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  • French forces rejoin Operation Enduring Freedom

    The French Navy Carrier Air Wing returned to the coalition fight May 2, flying their first missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom since November. "Our main mission while we are here is to support troops on the ground and contribute to reconnaissance efforts as well," said Lt. Col. Gerard

  • Air Force B-1B damaged

    An Air Force B-1B Lancer was heavily damaged during a landing at a forward operating location May 8. The aircraft, with its crew of four, slid 7,500 feet before coming to rest on the runway with its landing gear in the retracted position. All four crewmembers exited the aircraft safely. The B-1B is

  • Services squadron shows 'BEST' hospitality

    Since January, hundreds of prizes have been passed out at bingo games, dozens of entertainers have passed through and personal trainers have spent more than 1,000 hours helping people meet their fitness goals here. “But what I wish I knew more than anything,” said 1st Lt. Tyson Edwards, “is the

  • CENTAF releases airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary.In Afghanistan May 8, Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle successfully struck an enemy cave complex near Shkin. The aircraft expended precision-guided munitions on the target, killing four

  • Falcons wrap up season at annual twilight meet

    The Air Force track and field team wrapped up the 2006 regular season hosting the Ris Westen Twilight Invitational at the Academy May 5. Senior Genelle Chapman picked up a pair of first-place finishes as one of 14 Falcons to win an event at the annual end-of-season meet. Chapman, a Colorado Springs

  • Ardent Sentry 2006 tests AFNORTH, NORAD capabilities

    Air Forces Northern and the Continental United States NORAD Region will hone civil support and homeland defense skills May 8 to 18 in Exercise Ardent Sentry 2006. Ardent Sentry is a bi-national, multi-level exercise involving military and civilian agencies in Canada and the U.S. to test both

  • Security forces demonstrate skills during Kyrgyzstan deployment

    Warfighters deploying in support of Operation Enduring Freedom can rest easy knowing their safety rests in the hands of security forces Airmen from here. Members of the 71st Security Forces Squadron from Vance deployed to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, in February to protect Airmen and cargo from

  • Psychologist receives Harold Brown Award

    A research psychologist received the 2005 Harold Brown Award May 4 during a Pentagon ceremony here. Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne presented the award to Dr. John Caldwell for his work in the biosciences and protection division, human effectiveness directorate, at the Air Force Research

  • Red Flag-Alaska wraps up

    More than 84 aircraft and 1,500 Air Force active duty, Reserve, and National Guard Airmen here and at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, wrapped up the first Red Flag-Alaska, held April 24 through May 5. Until this year, the exercise had been known as Cope Thunder.Pilots, maintainers, weapons

  • Airborne Airmen, Soldiers train together

    The Air Force lost a shade of blue last week when more than 30 airborne-qualified Airmen and their counterparts from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division jumped into a simulated unusable airfield during a Joint Forced Entry Exercise here. The exercise tested the teams’ abilities to “jump out of a

  • A world away, Airmen enjoy hometown tradition

    About 50 Airmen deployed here participated in Bloomsday Away on May 7, bringing an annual tradition from Spokane, Wash., to military members half a world away. The city’s annual Bloomsday 12K is a popular race with more than 50,000 participants annually. Airmen deployed here from Fairchild Air Force

  • Commander in chief visits Vance AFB

    The U.S. commander in chief stopped here May 6 en route to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater to give the commencement address. President George W. Bush was greeted by more than 300 servicemembers, civilians and their families. While the event was special for the base, it was the "best 17th

  • Training programs welcome international interest

    Air Force officer and NCO training programs were showcased earlier this week when the commander of South Korea’s Education and Training Command visited schools here May 1 to 2. Lt. Gen. Youngha Lee of the Republic of South Korea Headquarters for Air Force Education and Training Command in Jinju met

  • Fighters strike enemy caves in Afghanistan

    Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles from the 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron here struck two caves with precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions near Asadabad, Afghanistan, on May 2. The caves, carved into the side of a 7,000-foot-tall mountain, were used by enemy forces to store weapons and

  • McChord, Madigan medics aid wounded at Balad

    To say the staff at Balad’s Air Force Theater Hospital has seen everything may be an understatement. The doctors, nurses and medics here, some from McChord Air Force Base and Madigan Army Medical Center in the state of Washington, save the lives of servicemembers who are wounded while supporting

  • CENTAF releases combined airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released the combined airpower summary for May 5 to 7. May 7 Coalition aircraft flew 56 close-air-support missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and

