NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Hurricane Hunters fly atmospheric rivers

    The Hurricane Hunters are scheduled to perform “AR recon” from January through March. Scientists, led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego, working in partnership with the 53rd WRS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service

  • AFTAC experts travel to Georgia for STEMversity

    STEMversity is a nonprofit, seasonal program that provides state-of-the-art, hands-on STEM training to underrepresented youth through instructional laboratory experience. From blood spatter to DNA analysis, toxicology to nuclear forensics, the course covers a broad range of STEM-related themes and

  • Rescue dogs help heal wounded warriors

    The Office of the Warrior Advocate is a first-of-its-kind organization that was founded by two wounded warriors that saw a need. It is in that same spirit of seeing needs and answering the call that service dogs are becoming part of Offutt’s landscape and cultural norms.

  • A true warrior spirit

    At the beginning of each event, Air Force Wounded Warrior, or AFW2, staff meets with volunteers to assign and explain roles and responsibilities; educate them on what the congressionally-mandated, federally-funded program does for seriously wounded, ill and injured Airmen and their families; and

  • 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.

  • AETC partners with UTSA to refine pilot candidate selection

    In an effort to gain more insight into what attributes could best predict the success of pilot training candidates, Air Education and Training Command turned to the data analytics program at the University of Texas-San Antonio to help them refine and validate the Pilot Candidate Selection Method as

  • Air Force releases latest field grade officer promotions

    In total, the Air Force selected 449 lieutenant colonels for promotion to colonel in the calendar year 2019D Line of the Air Force, chaplain and nurse corps CSBs and 19 captains for promotion to major in the CY19D chaplain CSB.

  • AFGSC tests Minuteman III missile launch from Vandenberg AFB

    A team of Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen from the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana; the 90th MW at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming; and the 91st MW at Minot AFB, North Dakota, launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a test reentry

  • Door opener adds lethality for K9 unit

    The 96th Security Forces Squadron modified a military working dog squad car last summer with a safety feature that protects both the dog handler and their canine companion while out on patrol.

  • Digital Directorate sets new pace for Phase II SBIR awards

    The Digital Directorate at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., recently awarded seven Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Program contracts to some of the startups who participated in the July 2019 UAS and Kessel Run Pitch Days.

  • Air Force partners with Google to improve IT security

    The effort covers three areas: Network-as-a-Service, End User Services and Compute and Store, and consists of technical assessments to determine if alternative solutions can meet unique Air Force requirements.

  • Moving beyond a mistake: Academy cadet mentors troubled teens

    Over the winter break, the U.S. Air Force Academy cadet spent time mentoring middle and high schoolers at the Fort Bend Juvenile Facility in Richmond, Texas. The facility houses juveniles awaiting court appearances for a wide range of illegal behavior from theft to assault.

  • Week in Review

    This photo set highlights Air Force activities and achievements over the past week, and showcases the latest technology being developed to meet the needs of next-generation warfighters.

  • AFMC, ACC expand weapons system collaboration

    Gen. Arnold W. Bunch, Jr., Air Force Materiel Command commander and Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Combat Command commander, signed a memorandum of agreement establishing the Lead Wing Collaboration Program during the Technology and Acquisition Sustainment Review Conference Jan. 29, at Joint Base

  • Air advisor receives 2019 Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award

    Lt. Col. Carl Miller, now the deputy chief of the special missions division at Headquarters, Air Education and Training Command, won the award for his achievements while deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, leading the execution of a $1.5 billion security assistance program as commander of the 538th Air

  • PMEL introduces a safer, efficient way of teaching

    A new virtual reality training experience, introduced by the 335th Training Squadron, is designed to allow students of the Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory career field to train as if they are in a working environment.

  • Coronavirus: What providers, patients should know

    Believed to have originated at an animal market in Wuhan City, China, novel coronavirus has sickened hundreds and killed at least four. Military health officials say that an informed, common-sense approach minimizes the chances of getting sick.

  • Airfield Pavement Evaluation team ensures mission-ready airfields

    The Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Airfield Pavement Evaluation team set a milestone while supporting not only typical flight operations around the world, but also in response to three natural disasters, including Hurricane Michael, a hurricane that slammed into Tyndall AFB in 2018.

