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U.S. Air Force News

  • SEAC visits with Nevada Airmen

    Army Command Sgt. Maj. John Troxell, the senior enlisted advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spent a day immersing himself in the diverse missions carried out by Airmen at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, July 11, 2017.

  • Commanders to have more say in developmental education opportunities

    Air Force officials recently announced changes to the nomination process for officer developmental education beginning with the results of the March 2017 Line of Air Force Major Board. The March 2017 LAF Major’s Board results will be released publicly July 18, 2017, and will not include

  • Chaplain candidates participate in internship

    About 20 years ago, an African Methodist Episcopal pastor placed his hands on a 7-year-old boy’s forehead. After a moment of reflection, he prophesied the boy would be a man of God. Today, that boy is now 2nd Lt. William Hammond, an Air Force chaplain candidate completing his Master of Divinity. The

  • DUI: What it really costs

    When an Airman receives a DUI charge, they are eligible to receive both a civilian conviction if caught off base, as well as a punishment given at their commander’s discretion. The final sentence could cost thousands of dollars in fines, suspension of their license, negative paperwork,

  • Around the Air Force: July 12

    On this look around the Air Force, the location for the 2018 Warrior Games is announced, Airmen and Marines work together during F-35 refueling Lightning II exercise, and the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year have been announced.

  • AF selects 8,167 for promotion to technical sergeant

    Air Force officials selected 8,167 staff sergeants for promotion to technical sergeant out of 25,552 eligible for a selection rate of 31.96 percent.The technical sergeant promotion list will be available on the Air Force Portal and myPers July 20, 2017, at 8 a.m. CDT. On July 20, Airmen can also

  • Mentoring is for the total force

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright was a self-proclaimed undisciplined Airman during his first enlistment in the early 1990s…that is, until his mentor stepped in and provided the leadership he needed to set him on the right path.

  • Defenders deescalate situation downrange, prevent potential catastrophe

    Airmen 1st Class Drew and Giovanni, who are flightline security element members with the 451st Expeditionary Support Squadron at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, recently had to deescalate a potentially volatile situation where they had mere seconds to make a possibly life-altering decision.

  • Rescue Airmen save two German citizens stranded at sea

    In a concerted effort from July 7, and into the early hours of July 8, 2017, approximately 80 Airmen and four aircraft assigned to the 920th Rescue Wing successfully rescued two German citizens whose vessel caught fire approximately 500 nautical miles off the east coast of southern Florida.

  • Adaptive sports shift outlook on life

    “I was sitting at home alone one night and had taken out my pistol; I remember how cool it felt in my hands and knowing I was moments away from taking my life. In that split second, my phone went off with a text from one of my Airmen who said he needed my help getting to work the next morning, and I

  • New Air Force health mobile app available for patients

    The Air Force Medical Service has launched a new mobile app to connect Airmen and patients to news and information about the AFMS. The new app is a mobile version of the AFMS website, and lets users customize their experience based on the Air Force military treatment facility they use. This way,

  • 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.

  • HG outreach to Southern California

    The hearty yell of the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard’s narrator was followed by a wave of cheers through the crowd of Disneyland onlookers, ranging from nostalgic veterans to curious children.The “Ambassadors in Blue” laced these announcements throughout each drill routine during their recent tour of

  • USAFA cadets train for future at 386th AEW

    Each summer, rising juniors at the U.S. Air Force Academy travel to military bases across the globe to get a first-hand look at how support and operational functions work together to accomplish a wing’s mission. This year, the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing hosted approximately twenty cadets as part

  • Robins AFB finishes Global Hawk work

    A special ribbon-cutting ceremony, signaling the early completion of work on the first RQ-4 Global Hawk at Robins Air Force Base, was held on the base flight line here June 29, 2017.

  • Yesterday's Air Force: RPAs

    This episode of Yesterday's Air Force looks at the history of Remotely Piloted Aircraft. RPAs are not a new war-fighting technology, in fact their development goes back to the early 20th century. Roger Connor with the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum takes us through their evolution.

  • Silver Star mission a lesson in teamwork

    Retired Lt. Col. Gregory Thornton was presented the Silver Star Medal - the third highest medal for valor in the military - in a private ceremony held at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force June 30, 2017.

