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  • Airman killed in aircraft crash

    An Air Force officer was among four killed Jan. 10 in the crash of a T-39 Sabreliner training aircraft in Walker County, Ga. First Lt. Jason Davis, 28, was a student navigator with Training Squadron 86 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. He entered the Air Force on Nov. 14, 2001. The others killed

  • B-1B Lancers rotate into Andersen

    B-1B Lancers from the 34th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D, have deployed here. The rotation was seamless for the 34th BS because they traded the rotation with another Ellsworth squadron, which left its bombers behind for them to use. “The support we’ve received from Andersen has been

  • Air Force looks to be best in acquisition

    The Air Force hopes to be the model within the Department of Defense for how best to procure goods and acquire weapons systems. "Five years from now, (we want) people to consider the Air Force the premier acquisition service in the DOD ... that we are heads and shoulders above everybody else in how

  • SECAF celebrates welcome to the blue

    Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne was “welcomed into blue” during a ceremony here today. He was received by a hundreds of Airmen, the Air Force Honor Guard and Air Force Band. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, chief of staff of the Air Force, presided over the event and told everyone present it was

  • CENTAF commander visits deployed Airmen, Sailors on last trip to Afghanistan

    As part of his final trip to Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces visited deployed Airmen and Sailors here Jan. 10 to 11. During a troop call, Lt. Gen. Walter E. Buchanan III addressed Airmen and Sailors who are deployed to Bagram as part of Air and Space Expeditionary Force

  • Post-Katrina relief operations bolster community recovery

    Keesler is at the forefront of the battle to restore the Mississippi Gulf Coast of Hurricane Katrina’s wake. After the storm devastated the base and surrounding communities Aug. 29, Keesler’s training mission temporarily stopped as it recovered and began humanitarian relief operations, or HUMRO. The

  • Accident report: B-1B fire caused by brake

    Leaking hydraulic fluid and sparks from its wheel being gouged caused a fire in a B-1B Lancer's right main landing gear as it touched down on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, after a mission Sept. 15, said Air Force investigators. The aircraft, assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force

  • 45 selected for test pilot training

    Forty-five pilots have been selected for the Air Force test-pilot program by a selection board at the Air Force Personnel Center. Most of those selected will attend the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. One will attend the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent

  • CENTAF releases airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces released today’s airpower summary. Coalition aircraft flew 52 close-air support missions Jan. 11 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and disrupt

  • Health and wellness centers help some keep resolutions

    Health and wellness centers Air Force-wide can help smokers kick their habit. Smoking cessation programs are offered for active duty personnel, retirees and Reservists. At the center here, the six-session program is combined with drug and patch therapy, psychological tips and physiological

  • Give and take, teach and learn -- building an Iraqi Air Force

    Reality is often at odds with expectations when Airmen deploy. This difference can be extreme when the mission is to provide military training to a recent enemy. But several Airmen near the end of six-month deployments as advisory support team instructors say they would rather stay here than go home

  • Air Force announces medical, dental officer promotions

    The Air Force has selected 67 lieutenant colonels, 173 majors and 308 captains in the medical and dental corps for promotion. The list of promotion selects is posted on the Air Force Personnel Center's officer promotions homepage at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/offprom. The board considered 1,310

  • Battlestar Galactica docks for sneak-peek at Columbus

    The Sci-Fi Channel’s mantra -- “Fuel the Imagination” -- was the theme of the night as Battlestar Galactica television series fans invaded the Columbus Club for a celebrity-style sneak preview. The Season 2 premiere episode of Battlestar Galactica was shown a day early -- Jan. 5 --to approximately

  • CENTAF releases daily airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's daily airpower summary. Coalition aircraft flew 56 close-air-support missions Jan. 10 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and

  • Improved earpieces reaching Falcon pilots

    F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots here will soon start using an earpiece that will afford better hearing protection and an improved mission focus. The 4th Fighter Squadron's "Fighting Fuujins" will receive the new attenuating custom communication earpiece system this month. The earpiece was developed at

  • AF selects four Airmen to vie for GEICO awards

    The Air Force selected four Airmen to compete for the 2005 Government Employee Insurance Company Military Service awards. The Airmen are now authorized to wear the Air Force Recognition Ribbon and will compete against the nominees selected by the other military services. -- Staff Sgt. Lindsay J.