  • Former POWs relive freedom flights

    More than 120 former prisoners of war continued a 33-year layover of freedom by reliving the flights that carried them home from North Vietnam. The Hanoi Taxi -- the last C-141 Starlifter still serving in the Air Force -- made two of its final three flights May 5. Former POWs gathered in Fairborn,

  • Predator maintenance team is a ‘total force’

    Total force is more than just a concept for one squadron here. It is a way of life that brings the skills and talents of various groups into one unit to accomplish the mission.The 46th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit is responsible for maintaining the RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles

  • Enlisted military leaders plan for hurricane season

    Nearly 30 senior enlisted leaders from the uniformed services joined forces here to plan and prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. Air Forces Northern, the air component of U.S. Northern Command, hosted a Senior Enlisted Leadership Conference here May 3 to focus on disaster response and

  • Technology helps BRAC 2005 environmental efforts

    The Internet, new technology and other tools not available in previous Base Realignment and Closure rounds are helping the Defense Department meet its environmental responsibilities in the current round of closures, a top DOD official said. Alex Beehler, assistant deputy under secretary of defense

  • Logistics center accesses technology through partnerships

    The Department of Defense, like many of its civilian counterparts, is looking for creative ways to increase productivity by sharing the cost of program development, labor and technology. A major step toward that end is the emergence of partnership agreements between contractors and the Ogden Air

  • Streamlined operations merit award for Warner Robins

    The Warner Robins Air Logistics Center received an award for its efforts to streamline its C-5 Galaxy aircraft repair and overhaul processes. The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences announced May 1 that the center won the 2006 Franz Edelman Award for Achievement in

  • Air Force earns three DOD environmental awards

    Three Air Force installations received awards for their environmental stewardship at a Pentagon ceremony May 3. Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; Tinker AFB, Okla.; and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, earned 2005 Secretary of Defense Environmental awards. Representatives from each base were at the ceremony

  • Palace HART helps injured Airmen

    A common trait exists among the injured Airmen recuperating at hospitals in the capital region, said the Air Force chief of staff. “Every Airman I’ve met wants to return to active duty and (his or her) unit,” said Gen. T. Michael Moseley in recent testimony on Capitol Hill. “I am proud of them and

  • AFPC creates single focal point for civilian personnel

    The Air Force Personnel Center is centralizing civilian personnel management into a single operation to better develop the civilian work force. The missions of the directorates of civilian employment and civilian force management and the civilian field operations branch will be combined to form the

  • Andrews and Bolling medical assets to combine in new wing

    The 89th Medical Group from Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and the 11th Medical Group at Bolling AFB are scheduled to combine into the 79th Medical Wing May 12. Maj. Gen. Robert L. Smolen, the Air Force District of Washington commander, will preside over the wing activation ceremony at Andrews. Brig.

  • C-5 recovery efforts continue at Dover

    One month after a C-5 Galaxy crash-landed less than a mile short of the runway here, recovery operations are proceeding on schedule, officials said. All 17 people on board survived the April 3 crash.“We started the recovery effort the same day of the mishap and have been working every day since,”

  • Korean nurses visit Hickam to exchange ideas

    Seven South Korean Air Force nurses spent a week on the island of Oahu learning how American civilian and military agencies respond to natural disaster contingencies. The nurses, from the Korean Armed Forces Nursing Academy in Seoul, met with Hawaiian civilian and military civil defense and medical

  • CENTAF releases airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary.Coalition aircraft flew 50 close-air-support missions May 3 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and disrupt

  • CENTAF releases airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary. Coalition aircraft flew 54 close-air-support missions May 4 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt

  • TV writer embeds with medical teams in Iraq

    In a first for Hollywood, the Air Force was able to embed a screenwriter with a medical unit in Iraq for research on a proposed television series. Jeff Eckerle visited the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base, Iraq, from April 7 to 16 in order to help develop the series, based in part on the

  • AFMC wellness, safety campaign debuts May 8

    "Wellness is an attitude!" If Air Force Materiel Command leaders have their way, those words will become more than just a slogan for the command's new wellness and safety campaign. They will become a way of life. AFMC Commander Gen. Bruce Carlson identified wellness and safety of the command's

  • Blood platelet collection begins at Balad

    When coalition forces are wounded on the battlefield, sometimes it takes more than a skilled medical team to save their lives. It takes blood, and lots of it.With the help of apheresis, a new capability at the Air Force Theater Hospital here, doctors now have a ready supply of platelets, one of the