  • Combat metals team innovates repair, saves AF thousands

    You don’t always have everything you want on a deployment. No sixty inch plasma with video game console in your room, so you bring a laptop to play your games. Your cell phone doesn’t have coverage unless you pay exorbitant roaming fees, so you video chat with your family over Wi-Fi when you can

  • Thunderbirds announce 2018 officer selections

    Gen. Mike Holmes, the commander of Air Combat Command, has officially selected the officers who will be joining the United States Air Force Thunderbirds for the 2018 demonstration season.

  • Arresting cable mission stands ready to save lives

    The Airmen in the 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron power production shop are unsung heroes. Nobody thinks about the constant, never-ending generator mission until the grid power goes down. The fleet of light carts is overlooked until night operations occur. The arresting cable mission

  • AF leaders cheer on Airmen at Warrior Games

    Air Force senior leaders attended the 2017 Warrior Games opening ceremonies July 1, 2017, in Chicago to show support for the athletes participating in the weeklong competition.

  • Foreign-born Airmen deploy, live their American dream

    The Air Force is proud of its diversity, providing Airmen the opportunity to live and visit places they never would imagine going and working with people from all walks of life. Two Airmen, who are deployed to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, as part of the 451st Expeditionary Support Squadron, are

  • 4 FW's greatest heroes: McKennon, Green – The rescue

    The history of the 4th Fighter Wing includes many stories of great wingmen, including the incomparable team of Don Gentile and John Godfrey in World War II. By adjusting their tactics and working closely together in the air combat duels over Europe, they became two of the highest scoring American

  • Enlisted RPA pilots soar to new heights

    The Air Force’s first three Enlisted Pilot Initial Class graduates are slated to complete their final phase of training requirements in July at Beale Air Force Base, California.

  • Holloman AFB Airman named Fighter Instructor Pilot of the Year

    One of Holloman’s Airmen, Maj. John R. Widmer, 314th Fighter Squadron flight commander and an F-16 instructor pilot, was named the Air Force’s Fighter Instructor Pilot of the Year. The award is designed to recognize fighter pilots and weapon systems officers’ commitment, performance, leadership and

  • Around the Air Force: June 29

    On this look around the Air Force, a new parachute canopy is tested for the ACES II ejection seat, squadron revitalization teams visit Scott AFB, and special duty changes are coming.

  • 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.

  • Foreign pilots fly high in exchange program at JB Charleston

    Foreign exchange programs across the globe allow students from a secondary school or university to study abroad and are fairly well known. However, some might not be aware of the foreign pilot exchange program the Air Force implemented in 1998.

  • Block 5 MQ-9 debuts in combat

    The latest version of the MQ-9 Reaper, the Block 5 variant, flew its first successful combat mission June 23, 2017, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

  • From cadets to colonels: Wingmen for life

    Filing into a barber shop in 1989, a group of college freshmen prepare for the Cadet Corps program at Texas A&M University, College Station by receiving the traditional rites during their transition from civilian to military: a buzz cut.Physical training, formations and university classrooms were

  • Healing from invisible wounds: The other side of the story

    Chanda D’Angelo was in a frenzy; she quickly washed all the clothes in her home, zoomed the vacuum across every floor, wiped down every surface, cleaned out the refrigerator and stove and scrubbed the windows and mirrors until they were spotless. Exhausted, she had just enough time to get her hair

  • Bomber Squadron marks 100 years of history

    Carrying out vital missions for over 100 years, the 23rd Bomb Squadron and the associated aircraft maintenance units continue to play a critical role in delivering combat airpower.

  • Around the Air Force: June 26

    On this look around the Air Force, the historic 6thWeapons Squadron is reactivated, Saber Strike 2017 wraps up and tuition assistance is available for civil service PHD candidates.

  • Test team looks at new parachute for ACES II ejection seat

    EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- Members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron are testing a new parachute canopy for the Advanced Concept Ejection Seat II. Testers are collecting data on the GR7000 parachute, which has been proposed to replace the current C-9 canopy used in the ACES II ejection

  • AETC announces changes to developmental special duty assignments

    Air Force officials are making three substantial changes to the developmental special duty process that will significantly improve the Air Force’s ability to fill these important positions by adding more flexibility to the process and increasing opportunities for NCOs.