  • F-16 receives special care at Hill

    Specialists at the Ogden Air Logistics Center’s, 649th Combat Logistics Support Squadron used their unique equipment and skills to repair a damaged F-16 Fighting Falcon. The squadron's role was pivotal since it is the only active-duty maintenance unit capable of making such repairs, said 1st Lt.

  • Billing date changes for government travel card

    Air Force government travel card billing cycles for individually billed accounts will begin closing out on the 22nd of each month beginning in March. The current cycle ends the third day of every month, so cardholders will experience a long cycle running Feb. 3 through March 22. Bank of America will

  • Wynne: AF needs to recapitalize

    With the combination of aging and heavily used equipment, the Air Force needs recapitalization across the board, Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne said. In past discussions about Air Force recapitalization, aircraft usually took center stage. Although aircraft still need to be

  • CENTAF releases daily airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces released today's airpower summary. Coalition aircraft flew 40 close-air-support missions Jan. 9 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist

  • Privatized housing now available at Scott

    The Air Force closed a housing privatization deal recently at an Illinois base, bringing the total of privatized homes across the service to more than 16,000, said housing officials here. Scott Air Force Base, Ill., will benefit from $250 million in total development of 1,593 homes within the first

  • Mission is out of this world

    Its material is found nowhere else on Earth but here, while its mission is out of this world. Detachment 5, 22nd Space Operations Squadron has an antenna that uses a durable Kevlar mix as its cover, the first of its kind in the world. They use it because the material must withstand 195-mph typhoon

  • Airman saves career through yoga

    If a picture can say a thousand words, Staff Sgt. Bonnie McKinley’s picture of herself would tell you of a time when she, at 5-foot-4-inches and 25 years old, weighed 215 pounds, putting her at risk of a heart attack or stroke. Not to mention, her Air Force career was in jeopardy. She did something

  • Cannon visitor explores BRAC options

    As directed by the final 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations, the Air Force is exploring new mission options here. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics William C. Anderson visited here Jan. 4-5 to gather information in an attempt

  • Leaner processes working at Kirtland

    The Air Force is becoming leaner without the help of fad diets or abs-crunching exercise regiments. Logistics and maintenance programs imported from the private business sector, like Lean, are turning once-bloated processes into models of streamlined efficiency. The payoff is less cost, improved

  • Air mobility operations Airmen keep cargo aircraft moving

    Airmen deployed to the Detachment 5, 721st Air Mobility Operations Group, traveled thousands of miles to help the Air Force enable the global aspect of "global vigilance, reach and power." The 35 Airmen who work at the detachment are responsible for the maintenance, launch and recovery of all

  • Air Force improving production with Smart Operations 21

    The Air Force used the best parts of several civilian efficiency programs to develop an Air Force-unique process-improvement program called "Smart Operations 21," Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne said. The program will take the Air Force forward in a journey of self-improvement, the

  • Guard, Reserve benefit from 2006 defense authorization

    The 2006 National Defense Authorization Act signed into law Jan. 6 provides new or enhanced benefits for National Guard and Reserve members, a senior defense official said. President George W. Bush signed the legislation Jan. 6, providing a variety of benefits designed to bring reserve-component

  • 2006 defense budget increases military pay and benefits

    President George W. Bush ushered in an across-the-board 3.1 percent military pay raise, effective Jan. 1. It includes a variety of new or enhanced benefits for servicemembers and their families when he signed the 2006 National Defense Authorization Bill into law Jan. 6. In addition to a pay raise

  • CENTAF releases combined daily air power summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released today’s combined air power summary. Coalition aircraft flew 28 close-air-support missions Jan. 8 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to