  • Reserve wing, Army unit join forces at Red Flag-Alaska

    The Air Force Reserve Command's 934th Airlift Wing, lead wing for the Elmendorf component of Red Flag-Alaska 06-2, is working with the Army’s 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, to ensure both units receive the training they need. The coordination began about nine months ago

  • Force shaping board results to be released May 10

    Lieutenants eligible for the 2006 Force Shaping Board will be notified personally of their retention status by their senior rater on May 10. The force shaping board, which convened at the Air Force Personnel Center here April 10, selected 1,240 out of 2,083 officers in the 2002 and 2003 accession

  • Guam reservists support cargo hub at Incirlik

    Twelve reservists temporarily assigned to the 728th Air Mobility Squadron had to travel a long, long way from home to get here. The Airmen, who are with the Air Force Reserve Command's 44th Aerial Port Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, traveled more than 72 hours to participate in a

  • Air Force names 2005 Mission Support Award winners

    The winners of the 2005 Mission Support Awards were announced May 2.The results are: PersonnelGen. Robert J. Dixon Personnel Award: Senior Master Sgt. Jimmy Jones, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Gen. Horace M. Wade Innovation Award: Tech. Sgt. Wendy Davis, Tyndall AFB, Fla. Gerrit D. Foster Jr.

  • 'Hanoi Taxi' to retire at National Museum of the Air Force

    More than 120 former prisoners from the Vietnam War and their families will help the Air Force Reserve Command's 445th Airlift Wing retire the Air Force's last C-141 Starlifter, the "Hanoi Taxi," during festivities May 5 to 6. The aircraft was the first one to arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February

  • Test pilot school selection board date set

    Air Force officials plan to hold the next test pilot school selection board here Oct. 30 through Nov. 3. The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School trains pilots, navigators and engineers to test and evaluate the newest aircraft and weapons systems. Applicants from all aircraft types and backgrounds must

  • BRAC conference focuses on both downsizing, growth

    With the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process shutting down 25 major installations and radically realigning 24 others over the next six years, a BRAC conference under way here is focusing on growth as well as downsizing, a defense official said. "Traditionally when we've done these events,

  • Fewer Airmen delinquent on government travel card payments

    More Airmen are paying their government travel card bills on time, allowing the Air Force to reach what many believed was an unattainable goal set by the Department of Defense, an Air Force official said. “We met our goal by lowering our delinquency rate below 2 percent for two consecutive months,”

  • Joint exercise tests Reservists' skills

    Two climbers were missing for more than two days on Mount Hood -- that was the scenario when Reservists from the 304th Rescue Squadron in Portland, Ore., partnered with five civilian rescue organizations in a search and rescue exercise. Approximately 50 search and rescue professionals from the

  • National intelligence making strides in first year

    Although the idea for a single person or agency that oversees the efforts of the intelligence community has been around since the 1950s, it wasn't until after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that the move was made toward this intelligence reform. The executive branch and Congress began to look at the

  • Joint Forces Command focuses on seamless operations

    Ensuring military services are able to work seamlessly with each other, coalition partners, government agencies and nongovernmental organizations is no small feat. But U.S. Joint Forces Command's top officer said work on the challenge is progressing well.Gen. Lance L. Smith said the top focus for

  • Airmen help Iraqi pilots fly again

    Pilots from the Iraqi Air Force are waiting patiently for a team of Airmen to arrive from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. It’s this team that can get them up in the air and flying again. The mission of the Iraqi 3rd Squadron hinges on the work of the Air Force Flight Test Center. The center sent a

  • Medical officer testifies before defense subcommittee

    The Air Force’s medical Airmen are performing “magnificently,” said the Air Force surgeon general during testimony before the Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on defense here May 3. “We take care of the nation’s heroes, past and present,” said Lt. Gen. (Dr.) George Peach Taylor Jr.,

  • B-52 presence welcomed by U.S., coalition forces

    Thirty thousand feet above Afghan terrain, the presence of B-52 Stratofortresses is felt. Their presence is welcomed by U.S. and coalition forces fighting in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, but not welcomed by the terrorists who operate from there. Maintaining the fleet of B-52s here is no

  • International affairs career field opens for civilians

    The success of Air Force expeditionary air and space forces conducting global operations and fighting the war on terrorism relies heavily on international relationships. Building these critical relationships requires skilled, knowledgeable and experienced international affairs professionals. Air

  • Cadet named to wrestling coaches' All-Academic Team

    Air Force Academy senior Beau Tresemer of Norman, Okla., was one of 68 wrestlers named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association's 2005-06 All-Academic Team.A 2006 NCAA qualifier at 165 pounds, Tresemer has compiled a 3.210 cumulative grade point average while majoring in legal studies at the

  • CENTAF releases air power summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's air power summary. In Afghanistan May 2, Air Force F-15 Eagles successfully struck two caves near Asadabad with precision-guided JDAMs. Initial reports indicate secondary explosions were seen from the caves, used by enemy forces to store

  • Chief Murray: Are you ready?