  • Goldfein offers optimistic update on Air Force’s evolution and future

    Creating a system that uses data, machine learning and state-of-the art software to seamlessly link “sensors to shooters” across all domains – air, land, sea, cyber and space – is among Goldfein’s highest priorities as the Air Force’s highest-ranking military officer.

  • MacDill AFB awards contracts to small businesses

    At MacDill AFB Pitch Day, small-business vendors presented proposals to help fulfill requirements, close capability gaps or provide potential technology advancements at the 6th Air Refueling Wing.

  • Using science to stay ahead of the weather

    Weather-flight Airmen assigned to the 9th Operational Support Squadron propel the 9th Reconnaissance Wing’s operations through discipline and attention to detail of the skies.

  • AETC, AMC team up on VR solutions for modern C-130 training

    Headquarters Air Force, Air Mobility Command, and Air Education and Training Command have been working on a virtual-reality platform for maintenance training through Mass Virtual, a contractor that scans real-world objects to create virtual environments.

  • AFMC launches new holistic resiliency effort

    AFMC Connect provides units and leaders with the time, tools and resources to foster a culture of continual communication, building resilient military and civilian Airmen able to operate at optimal levels as they aim for personal and professional success.

  • 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.

  • DoD innovation units join forces to engage small business

    Over the past few months, AFWERX, Army Futures Command, NavalX, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Innovation Network have joined forces to make this experimental concept an interagency initiative to bridge the gap between startups, small businesses and government.

  • AFMC standardizes on-boarding, civilian acculturation

    The Air Force Materiel Command Civilian Acculturation Program, officially launched in May 2019, standardizes and streamlines the on-boarding process across AFMC, with impacts ranging from increased job satisfaction to improved new employee retention and more.

  • Nellis AFB and RAAF team up to support Australia wildfire relief

    Members of the Royal Australian Air Force and Nellis Air Force Base teamed up to load more than 50 bundles of fire suppressant and other critical firefighting equipment onto three RAAF C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for delivery to the Australian Emergency authorities and Rural Fire Service.

  • USAFE-AFAFRICA builds partnership with Malawian air force

    Since 2018, the USAFE-AFAFRICA Manpower, Personnel and Services Directorate, Force Development team, has been coming to Malawi to partner with the Malawian air force to provide them with tools to build, sustain and stand up an independent air force.

  • “I Have a Dream” still inspiring

    Dr. King Jr. was a Baptist minister, turned social activist and civil rights leader who called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism.

  • 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.

  • AFMC seeks innovative ideas through IdeaScale Campaign

    Airmen and civilians from across the enterprise are invited to submit innovative ideas and solutions to improve the AFMC mission through the Air Force Ideation Platform, or IdeaScale, now through September 2020.

  • I-WEPTAC 2020 registration opens

    Hosted by the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, the annual conference is the Air Force’s only innovation forum for members of the installation and mission support community. It draws experts from the various Air Force combat support core functions to address I&MS shortfalls and help

  • Air Force Aid Society launches new enhancements to its mobile budget app

    The initial version of the AFAS Budget Builder App was launched in 2018 and was created primarily as a budgeting tool to help Airmen and their families improve how they save and budget their money each month. Prior to the Budget Builder App, AFAS provided paper check registers to Airmen and other

  • Tyndall AFB comptrollers support base rebuild, win Air Force award

    A team of comptrollers from the 325th Comptroller Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, received the Gen. Larry O. Spencer Special Acts and Services award for assisting in more than 11,000 people from the 325th Fighter Wing with their finances before, during and after Hurricane Michael made landfall in

  • US, Japan forces welcome new year with bilateral jump

    This is the first year the Air Force participated in the event featuring the bilateral collaboration between U.S. and Japanese forces, utilizing aircraft from both the Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force and jumpers from the U.S. Army and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

  • DRAGON simulator to augment AWACS training

    DRAGON, replaces 1970s analog technology with digital, automated aircraft navigation functions, and it ensures E-3 aircraft are compliant with current and future air traffic control requirements.