  • New Mexico Tech to build on Kirtland

    The Air Force conveyed more than eight acres of base land to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology during a ceremony here Jan. 6. The agreement is designed to stimulate business efficiencies and technological advancement through the construction of new facilities. The land conveyance, a

  • Group chops away at space system’s weaknesses

    Several times a year, a group of junior U.S. military officers and federal government employees use open source databases -- such as the Internet and libraries -- in an attempt to reveal potential weaknesses in the Department of Defense's space systems. More often than not, participants in the Space

  • 23:59:60… Atomic clock takes quantum leap

    A leap second. It’s a time on the clock that doesn’t come along very often, and it’s a subject of debate between astronomers and clock watchers. Outside the debate is the job of making sure everyone who relies on the leap second receives it. That job, in the hands of the 2nd Space Operations

  • Patrick auto hobby shop achieves Air Force first

    The 45th Services Squadron auto hobby shop earned the highest honor any automobile repair facility can earn -- the National Institute for Automotive Excellence Blue Seal of Excellence. After 10 years of automotive knowledge tests, equipment inspections and certifications, the auto hobby shop earned

  • U.S. forces airdrop cold weather supplies in Afghanistan

    U.S. forces dropped eight bundles of humanitarian assistance supplies near Bamyan in central Afghanistan to help hundreds of families survive the harsh winter, military officials here said. The bundles contained winter clothing, as well as beans, rice, cooking oil, tarps, health kits, tool kits and

  • Ellsworth Airmen provide security in Iraq

    Security forces from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., are serving in southern Iraq this winter. Twenty-four of the more than 300 Airmen who make up the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron are from the 28th Security Forces Squadron at Ellsworth. They provide base, convoy and area security

  • Security forces assist Korean community

    The “Wolf Pack” worked side-by-side with the Korean Army and Kunsan City firefighters to help a local farmer. Nineteen security forces members, along with approximately 50 Korean soldiers and firefighters helped clear a farmer’s greenhouses. The building collapsed under the weight of record-breaking

  • Long convoy duty is no easy task

    By dawn, Airmen of the 424th Medium Truck Detachment had finished preparing for their mission -- move Army 4th Infantry Division supplies and material from Kuwait into Iraq. These Airmen do not fly their cargo, and it’s quite possible they may go their entire deployment without even seeing a

  • CENTAF releases airpower summary report

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary. In Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 44 close-air-support missions Jan. 5 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and

  • Air power key to many 2005 successes

    More than 75,000 Airmen rotated in and out of the theater to 12 locations during 2005 and helped coalition forces take part in historic events and record-breaking accomplishments. From ensuring millions of people in Iraq and Afghanistan had the opportunity to vote, to providing humanitarian aid

  • New civilian personnel training postponed until review complete

    National Security Personnel System training for Department of Defense managers and rank-and-file employees is being postponed while a component of the new system is reviewed, an NSPS official said here today. "We've asked the services to put a hold on their training for January because we're

  • Wynne sees pride in Airmen during Southwest Asia visit

    The secretary of the Air Force said he is proud and inspired by the Airmen he visited during his trip to Southwest Asia. "I met fabulous Airmen at each base," Secretary Michael W. Wynne said. "They were very dedicated and persistent in their desire to further the Air Force mission." Secretary Wynne

  • Civilian pay raises to take effect

    The upcoming pay period for Defense Department civilian General Schedule employees will reflect a 2.1 percent across-the-board pay raise. It also includes a range of locality pays that bring the overall pay hikes between 2.83 and 5.62 percent, an Office of Personnel Management spokesman said. The

  • Aggressor squadron stands up at Nellis

    The Air Force will reactivate the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 12. In a letter to Airmen, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff, cited the history of the unit as “legendary” and said the aggressors will “directly contribute to the combat capability of our

  • Lackland officials release name of deceased Airman

    Officials here have identified the Airman found dead in a base dormitory Jan. 2 as Senior Airman Austin Murphey, 22. Airman Murphey was a passenger service specialist with the 37th Logistics Readiness Squadron and had been assigned to Lackland since July 2005. Air Force officials are investigating

