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U.S. Air Force News

  • 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.

  • Eglin AFB wins 2015 federal energy award

    The award recognizes Eglin Air Force Base's innovative approach for combining advanced technologies and common sense to saving critical energy resources and reducing utility costs for the base.

  • Planes by day, cars by night; Airman's passion brings balance

    By day, Tech. Sgt. Gabriel, a 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing sensor operator and junior executive officer, helps support global operations by flying eight-hour MQ-9 Reaper sorties from the comfort of a cushy, thick seat inside a ground control station. But by night, he finds himself

  • AF veteran survivor of three wars, plane crash

    Retired Lt. Col. Alma Skousen, a humble, soft-spoken 89-year-old fighter pilot, served his country during three wars, encountered Soviet MiG fighters in battle and survived a jet crash before ending his flying career as the 311th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, now known as the 311th Fighter

  • 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.

  • November is Warrior Care Month

    TRICARE is a health care program for uniformed service members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees, survivors and their families around the world. We ensure our beneficiaries receive care that is proven both safe and effective. This month, make time to learn about all the health care

  • UK rescue squadrons to relocate to Italy

    The 56th and 57th Rescue squadrons from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom, are relocating to Aviano Air Base, Italy, starting in fiscal year 2017, Air Force leaders announced Nov. 6.

  • ESPN SportsCenter to broadcast from Academy on Veterans Day

    The Air Force Academy is scheduled to host ESPN on Veterans Day for a live telecast of its flagship program, SportsCenter.The Academy visit will anchor a week of network programming as part of ESPN's seventh annual America's Heroes salute.

  • 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.

  • Global Strike Airmen support largest NATO exercise in 20 years

    Two B-52 Stratofortress aircrews assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command conducted a long-range bomber mission to the U.S. European Command area of operations Nov. 3-4 as part of Trident Juncture 2015 -- the largest NATO exercise in the past 20 years.

  • 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.

  • TRICARE young adult premiums to increase Jan. 1

    Premiums for the Military Health System’s benefit plan for adult children between 21 and 26 years old have been announced. The premiums for TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) program will increase on Jan. 1 to $306 per month for TYA Prime, and $228 per month for TYA Standard.

  • Airmen work hand-in-paw with four-legged wingmen

    The Andersen AFB kennels are one of the largest out of more than 70 facilities across the Air Force. While the military working dogs may remind many of the homebound pets of base housing, these trained workers are a force to be reckoned with at all times.

  • F135 engine testing benefits F-35 fleet

    The full hot-life capability of Pratt & Whitney's F135 engine, which is used in the F-35 Lightning II, was successfully demonstrated during accelerated mission testing at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex.

  • Retired general talks issues facing females in military

    Retired Lt. Gen. Susan Helms, a former 14th Air Force commander, spoke to servicewomen from Peterson Air Force Base, Schriever AFB and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station about issues facing females in the military during a women's brunch Oct. 29.

  • Airfield managers maintain flightline during Vigilant Ace 16

    During the readiness exercise Vigilant Ace 16, every participating aircraft requires a safe and functioning flightline in order to complete their mission-specific directives. Airmen assigned to the 51st Operations Support Squadron airfield management flight are responsible for ensuring the

  • Guardsmen deliver rescue capabilities across Pacific

    Alaska Air National Guardsmen from the 176th Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, conducted long range search and rescue drills Oct. 31 near the coast of White Beach Naval Base.A 212th Rescue Squadron guardian angel rescue team was delivered across the Pacific Ocean on a nearly 12-hour, nonstop

  • 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

  • ‘Black Widows’ arrive at Bagram for final F-16 deployment

    Airmen assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron arrived Oct. 28 for its last F-16 Fighting Falcon deployment in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and NATO’s Resolute Support mission as the unit begins to shift to a newer aircraft.

  • 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.

  • 45th Space Wing supports GPS satellite launch aboard Atlas V

    The 45th Space Wing supported the Air Force's 11th launch of a Boeing-built Global Positioning System IIF satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on Oct. 31.

  • Travis doctor saves hero Airman's life

    By the 20th hour of her 30-hour shift, she had already managed two gunshot victims when the call came into the emergency room.Just 2 miles away, an ambulance rushed to transport a 23-year-old male suffering from multiple stab wounds to Sacramento's only Level 1 trauma center, located at UC Davis

  • 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

  • A family affair: Gen. Warner Robins' grandchildren visit base, museum

    The namesake of the city of Warner Robins and Robins Air Force Base had three daughters. Brig. Gen. Augustine Warner Robins and his wife, Dorothy Gretchen, were the parents of Dorothy Robins Gray, Elizabeth "Betty" Warner Robins, and Helen Robins Guilfoyle. On Oct. 26, the three children of the

  • MiCARE provides faster care

    Capt. Jennifer Varney likes to come to work early. As a family nurse practitioner and family health flight commander at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, she arrives at the base’s Family Health Clinic around 5 a.m. and checks the MiCARE site for any overnight patient emails.

  • 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.

  • KC-46A equipment processing begins at McConnell

    Another step toward the KC-46A Pegasus flying over Kansas started late October as 22nd Logistics Readiness Squadron Airmen began paving an innovative path through the maintenance equipment review process.

  • US, Polish airmen build capabilities, partnership

    The 86th and 182nd Airlift Wings are participating in bilateral training with the Polish Air Force during Aviation Detachment 16-1 in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve at Powdiz Air Base, Poland.