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray sent out “The Enlisted Perspective” to Airmen on May 1. In his letter, Chief Murray tells Airmen how important it is to be ready to deploy. “We all have a role to play and we must continually evaluate whether we are doing everything we can to

  • Managing ‘million’ means mission might

    Some people just can’t seem to manage their back yards. But the small team of experts at the 56th Range Management Office here can’t afford not to, despite the fact that their back yard is 1.05 million acres of land known as the Barry M. Goldwater Range. This range supports more than 45,000 flying

  • Long hours the norm for deployed Globemaster crews

    It is contrary to what common sense dictates. A series of short C-17 Globemaster III flights demand intense aircrew energy and stamina. But longer sorties remain more physically manageable. “Either way you look at it, our C-17 crews put in long hours that place physical and mental demands on the

  • Airmen make history in Iraq

    Five Airmen have joined aviation pioneers Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, Gen. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle and Brig. Gen. Charles “Chuck” Yeager in a select group -- all are recipients of the Clarence Mackay Trophy. To the five-person crew, the flight over northern Iraq that put them in the record books

  • Air Force mandates virtual outprocessing

    All Airmen undergoing permanent change-of-station moves, retirements or separations are now required to use the Virtual Outprocessing application available through the Virtual Military Personnel Flight. Airmen can enter the vMPF by logging onto the Air Force Personnel Center's secure Web site where

  • Andrews radio operators assist crewmembers worldwide

    As an Air Force aircraft approaches Yokota Air Base, Japan, the pilot sets his radio to a specified frequency and says, “Main Sail, Main Sail” -- the call sign for any global radio station. Within seconds, the pilot hears, “This is the Yokota operator.” That operator is actually with the 789th

  • ARPC announces promotions to major

    Air Reserve Personnel Center officials announced results today of the fiscal 2007 Air Force Reserve Line and Health Professions Major Promotion Selection Boards. Six hundred officers, out of more than 1,651 considered, were selected for promotion. Selection statistics in-the-promotion zoneTo major

  • Aggressors enhance Red Flag-Alaska 06-2

    The presence of the 64th Aggressor Squadron, based out of Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., enhances Red Flag-Alaska 06-2, the annual Pacific Air Forces exercise formerly known as Cope Thunder.Renaming and restructuring the exercise, which began April 24, is part of the Air Force chief of staff’s vision.

  • Incirlik controllers vital link in communications process

    When the red light flashes, command post controllers react quickly because any delay could impact the mission of this base. The alarm could be a call about inclement weather. Or it could be a call for a first sergeant about a Red Cross notification. It could signal force protection changes or

  • Air Force sergeants MIA from Vietnam War identified

    The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office, or DPMO, announced May 2 that the remains of two Airmen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified. They were crewmembers on a C-130 Hercules that was shot down in 1972.The Airmen are Tech. Sgt. Donald Hoskins of Madison,

  • Trackers watch for dangerous 'space junk'

    Roughly 15,000 miles above the Earth’s surface a communications satellite provides vital information to all branches of the U.S. military. It joins more than 9,000 other items in space that are tracked by the Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance System, known as GEODSS. There are

  • Retreat reconnects couples before, after deployments

    On the banks of the Guadalupe River, a veterans group hosts a retreat that helps couples reconnect so they can better cope with life after deployments. Six couples attended the retreat hosted by the Military, Veteran and Family Assistance Foundation at the Heart of the Hills Camp here from April 20

  • Collaborative tools assist initiatives during JEFX '06

    The Air Force Command and Control Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center sponsored a new collaborative tool that was part of the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2006 here. The Integrated Battlespace Collaborative Communications tool, known as IBC2, was tested over the new Tactical

  • Air Force leaders highlight contribution to warfighters

    Participants in the Joint Civilian Orientation Course touring the U.S. Central Command area of operations April 29 learned about the mission the Air Force carries out in support of troops on the ground. Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces, described the magnitude of the

  • Air Force flight bring smiles to Iraqi children

    As they stepped into the large, gray military cargo plane, their eyes widened and their expressions were equal parts wonder and bewilderment. This was the first time many of the Iraqi children and their parents had ever flown in an airplane, and none had ever been in an aircraft as large as the Air