  • 18th Wing, joint partners execute first WestPac Rumrunner exercise

    With the evolving security environment in the Indo-Pacific and to further support a safe and secure region, the 18th Wing spent months designing WestPac Rumrunner as an exercise to train counter-air capabilities and strengthen joint interoperability. In addition to air tactics and joint

  • AFMC beta-tests diagnostic fitness assessments

    As the Air Force continues to review the overall current fitness assessment guidance for Airmen, AFMC has elected to implement diagnostic testing as a potential part of the policy change.

  • Around the Air Force: SPOC, Grey Wolf, Air Force 75th B-Day Theme

    Today's look Around the Air Force features the redesignation of the Fourteenth Air Force as Space Operations Command, the newest Grey Wolf helicopter, and the Air Force announces its 75th annual birthday theme competition. (Hosted by Senior Airman Angelo Rosario)

  • Air Force commissions first female Muslim chaplain

    Chaplain candidate Saleha Jabeen was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Chicago at the Catholic Theological Union by the Air Force chief of chaplains, Dec. 18, becoming the first female Muslim chaplain in the Department of the Defense.

  • AFIMSC announces 2020 Innovation Rodeo finalists

    Eight finalists for the 2020 AFIMSC Innovation Rodeo were selected out of 143 submissions and nearly 2,000 online votes to compete for a share of $1 million in funding and resources to implement their ideas.

  • AF Year in Photos

    This year's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This annual feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • Air Force announces Spark Tank 2020 selectees

    Spark Tank also offers Airmen the opportunity to get their ideas in front of key enabling agencies that can share expertise and resources such as funding or personnel for the projects being presented and demonstrate pathways for intrapreneurs to make their initiatives successful.

  • Air Force relaunches Employee Assistance Program

    The Air Force Employee Assistance Program has relaunched with a new phone number and website. The program will provide the same services as it did in the past, and at no cost. It may be accessed 24/7 by all Air Force civilian personnel (APF and NAF), Guard/Reserve and family members.

  • HH-60W enters soundproof chamber for defense systems testing

    Testing the HH-60W in J-PRIMES will characterize the performance of the helicopter’s systems before electronic warfare flight-testing. The tests ensure it is capable of defeating hostile threats while performing its designated combat search and rescue mission.

  • New weapons system completes first live mission

    The ground-based weapons system allows squadron members at Tinker AFB to provide command and control to both live and simulated aircraft from around the country. Only 18 of these weapons systems exist in Air Force inventory and Tinker AFB is now one of only four active-duty bases to have this

  • Air Force to solicit 75th birthday theme ideas

    Concepts for the 75th birthday theme should consider inclusiveness of multi-domain operations, capture Airmen’s innovation and reflect the Air Force’s heritage over the last 75 years.

  • Air Force sets foundation for energy optimization, lethality

    As 2020 approaches and the Air Force prepares to take on the challenges of the next decade, we must also review our successes and lessons learned from the last year. For Air Force Operational Energy, 2019 was a year for laying the foundation to build a more optimized and lethal force in the years to

  • DoD releases 2020 CONUS COLA rates

    The Defense Department released Dec. 20 the 2020 Continental United States Cost of Living Allowance rates, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2020. In 2020, the total number of service members receiving CONUS COLA will decline by 2,600.

  • F-16 downs drone during cruise missile defense testing

    The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron shot down a subscale drone using an AGR-20A Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System laser-guided rocket Dec. 19, providing a proof of concept for using rockets queued from an F-16 Fighting Falcon targeting pod as viable munitions to perform cruise missile defense.

  • Air Force studies fatigue, sleep to enhance readiness

    Researchers with the Air Force Research Laboratory 711th Human Performance Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, are looking for ways to better equip Airmen and their leadership with crucial data to ensure that Airmen are getting the necessary rest to maximize mission execution.A team of

  • NORAD tracks Santa

    As the North American Aerospace Defense Command conducts its primary mission of defending the homeland, it stands ready to continue its tradition of tracking Santa’s journey around the globe on Dec. 24.