  • Full-time Airman, part-time MMA fighter

    Mixed martial arts fighting is not for the faint hearted. It takes effort and full-time dedication to be the best of the best in the octagonal cage. For Senior Airman Mark Wirth, a 819th RED HORSE Squadron structural engineer, he believes he has the motivation and dedication to rise from amateur to

  • 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.

  • Shaw Airmen support flood-stricken communities

    When Hurricane Joaquin moved near the East Coast early October, the storm dumped record rainfall on South Carolina for six days, causing severe flooding across the state. In response, Shaw Air Force Base organizations assisted local communities, providing disaster relief to those affected by the

  • Air Force set to launch next-to-last GPS IIF satellite

    Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center and its mission partners are scheduled to launch the 11th Boeing-built Global Positioning System IIF satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 launch vehicle Oct. 30 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force

  • 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.

  • Peterson Airman’s tragic loss exemplifies resiliency

    After getting orders to South Korea, Tech. Sgt. Billy Gazzaway was missing his family, as anyone would. Far away from them, he received the horrible news that his 4-year-old son, who had already been diagnosed, treated and was in remission for leukemia, had relapsed.

  • 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.

  • Military kids learn life lessons from NBA pros

    Seventy-five Defense Department youth from various military installations here learned life lessons and basketball skills from NBA legend Bruce Bowen and San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills during a Junior NBA clinic at Cole High School on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Oct. 19.

  • Family isn't always blood

    People like routines, schedules and structure, especially in the military. Change can sometimes be unwelcome and overwhelming, particularly if it's a sudden, drastic change due to an illness. For Tech. Sgt. Thomas Echelmeyer, of the 21st Aerospace Medicine Squadron, that's exactly what happened. His

  • 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

  • Selva: USO volunteers offer hope to service members

    The USO volunteer force brings hope to service members in every corner of the planet, said Gen. Paul J. Selva, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during the 2015 USO Gala and awards ceremony Oct. 20.

  • Yesterday’s Air Force: HH-3E

    Getting stranded behind enemy lines is a concern during every combat mission and one aircraft set the standard for combat search and rescue during the Vietnam War -- the Sikorsky HH-3E.

  • Radar upgrades ensure situation awareness

    A Battle Management program to improve Air Force long-range radar systems recently reached full operational capability when all long-range sites were certified and deemed effective.

  • Latin American cadets learn about airlift

    Dover Air Force Base officials hosted 26 cadets from 13 countries in Central and South America as they toured the base's transport aircraft types during a visit Oct. 15.

  • Cybersecurity, OPSEC vital to mission success

    Every day, Air Force organizations and personnel are reminded of the importance of operations security and cybersecurity, and how integrating them into day-to-day operations helps protect proprietary and sensitive information from disclosure, espionage and exploitation.

  • MQ-1B Predator crashes in Turkey

    An Air Force MQ-1B Predator, a remotely piloted aircraft, crashed in southern Turkey at approximately 9:36 p.m. local time, Oct. 19.

  • Pope Airman awarded DOD’s ‘Spirit of Hope’

    Tech. Sgt. Rebeca Martin, assigned to the U.S. Air Force Combat Control School, was honored by the Defense Department during a ceremony Oct. 16 at the Pentagon where she received the 2015 Spirit of Hope Award, named after the legendary entertainer Bob Hope to recognize selfless service and a

  • Airmen of New York's 109th AW begin Antarctic mission

    The takeoff of the New York Air National Guard's LC-130 Hercules ski-equipped aircraft here Oct. 16 marked the official start of the 109th Airlift Wing's 28th season of support to science research at the South Pole.

  • Spirituality holds Airman up

    "It puts things into perspective," said Master Sgt. Wendell Barnes, the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander support staff superintendent. "I love what I do in the military, but it is temporary and my faith is forever."

  • Moody honors fallen comrade

    Airmen, family and friends gathered at the Moody Air Force Base chapel to say their final goodbyes and honor the life of Tech. Sgt. Marissa Hartford during a memorial service Oct. 16.

  • FYI: Social media

    In this week's episode of FYI, Tech. Sgt. Holly Roberts-Davis talks about the guidelines for personal social media pages.

  • C-130 crash victims remembered by colleagues, leaders

    More than 1,000 people attended a memorial service Oct. 16 to honor two Hanscom Air Force Base Airmen killed earlier this month when the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft they were on crashed shortly after takeoff from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

  • Hill food court worker selected for DOD award

    Patricia Barson was honored Oct. 16 as one of the Defense Department's outstanding employees with a disability. She was selected for the award from among 32,000 AAFES employees worldwide.

  • Combat weather forecasters help keep pilots out of harm’s way

    It’s a tough job trying to predict Mother Nature and when it comes to weather, everyone’s a critic. Thinking the day holds nothing but sun and your picnic gets rained out can be aggravating. Now try to tell a pilot he can’t fly because the weather patterns shifted. This dilemma is something deployed

  • ‘A blood transfusion saved my life’

    "I do understand that it is a scary process for a lot of people to actually sit in that chair, have a needle put in and feel like a part of you is draining out, but you have to understand that it just takes a small part of you to make a whole of someone else," said 1st Lt. Fanita Schmidt, who

  • Planning a larger role for 3-D printing

    The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex is finalizing a strategic plan to integrate 3-D printing technology into nearly every aspect of its airpower sustainment mission.