that provide Air Force warfighters several advantages over using

  • Bagram remembers Operation Anaconda’s fallen

    Senior Airman Jason Cunningham and six of his special forces comrades including Tech. Sgt. John Chapman, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Neil Roberts, Army Sgt. Bradley Crose, Army Sgt. Phillip Svitak, Army Spc. Marc Anderson and Army Cpl. Matthew Commons, traded their blood for freedom in the

  • Former Soldier earns Air Force wings

    First Lt. Kevin Summerbell attended ROTC and commissioned as an officer in the Air Force to be a C-17 Globemaster III pilot, the same aircraft he was flown back on from Iraq after being wounded in combat. He is now assigned to the 15th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina.

  • AF attacks biological agents with heat, humidity

    A recent Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) on a C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft at Orlando International Airport, Florida, showed how hot, humid air can decontaminate large pieces of equipment from biological agents.

  • Air Force 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.

  • Al Udeid unit keeps bombs ‘locked on target’ in AOR

    Carrying the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory, the multi-mission B-1B Lancer is the backbone of America's long-range bomber force and is a key resource for strike operations throughout the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility.

  • SecAF introduces diversity initiatives

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James kicked off Women’s History Month by speaking to attendees during the Center for a New American Security “Women and Leadership in National Security” conference in Washington, D.C., March 4, 2015.  “There’s simply no country in the world as widely diverse

  • AF responds to National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force

    The Air Force responded to the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force’s recommendations in a report to Congress March 4. Of the Commission’s 42 recommendations, Air Force officials disagreed with only one and are already in the process of implementing 25, as well as developing plans

  • 'Iron Horse' sets off for final flight

    The 23rd Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, sent the Air Force's oldest C-130 to the "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, for its retirement March 3.

  • March issue of Airman magazine now available

    In this issue or Airman, our cover story tells the story of Master Sgt. Randy Rollins and his journey as a child who tinkers on Volkswagen Beetles with his uncle, to an Airman who tinkers on the C-5 Galaxy.

  • 32 Airmen to enter Career Intermission Program

    Thirty-four officer and enlisted Airmen were selected to participate in the Air Force's Career Intermission Program which offers from one to three years of partially paid time out of uniform to focus on personal and professional pursuits. Two of those selected have since voluntarily withdrawn their

  • Vietnam War veterans honored during ceremony at AF Memorial

    More than 100 service members, civilians and veterans braved the cold and icy weather to honor prisoners of war and those missing in action during the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War commemoration ceremony and wreath-laying March 2, at the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

  • AF trials underway for 2015 Warrior Games

    U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, British and Australian wounded warriors are fighting for a chance to compete at the 2015 Warrior Games during the Air Force Trials Feb. 27 through March 5, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

  • Striking the heart of the enemy

    Since November 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has suffered the loss of at least a dozen senior leaders due to coalition airstrikes. Airmen in the Strike Aircraft Maintenance Unit are doing their part to remind the world that arguably no one performs these missions better than

  • Enlisted European leaders attend first sergeant symposium

    Enlisted leaders from air forces throughout Europe visited Ramstein Air Base, Germany to attend the Kaiserslautern Military Community First Sergeant Council's First Sergeant Symposium along with 120 Airmen from around the KMC Feb. 23 to 27.

  • Mock trials teach SAPR through demonstration

    Airmen from the Kunsan Air Base First Term Airmen Center witnessed a sexual assault mock trial, providing a realistic portrayal of a trial. It was an attempt to highlight the emotional, legal and wide-reaching ramifications of sexual assault on individuals, work sections and units involved.

  • WWII pilot reunited with P-47

    Sitting in a wheelchair with images of airplanes on his shirt and a U.S. Army Air Corp hat on his head, 92-year-old retired Air National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Hertel was reunited with the P-47 Thunderbolt during the Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course here Feb. 28.

  • AFSOUTH trains for humanitarian crisis, joint operations

    Air Forces Southern joined forces with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Southern Command and multiple other federal agencies to improve their ability to operate as a team in the event of a mass migration, Feb. 20-27, during exercise Integrated Advance 2015 (IA).

  • Vince Vaughn, USO Bring 'Unfinished Business' to Edwards AFB

    Actor Vince Vaughn treated troops and their families to an advance screening of his upcoming film, "Unfinished Business," during a Feb. 28 USO visit to Edwards Air Force Base, California.During a DoD News telephone interview, Vaughn shared his inspiration for meeting service members and their

  • Manpower: Man behind the math

    Having risen to the height of public interest since the commencement of Operation Resolute Support in January, the drawdown of U.S.

  • PACAF earns SECAF Safety Award

    The 2014 Air Force safety awards were announced Feb. 25, naming Pacific Air Forces the recipient of the Secretary of the Air Force Safety Award, the highest safety award in the Air Force.

  • Handheld imaging tool expands aircraft inspection capability

    When pilots climb into the cockpit they expect their aircraft to perform as expected, regardless if take off is from a home or deployed location; but ensuring that the aircraft is healthy enough to fly has become a challenge for the Air Force.