  • National Guard helps battle wildfires

    National Guard crews continue to assist Oklahoma and Texas firefighters in dousing wildfires that have now burned more than 600,000 acres in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Texas Air National Guard crews helped firefighters battle a 22,000-acre blaze that threatened more than 200 homes near Carbon,

  • Airmen participate in Rose Bowl events

    A B-1B Lancer kicked off the national college football title game Jan. 4 with a flyover of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Gen. Ronald Keys, commander of Air Combat Command and Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center here, represented the Air Force at several

  • CENTAF releases daily airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the daily airpower summary. In Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 52 close-air-support missions Jan. 4 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to

  • President Bush thanks Pentagon troops for service

    President George Bush greeted a handful of Airmen today after wrapping up discussion with top Department of Defense leaders about the war in Iraq. Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines lined a hallway near the Pentagon office of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld for the meeting. Staff Sgt.

  • Joint Chiefs examining differing combat tour lengths

    The Joint Chiefs of Staff continue examining how long servicemembers should serve in Iraq, but for now they are satisfied the tour lengths are about right, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said. General Pace, who was flying back after leading a weeklong United Service Organization trip to the U.S. Central

  • California Guard to get the Predator

    As part of ongoing Total Force initiatives, the Air Force, the National Guard Bureau and the Adjutant General of California announced today that the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Air Refueling Wing, March Air Reserve Base, Calif., will become the home for a new MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial

  • Nomination season opening for top Guard, Reserve employer awards

    Guard and Reserve members may recommend their employers to be recognized for supporting their military service when the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards nomination season opens next week. The nomination season last from Jan. 9 to Feb. 28. During last year's open season,

  • Lackland Airman found dead in dormitory

    A senior airman with the 37th Logistics Readiness Squadron was found dead in a base dormitory Jan. 2. The Airman’s name is being withheld pending next of kin notification. Air Force officials are investigating the incident. 

  • Good eats means happy troops

    An army marches on it stomach. Napoleon Bonaparte said, and believed, that in 1812. Truth is he might have been thinking more about the importance of a good supply line. But a visit to a military camp -- then or now -- would reveal that good eats and tasty treats are just as important to the troops.

  • CENTAF releases daily airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the daily airpower summary report. Coalition aircraft flew 52 close-air-support missions Jan. 3 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter

  • Airmen ‘drop the ball’ on New Year’s Eve

    With inspiration from New York -- the city that never sleeps -- Airmen at this desert base that never sleeps got to drop the ball this New Year’s Eve. In less than 72 hours, some 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron members constructed a New Year’s Eve Ball like the one dropped at New

  • Keeping Predators flying helps keep Balad safe

    Airmen who maintain the MQ-1 Predator here take great pride in ensuring the unmanned aerial vehicles they look after can keep and eagle eye on what goes on in Iraq. The 61 Airmen of the 46th Aircraft Maintenance Unit -- and three Royal Air Force Airmen -- keep the Predators flying for the pilots who

  • Military, civilian medals approved for hurricane relief work

    Servicemembers and civilians who took part in Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita relief efforts may be eligible for a medal. The director of the Joint Staff has approved awarding the Humanitarian Service Medal and the Armed Forces Service Medal for U.S. military personnel. Department of Defense

  • EQUAL listing available Jan. 10

    The Enlisted Quarterly Assignment Listing for Airmen returning from overseas --and continental United States mandatory movers for May through July -- requirements will be available Jan. 10. Airmen need to work through their military personnel flights or commander's support staff to update their

  • For Reserve aircrew, New Year’s Eve over Iraq is routine

    People around the globe welcomed 2006 with a variety of New Year’s Eve celebrations. High above Iraq, a Reserve C-130 Hercules aircrew headed for Balad Air Base, celebrated in a different way -- flying another mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. With the drone of the aircraft’s four