  • Airman looks to sister for re-enlistment ceremony

    An ophthalmic technician in the 88th Medical Group didn’t choose to be sworn in by her unit commander when she was ready to re-enlist. Instead, she turned to a family member – her younger sister.The re-enlistment ceremony for Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Stem was held June 19, 2017, in the auditorium of the

  • ICBM Country: Hill AFB workers play key role in future of strategic defense

    The Air Force is responsible for two legs of the U.S. strategic nuclear triad, intercontinental ballistic missiles and bombers. Airmen, civilian employees and contractors at Hill AFB are working hard to provide that strategic ICBM need by overseeing the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program, the

  • Real Airmen, real stories of courage, heroism inspire at Magazine Day

    Col. Laurel Burkel has no recollection of her first meeting with Air Force civil engineer Greg Gangnuss.But some 20 months after a British Puma Mk 2 helicopter crash at the NATO base in Kabul, Afghanistan claimed the lives of five coalition members, injured five others and nearly decapitated her,

  • F-35 makes historic appearance at Paris Air Show

    The U.S. made history when two F-35A Lightning IIs arrived at the Paris Air Show to fly the aircraft's first public aerial demonstrations June 19 – 25, 2017. Pulling off a historic event such as this takes months of careful planning and preparation. This team had only 36 days to make it happen.

  • Air Force offers tuition assistance for civil service Ph.D. candidates

    Air Force officials recently approved tuition assistance funding for eligible Ph.D. candidates through the Civilian Tuition Assistance Program. Applications are due July 2, 2017 for academic programs this fall and need to include a strong justification statement explaining how the course work

  • 387th ESPTS sustains busiest aerial port in AFCENT

    As one of the busiest aerial ports of debarkation in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility, the 387th Air Expeditionary Group is no stranger to service members and cargo transiting downrange, but it is the 387th Expeditionary Support Squadron that is charged with sustaining that

  • Wright-Patterson AFB goes to the bees

    Hundreds of base personnel and members of the public were buzzing about the same thing at the Wright Brothers Memorial June 21, 2017 – Wright-Patterson Air Force Base’s status as the first military installation nationwide to be declared a “Bee City USA.”

  • Thunderbird aircraft mishap at air show

    The United States Air Force Thunderbirds were conducting a single-ship familiarization flight on Friday June 23, 2017. Upon landing there was a mishap at the Dayton International Airport with an F-16D Fighting Falcon at approximately 12:20 p.m. Emergency services are on the scene. We will provide

  • Some medically separated Airmen can have their disability ratings reviewed

    Airmen who were medically separated between Sept. 11, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2009, can have their disability ratings reviewed. Airmen medically separated with a combined disability rating of 20 percent or less and who received separation pay versus medical retirement may request a Physical Disability

  • Magazine Day at Pentagon showcases Airmen, innovation

    In the three years since its inception, the Air Force’s Magazine Day has cultivated relationships and strengthened interaction with media outlets to help spark future story ideas highlighting the innovation, courage and dedication of Airmen.

  • U.S., NATO wrap up Saber Strike 17

    Saber Strike 17, a month-long exercise including 11,000 U.S. and NATO military members from 20 countries, wraps up June 24.The exercise took place in various regions in the Baltics and Poland beginning May 28.

  • Around the Air Force: June 23

    On this look around the Air Force, SECAF and CSAF testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee for Defense on the 2018 Budget, an F-35 demonstration at the Paris Air Show, and Pacific Angel 2017 is set to get underway.

  • 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.

  • PTSD treatment confronts the trauma behind the disorder

    Post-traumatic stress disorder is considered one of the “signature wounds” of the current conflicts in the Middle East. But many people may not know that there are highly effective treatments for this invisible wound being deployed at Air Force hospitals and clinics today.

  • Air Force Medicine: Anytime, anywhere in the world

    SILVER SPRING, MD. (AFNS) -- The U.S. Air Force Medical Service assures that the service deploys a medically-fit force and educates airmen to become medical professionals, according to Chief Master Sgt. David J. Little, the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General Chief of medical operations and

  • US, Japan partnerships guarantee critical care

    Once a patient is deemed incapable of receiving care at Misawa Air Base due to medical constraints, the 35th Medical Support Squadron aeromedical evacuation team engineers an expedited mobility plan utilizing Pacific Air Forces assets to relocate the patient for critical care attention.