  • Retired Airman remembers passage of Civil Rights Act

    Offended and angry Airmen brought Sgt. Raymond Harris to a vandalized inscription containing a racial epithet about the Civil Rights bill on a door at the Airman's Club in Vietnam, and were looking to him for a solution.

  • Two-man shop engineers mission success

    The importance of the CE mission is vital at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, and with the eyes of the world following the development of the region; the execution of KAF’s engineering operation rests squarely on the shoulders of only two Airmen.

  • AF leaders seek relief from sequestration-level funding

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III discussed the damaging effects of sequestration with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations’ Defense Subcommittee Feb. 27.

  • Top AF senior enlisted leader testifies on AF quality of life

    The top enlisted leaders representing each service testified about quality of life issues in the military during a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veteran's Affairs, Feb. 25, in Washington, D.C.

  • Air Force places 18 A-10 aircraft into 'Backup Status'

    The Air Force, with congressional authorization, will convert 18 primary combat-coded A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from active units and place them into Backup-Aircraft Inventory (BAI) status with the possibility to convert another 18 at a later date in fiscal year 2015.

  • First sergeant steps up in time of need

    On Jan. 3, Alec Fonoti, a mechanic for the quartermaster laundry here, was preparing dinner with his family to take to a friend's house. With the meal packed, the family of nine loaded everything into their vehicle and left."The fire report said the burner on the left was still slightly on," Fonoti

  • CMSAF inspires future leaders during Academy visit

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody kicked off the Air Force Academy's 2015 National Character and Leadership Symposium by showcasing the enlisted Airmen cadets will lead as officers once they graduate, and reminding them of the importance of leadership in the profession of arms.

  • Culture of change comes full circle

    Col. Jay Folds, the Task Force 214 and 20th Air Force director of operations, was the first colonel since the mid-1990s to pull alert at a launch control center Feb. 19, in the missile fields near Cheyenne, Wyoming.

  • Air Force 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.

  • ‘Military Saves Week’ highlights personal finance issues

    Defense Department officials have designated Feb. 23-28, as “Military Saves Week” to highlight the need for military families to reduce debt and save for the future, something Pentagon officials emphasize is key to force readiness.

  • AF holds 50th anniversary Vietnam War commemoration ceremony

    The Air Force is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War by honoring prisoners of war and missing in action, veterans and their families during a wreath-laying ceremony at 10:30 a.m. EST, March 2, at the Air Force Memorial in Washington D.C.

  • NY Air National Guard completes 27th year of Antarctic science support

    The New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing concluded a five-month mission supporting the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Program as part of Operation Deep Freeze.Airmen from the 109th AW flew 241 missions, delivering more than 3,000 passengers and 2,250 tons of cargo and fuel to

  • AF senior leaders caution against sequestration

    The Air Force’s top two leaders justified their service’s funding proposal in the fiscal year 2016 President’s Budget request to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee during an Air Force posture hearing Feb. 25, in Washington, D.C.

  • CHIEFchat: TA rumors, slowing the growth of pay, benefits

    During his latest CHIEFchat, Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody put to rest rumors of changes to tuition assistance. He also discussed military pay and benefits, the growing cyber domain, and master sergeant evaluation boards.

  • Staff sergeant beats cancer

    For many people, Independence Day is all about celebration, spending time with family and watching fireworks light up the night sky, but on July 4, 2014, there was no celebrating for Staff Sgt. Richard L. Johnson.

  • 2014 Air Force safety awards announced

    Air Force Chief of Safety Maj. Gen. Kurt F. Neubauer recently announced the recipients of the Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff and Chief of Safety Awards for 2014.

  • Connection in the classroom

    The Patrick Air Force Base Professional Development Center (PDC) is not just a place for professional and leadership education, but as of Feb. 11, it's the most technically advanced professional development center in the Air Force.

  • Quality assurance: Making sure it’s done right

    Have you ever watched a movie, or professional wrestling, and find yourself rooting for the villain at the end?Around the flightline, there’s a group of ‘bad guys’ that represent their career field’s most knowledgeable maintainers and make up the office known as quality assurance.

  • Airmen missing from WWII accounted for

    The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Feb. 23, that the remains of U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been accounted for and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

  • SecAF visits Mountain Home

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Feb. 18, to experience the base firsthand and meet the service members dedicated to making it run efficiently.

  • Riding for the future of cycling

    Following a full day of work developing Air Force models, Maj. Ian Holt, mounts his Felt bicycle and starts pedaling on a three-hour training ride. It's all part of the regimen prescribed by his coach leading up to the sixth Conseil International du Sport Militaire - the international military

  • A chaplain’s story: Legacy, life, love

    As a young boy growing up in West Palm Beach, Florida, Matthew Boyd understood he was destined to serve. With two granddads who served in World War I and a father's return home after World War II, Boyd said he knew he was born to be a warrior.Now a major in the Air Force, he continues the family

  • AF marks first RQ-4 non-military base landing

    A remotely piloted U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk aircraft landed Feb. 22, at Avalon Airport in Victoria, Australia, marking this the first time a high-altitude asset has flown into a non-military air base to be viewed by the general public.

  • DARPA nomination packages due March 16

    Commander-endorsed nomination packages for officers interested in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) fiscal year 2016 Service Chiefs Fellows Program are due to the Air Force Personnel Center March 16, officials announced.

  • Mere minutes between life and death

    Staff Sgt. Wade Owen helped save the lives of Joe Akin, a retired Army veteran, by kicking down the door to Akin’s residence after he had succumbed to a nearly lethal dose of carbon monoxide.

  • Natural disaster response improved at Cope North 15

    More than 300 service members from six countries joined together to conduct the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) portion of exercise Cope North 15 from Feb. 15 to 18, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and throughout the region of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

  • Fueling the Strike Eagle's fire

    The shimmering heat waves that emanate from jet exhaust, the rumble of twin Pratt and Whitney engines, the unmistakable aroma of pure Jet A fuel. The sights, sounds and smells of F-15E Strike Eagles in flight are made possible in part by the tireless efforts of a group of Airmen strategically placed

  • Pay dates increase for civilians in 2015

    Civilian employees will have 27 pay dates in 2015 compared to the usual 26, so some employees might need to adjust their Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contribution elections to receive the maximum agency matching contributions for 2015.

  • Nuclear oversight board members visit Minot AFB

    More than three dozen members of the Air Force's senior leadership, including Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, converged on Minot Air Force Base for a meeting of the Nuclear Oversight Board here today. The NOB is a quarterly

  • SecAF, AFGSC commander visit Malmstrom

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and Air Force Global Strike Commander Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson visited Malmstrom Air Force Base Feb. 19, to meet with Airmen, specifically those who deploy to the missile fields, and see benefits of the grass-roots feedback program known as the Force

  • Small but mighty: ECONS packs a punch

    Airmen with the Expeditionary Contracting Squadron can tell you first hand what’s missing. From the construction flight to the services flight, all the way to the commodities flight, if you take them away, you end up with a deployment no one really wants to be on.

  • ISR invests in infrastructure, Airmen

    Increasing demands for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, coupled with limited funding across the Air Force, were discussed during the Air Force Association’s monthly breakfast Feb. 18, in Arlington, Virginia.

  • Academy, Kirtland Airmen rewarded for API ideas

    A human resources assistant at the Air Force Academy and an Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC) officer at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, will be among the first to receive financial rewards from the Airmen Powered by Innovation program.

  • Air Force agents prevent online exploitation of children

    Child sex crimes are not unique to any particular base but are a perpetual problem across the Air Force and society. Online exploitation of children continues to be a problem and is routinely investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). As part of this effort, AFOSI field

  • Air Force 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.

  • Museum volunteer shares story of service

    It was January 1945, and 21-year-old Lt. Donald Clark found himself piloting a C-47A Skytrain over the Western Front as the Battle of the Bulge was coming to an end. The aircraft was on its way to resupply Lt. Gen. George Patton's 3rd U.S. Army, and its tanks, with fuel and ammunition, as they began

  • SBIRS constellation forms under one roof

    Airmen from the 460th Operations Group have made history by successfully completing the first series of Space Based Infrared System satellite and antenna communication on Jan. 28-30 from Block 10, the new operations floor, on Buckley Air Force Base, Colo.

  • Priorities of AF acquisition outlined at symposium

    Dr. William A. LaPlante, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, outlined the Air Force's top acquisition priorities during the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition Feb. 13, in Orlando, Florida.

  • Cope North 15 kicks off at Andersen

    Exercise Cope North 15 kicked off at Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 15, and will run through Feb. 27, marking the 86th iteration of the multilateral training exercise.

  • Buckley Airman 'strikes out' competition

    Some people never get the chance to turn their hobbies into achievements, but one 2nd Space Warning Squadron Airman proved that if you work hard enough, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

  • Carter takes office as 25th Defense secretary

    Ash Carter became the 25th secretary of Defense Feb. 17, after having served previously as deputy defense secretary, defense acquisition chief and assistant secretary for global strategic affairs.

  • Carter’s message to DOD workforce

    Ash Carter, who was sworn in as the 25th secretary of Defense Feb. 17, laid out his top priorities in a message to the Defense Department workforce.

  • Evolution of perspective: Airman finds balance after diagnosis

    Senior Master Sgt. Daphne Soto never meets a stranger because each encounter opens a door to a potential new friend, or to someone who just needs to talk, and she'll keep the door open for both. But while she cares for her Airmen at all times, she had to learn that sometimes saying "no" is

  • Airmen are the key to air power

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James talked about the importance of a healthy budget, innovation and developing Airmen as key pieces to remaining the world’s greatest air power, during the Air Force Association’s annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition Feb. 13, in Orlando,

  • 75 day leave carryover ends Sept. 30

    Effective Sept. 30, military members will no longer be able to carry more than 60 days of leave into the next fiscal year, in accordance with 2013 National Defense Authorization Act requirements.