  • Kingpin helps manage airpower over Iraq

    When Soldiers and Marines call in an air strike on an enemy position, the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron tracks the airplanes and allocates the airspace for the mission. The squadron, known as Kingpin, is a radar control and identification agency responsible for identifying all aircraft

  • CENTAF releases combined airpower summary report

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today’s combined airpower summary for Dec. 30 to Jan. 3. On Dec. 29, Air Force and Royal Air Force tankers flew 30 sorties and off-loaded more than 2.3 million pounds of fuel. Coalition aircraft flew 54 close-air-support missions Dec. 30 for

  • Airmen continue Pakistan relief support

    The Air Force continues to support Pakistan-led earthquake recovery operations by airlifting much-needed supplies into the devastated region.From Dec. 23 to 30, three C-130 Hercules aircraft flew in more than 41,000 pounds of food, water, medical supplies, aircraft parts and construction materials

  • Airmen help with Baby Noor evacuation

    The C-130 Hercules aircraft here have routinely hauled more than one million troops and 76,000 tons of cargo in and out of Iraq. But today the mission was not routine. At about 4 p.m., a C-130 from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing touched down here carrying Baby Noor, her father and grandmother on

  • General brought a band (but could have flown solo)

    Maybe it was Uncle Joe or Aunt Grace. Maybe it was just dad’s old Air Force buddy or mom’s best girlfriend. Everybody seems to have somebody who whizzes into their lives much too infrequently, makes them laugh, has them talking about anything in a matter of seconds, leaves too soon and always leaves

  • Top docs discuss future of military trauma medicine

    The Department of Defense Combat Trauma Surgical Committee held their annual meeting here and the future of military trauma medicine was high on the agenda. The committee coordinates sustainable combat trauma surgery training programs and recommends tri-service policy changes to improve combat

  • Academy honors distinguished graduates

    The Air Force Academy’s Association of Graduates announced the two recipients of its 2005 AOG Distinguished Graduate Award. Chosen were retired Gens. Hansford T. Johnson, Class of 1959, and Michael E. Ryan, Class of 1965. The award is given to academy graduates for a lifetime of service to the

  • Process speeds up IT acquisition

    The Secretary of the Air Force implemented Information Technology Lean reengineering improvements slated for the information technology acquisition process last month. The Electronic Systems Center's Operations Support Systems Wing will begin to use the process immediately, with the Air Force-wide

  • Lab worker earns 4th degree black belt

    To get her 4th degree black belt rank, Jolee AlVillar had to travel to South Korea and pass a test by a grandmaster in the Korean martial art of Taekwondo. During the Air Force Research Laboratory employee’s 10-day visit, she earned Sa Dan certification and registrated at the Kukiwon World Taekwondo

  • Pace thanks troops for supporting war on terror

    The U.S. military’s top-ranking officer visited U.S. and coalition troops in Southwest Asia to thank them for their contributions to the war on terror. Marine Gen. Peter Pace also treated the troops to a USO show and re-enlist three members during his Dec. 28 visit. General Pace kicked off a

  • CENTAF releases daily air power summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released today’s air power summary report. Coalition aircraft flew 46 close-air-support missions Dec. 29 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to

  • Finance center distributing year-end pay, tax statements

    Servicemembers, military retirees and annuitants and federal civilian employees paid by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service can expect to receive their 2005 tax statements by mail soon, a DFAS official said. In fact, most retirees and annuitants already may have received theirs, with the last

  • Controllers keeping Iraqi skies safe

    Another small dot drags a string of numbers with it as it hesitantly shuffles onto the screen. Now there are 30 dots with numbers. Airman 1st Class Grant Gers slips a strip of paper, no wider than a magazine and shorter than two end-to-end sugar packs, neatly but quickly enters the squawk (four of

  • DOD office helps military sexual assault victims

    A new Defense Department organization is dedicated to address the needs of servicemembers who have been sexually assaulted, a senior official said here Dec. 22. The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office is DoD's central point of accountability for sexual assault incidents, the office's