  • Cleared hot: When predators and reapers engage

    Following the mission brief and pre-flight checks, an aircrew consisting of an officer pilot in command and a career enlisted aviator sensor operator observe a target in an area of responsibility overseas from a cockpit in the U.S. and waits for the green light from a joint terminal attack

  • 386th AEW deliver critical supplies to frontlines

    SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --“We aim for first pass success. One pass, one drop,” said Maj. Josh Linden, the 386th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron chief of tactics, as he described the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing’s airdrop mission. The 386th AEW conducted several combat airdrop missions over

  • The unbroken bond: MWDs defend coalition, secure base borderline

    Military working dogs are among the unsung heroes of the military and play an important role from therapy dogs supporting service members and veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder to military working dogs supporting operations on and off the battlefield. In the Air Force, their

  • Around the Air Force: June 21

    On this look around the Air Force, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson establishes a Deputy Chief of Staff for Space Operations and a preview of the 2017 Warrior Games.

  • Airmen persevere worldwide, accomplish mission

    In 1966, author Geoffrey Blainey coined the phrase “tyranny of distance,” metaphorically referring to how distance and isolation shaped the history of one of earth’s most intriguing continents, Australia.Today, members of the Air Force Technical Applications Center here are subjected to the tyranny

  • Froehlichs receive O’Malley Award

    Col. Eric Froehlich, the former 377th Air Base Wing commander, and his wife, Stephanie, were awarded the Air Force 2017 General and Mrs. Jerome O’Malley Award June 15 at Kirtland Air Force Base.The O’Malley Award is given to the wing commander and spouse whose contributions to the nation, Air Force

  • Application window opens for Air Force undergraduate flying training

    Application packages for the next Undergraduate Flying Training selection board are due to the Rated Officer Assignments branch of the Air Force Personnel Center by Nov. 17, 2017. The board, set for Jan. 22-25, 2018, will consider active-duty officer applicants to attend training as early as spring

  • Through tragedy, loss, amputation, Airman learns ‘new norm’

    “My leg looked like a boomerang.”Those were the words of Staff Sgt. August O’Niell, an Air Force pararescueman, to members of the Air Force Technical Applications Center when the combat warrior visited the base to discuss resiliency during the center’s Combat Airman Fitness Day.

  • Luke AFB to resume local F-35A flying operations

    The 56th Fighter Wing will resume local F-35A Lightning II flight operations June 21, 2017, following an 11-day pause after five physiological events occurred during flights from May 2-June 8, 2017.

  • 386 AEW mental health team builds bonds, shatters stigmas

    It can start with a simple conversation. “How are you?” “Yeah, I bet you see some crazy stuff at your job.” “That must have been really hard for you to process.” What at first seems like a run-of-the-mill conversation, stemming from a friendly visit, is more than meets the eye. It is a check-in. It

  • Son continues family military legacy, works alongside father at Dobbins

    A new pilot here has a particularly special memory from Father’s Day last year. While he was attending C-130 pilot training at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, his father came to visit. His father is no stranger to Little Rock AFB, he also attended training there as a young aviator and was

  • Air Force fighter pilots of the year announced

    The Air Force announced the recipients of the 2016 Air Force Fighter Annual Awards in May 2017.The award is designed to recognize fighter pilots and weapon systems officers’ commitment, performance, leadership and aviation skills that were instrumental to mission success of their units, the U.S. Air

  • Honoring a legacy of 100 years

    ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. (AFNS)--Bringing the past to the present, honoring 100 years of heritage, the 34th and 37th Bomb Squadrons and associated aircraft maintenance units have always played a significant role in the nation’s defense - a heritage stemming from World War I that has only

  • Physical therapists keep service members fit to fight

    In a deployed environment, injuries happen. Whether they occur in the performance of duty or through the course of physical exercise, they have the potential to impact the mission. Each individual in the military, and their ability to perform their duties, plays an important role in the success of

  • 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.

  • Around the Air Force: June 16

    Today's look Around the Air Force features Airmen endure the Marine Special Operations Command’s Individual Training Course and pilots train at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho to fly the F-35.

  • Air Force Stands Up New Headquarters Space Directorate

    Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson has approved the reorganization of the Air Force headquarters to establish a Deputy Chief of Staff for Space Operations, who will be a three-star Air Force general officer.

  • Reservists support global intelligence mission

    BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- High above the clouds, intelligence satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office keep a close watch on the world below.Air Force Reserve Individual Mobilization Augmentees play a key role in ensuring those satellites remain a viable component of