  • Air Force automates training records process

    Airmen in logistics career fields soon will have access to an online tool that takes an Airman's training records out of a desk drawer and makes them available through a desktop computer. The automated training records and management application, called "Training Business Area," or TBA, on the Air

  • Terrorism: more than just al-Qaeda may be in your back yard

    In the wake of the attacks that took place on Sept. 11, 2001, the Department of Defense implemented new initiatives to thwart future attacks on U.S. soil. These measures were called “threat conditions.” It wasn’t until 2004 that the Defense Department revamped threatcon procedures into what are now

  • ‘Paintbarn’ Airmen improve mission, preserve environment

    Airmen at the paintbarn here not only are working more efficiently, they also are doing their part to help preserve the environment. Thanks to a paint gun and equipment-cleaning system, the Airmen have reduced the amount of paint thinner contaminant waste they create by 99.991 percent. The base,

  • Children of deployed parents need consistency

    Consistency is key for children as their military parents deploy, a university psychologist said. Dr. Frederic Medway, psychology professor at the University of South Carolina, has been publishing research on family separation issues since 1987. He said his work has shown that while children of

  • CENTAF releases air power summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's air power summary.Coalition aircraft flew 34 close-air-support missions May 1 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt

  • Guard, Reserve leaders testify before appropriations committee

    In recent testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense, representatives of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve updated senators on the status of the forces. The panel questioned Lt. Gen. John A. Bradley, chief of Air Force Reserve and commander of the Air

  • Chief McKinley selected as 15th CMSAF

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley has named Chief Master Sgt. Rodney J. McKinley to serve as the 15th chief master sergeant of the Air Force. Chief McKinley will assume his new position July 1, following the June 30 retirement of Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray.

  • DOD working to improve total workforce

    The Defense Department is seeking ways to foster sweeping changes in its civilian, Reserve and active forces, DOD's top personnel official said here April 25. Any changes would be aimed at making the department more agile and effective, said David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel

  • Army clinic's lone Airman manages pharmacy

    Staff Sgt. Guanina Palermo works in what is, to her, another world -- one colored in Army green. The sergeant from Liverpool, N.Y., is a certified pharmacy technician working at the health clinic at this U.S. Army camp just outside Kaiserslautern, Germany. The camp isn’t exactly another world.  It’s

  • New personnel system now in effect

    Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England signed a directive to implement the new National Security Personnel System during a roll-out ceremony here April 28. "Today is a milestone event," Secretary England said during the Pentagon ceremony. "After two and a half years of very hard work, the

  • Researchers focused on satellite energy storage

    An eight-person team at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate here believes their experiment will demonstrate the innovative technology of combined attitude control and energy storage on a satellite by the summer of 2007.The experiment consists of  three flywheels spinning

  • Air Force selects 28 Airmen for medical training

    The Air Force selected 28 enlisted members to take part in the Tri-Service Physician Assistant Training Program at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The board met here in March, selecting 28 people from 57 applicants. The average selectee was 28 years old with 7.1 years time in service and had a 3.5 grade

  • Aircraft maintenance accident investigation complete

    Air Mobility Command today released the results of its investigation into the Dec. 17, 2005, mishap involving an aircraft maintenance technician assigned to the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The Accident Investigation Board, convened by AMC, concluded the primary cause of

  • CENTAF releases combined airpower summary

    U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released the airpower summary for April 28 to 30.April 30In Afghanistan, an Air Force B-52 Stratofortress provided close-air support to coalition troops in contact with enemy forces near Asadabad. The B-52 successfully expended precision-guided JDAMs against

  • Loadmasters use new parachute jettison device

    An emergency parachute jettison device was used for the first time during a Joint Forcible Entry Exercise here April 25. Loadmasters from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., and Dyess AFB, Texas, participated in the exercise. Chief Master Sgt. Steven Pyszka and Master Sgt. Lee McDaniel, loadmaster

  • Wildlife monitors help protect endangered species

    As night turns into dawn, a man's shadow rises on a rugged desert butte. His gaze slices through the morning light looking for his target. It is hard to hunt down the fastest land animal in North America, but he is good at stalking this elusive ghost of the Arizona desert. But, Erik Stenehjem is not

  • Air Force engineers take a jump

    Joint operations are not a new concept here. It’s a way of life for many units on base. But for a new breed of Air Force joint operators, this week’s Joint Forced Entry Exercise was a chance to get off the ground -- literally. The Airmen are part of Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair