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U.S. Air Force News

  • Officials select developer for combat search and rescue replacement vehicle

    Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne announced the selection of Boeing Helicopter of Ridley Park, Pa., to provide the new combat search and rescue replacement vehicle, known as CSAR-X. The Nov. 9 announcement comes at the end of a fair and open competition, and thorough evaluation of multiple

  • AMC reduces costs through fuel efficiency

    Energy costs are a significant part of the Defense Department operating budget, and Air Mobility Command uses 54 percent of the U.S. military's consumption of aviation fuel. Not surprisingly, efficient use of this resource has always been an AMC goal, and while fuel costs remain high, command

  • Air Force selects 417 new chief master sergeants

    The Air Force has selected 417 senior master sergeants for promotion to the service's highest enlisted rank. The Air Force will publicly release the promotion list Nov. 8, and the complete list of selectees will be available by 5 p.m. CST on the Air Force Personnel Center's homepage. A total of

  • Pressure sensitive paint could save millions of dollars

    The Arnold Engineering Development Center has reached a milestone with its pressure sensitive paint system. A recent demonstration test was conducted on the F-35 Lighting II joint strike fighter model installed in the center's 16-foot transonic wind tunnel. PSP applied to a joint strike fighter

  • DOD releases report on infectious deployment diseases

    The latest in a series of congressionally mandated reports on the long-term health effects of troop deployments to Southwest Asia from the 1991 Gulf War to present was released Oct. 16.The new study, "Gulf War and Health: Volume 5, Infectious Diseases," the fifth in the series, focuses on infectious

  • AMC declares C-130J operational

    Air Mobility Command officials declared Initial Operational Capability for the C-130J, the Air Force's premier intratheater airlifter. The October declaration is the result of an extensive effort by the total force team to meet specific IOC criteria.Some of the specific requirements for the C-130J

  • Cleanup program on fast track

    When Andrews Air Force Base, Md., was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List of contaminated sites in 1999, environmental restoration program managers estimated it would take until 2014 and millions of dollars to remedy the sites.With 23 sites and 10 areas of

  • Air Force launches Young Investigators Research Program

    Air Force Office of Scientific Research officials here announced Oct. 2 an award of approximately $6.3 million in grants to 21 scientists and engineers who submitted winning research proposals through the Air Force's new Young Investigator Research Program. The program is open to scientists and

  • AFMC seeks to streamline test, evaluation processes

    If changes to the test and evaluation phases of new concept cars would improve mass production processes and reduce recalls, wouldn't it make sense for an auto manufacturer to spend $1 now if it meant saving $10 later? Officials at Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command think so and are applying

  • Missile squadron poised for 72-hour alerts

    Missile combat crews in the 490th Missile Squadron here are helping the 20th Air Force transform missile operations as crewmembers started performing 72-hour alerts using three-person crews Sept. 30. Twentieth Air Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Thomas F. Deppe, suggested the 72-hour alert initiative and

  • Command chief panel discusses enlisted issues

    Change, readiness and winning the war on terrorism were the three top issues discussed during the command chiefs' forum at the 2006 Air Force Association Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition here Sept. 25."We must deal with changes and focus on the No. 1 priority facing us today:

  • Converted C-130s make flying, training, maintaining easier

    The C-130 Hercules getting upgraded avionics will give pilots better situational awareness, will be easier to schedule for missions and easier to maintain. The first of some 350 Air Force's C-130s to receive the avionics modernization program conversion -- which upgrades it with new digital displays

  • Denver-area units hold POW/MIA Recognition Day vigil

    To commemorate National POW/MIA Recognition Day, military and civilian employees gathered here Sept. 14 for a 24-hour vigil to remember people listed as prisoners of war or missing in action. The annual ceremony opened with volunteers from the Air Reserve Personnel Center, Defense Finance and

  • Maj. Jill Metzger arrives home

    The Air Force officer found alive and in good condition after disappearing in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, arrived at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Sept. 14 at approximately 6 p.m. EDT on an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. Maj. Jill Metzger was deployed to Manas Air Base as part of an Air

  • Business changes dramatically for air operations center

    The way business is done has dramatically changed at the 1st Air Force Air Operations Center here.Five years after 9/11, the AOC, which is responsible for U.S. air defense, has made serious networking and communications upgrades to improve their processes. "Our mission is to watch all the aircraft

  • Small Diameter Bomb I delivered ahead of schedule

    The culmination of more than five years of extraordinary teamwork was realized when the GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb was successfully delivered to the warfighter ahead of schedule and under cost. "This achievement represents an unparalleled team victory for the combined Air Armament Center and

  • Chief McKinley addresses senior rater, stratification policy

    In his first "Enlisted Perspective," Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley discusses the new senior rater policy and use of stratification statements for enlisted performance reports. Stratification statements take into consideration the number or percentage of enlisted members in a

  • CV-22 testing accelerates in August

    The CV-22 Osprey, an aircraft unlike any other, is now in the midst of a test unlike any other.In the developmental test and evaluation phase, CV-22 testing has primarily been conducted by Bell-Boeing. However, when the Naval Air Systems Command requested an electronic warfare integrated assessment

  • Unit fires first live air-to-air missiles in South Korea

    With the call "Fox 2," pilots here employed AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on Aug. 16 for the first time in the history of 7th Air Force in Korea, serving as the driving force behind implementing a weapon system evaluation program here.The initiative by the 80th Fighter Squadron here to shoot live,

  • Wings combine strengths to solve Raptor issue

    Four wings are combining efforts to analyze, develop and test a new advanced medium-range air-to-air missile data collection system for the first F-22A Raptor at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. The 53rd Wing, 46th Test Wing, 1st Fighter Wing and 325th Fighter Wing worked side by side to solve the

  • Air Force still hiring

    Despite rumors to the contrary, the Air Force is still hiring. People interested in joining are always encouraged to apply, even in light of the Air Force's recently released force-shaping initiatives. To match the Air Force's new strength numbers, next year's recruiting goals have reduced by nine

  • Officials announce clarification of EPR criteria, policy

    The Air Force has released a policy to clarify senior rater endorsement and stratification procedures for enlisted performance reports. While many supervisors and senior NCOs looked to completion of the Senior NCO Academy and a Community College of the Air Force degree as criteria for consideration

  • Weather agency employs new forecast model

    The Air Force Weather Agency headquartered here took the first steps to use the new Weather Research and Forecasting model, known as WRF, for operational forecasts. The WRF model, the first worldwide fine-scale computer forecasting program in nearly a decade, was created through a collaborative

  • Global Hawk passes 10,000 flight hours milestone

    The Global Hawk unmanned aerial system continues to prove its utility and effectiveness in the global war on terror, having flown more than 10,500 flight hours by late July. The Global Hawk achieved 10,000 flight hours in June, with its ratio of combat flying hours to non-combat hours increasing to

  • Analysis system changes name, expands scope

    U.S. Joint Forces Command has changed the name of its Joint Warfare System to Joint Analysis System to better reflect the program's capabilities. The program's manager, Navy Cmdr. Gregg Martin, said he is hopeful the use of JAS will expand to support many U.S. organizations outside the Department of

  • Panjshir PRT medics visit remote Afghan district

    Patients walked as far as six miles and waited as long as eight hours for treatment by Air Force medics from the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team who visited the Paryan District July 15 and 16.The Medical Civic Action Program, or MEDCAP, was coordinated at the invitation of Panjshir director

  • AETC takes ownership of CV-22 Osprey

    It's now official. The CV-22 Osprey, which has been incrementally delivered here since March, is now an Air Education and Training Command asset. The owner has been Air Force Special Operations Command, but after the recently completed operational utility evaluation and final transfer and acceptance

  • Engineers go beyond virtual reality to test systems

    Some aircraft parts can be used to fight in air-to-air combat without ever having to take off a runway. By assembling the avionics "guts" of fighter jets into racks and consoles, engineers and technicians can recreate flight and aerial threats in one facility. The Air Force has that inexpensive

  • Effectiveness of commercial air cargo augmentation under review

    U.S. Central Command's Deployment and Distribution Operations Center, or CDDOC, has initiated a test to determine the cost and effectiveness of using commercial air cargo aircraft to augment military aircraft in delivering supplies to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The purpose of this initiative,

  • Air Force notifies lieutenants of special board results

    The 127 lieutenants in the 2002 and 2003 accession year groups who were reconsidered for retention should be notified by their senior raters today of the special board's results.The special board, which convened June 26 at the Air Force Personnel Center here, selected 22 of the lieutenants for

  • Airmen test new Air Force flight suits, T-shirts

    A six-month wear test for the next generation flight suit and proposed T-shirt undergarment is being conducted by specialists in the 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron aircrew life support division here.The T-shirt, which is being tested in two versions made from wool or meta-aramid fibers (the same

  • Air Force oversees popular name selections

    The popular name of the joint strike fighter F-35 aircraft will be released in early July, while the Air Force is currently proposing popular names for the MQ-9A unmanned aerial vehicle. Military vehicles are traditionally given such names that pay homage to the services' history or its mission, or

  • Pararescuemen train for space shuttle launch recovery

    Reservists from the 920th Rescue Wing here practiced techniques June 23 that may be used during a space shuttle launch recovery mission. The next shuttle launch is scheduled for July 1. Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Curl, Master Sgts. James Johnston, John Shiman, Alexander Abbey, and a new

  • Fighter aircraft arrive for Combat Archer

    Twenty-eight fighter aircraft from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; Luke AFB, Ariz.; and Shaw AFB, S.C., are here participating in Combat Archer. Approximately 300 Airmen deployed with their aircraft and set up operations in the 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron, an Air Combat Command tenant unit

  • Omaha Trophy winners announced

    The winners of the 2005 Omaha Trophy awards were announced by U.S. Strategic Command officials today.The results are as follows: -- Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Trophy: 90th Space Wing, F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.-- Strategic Aircraft Operations Trophy: 5th Bomb Wing, Minot AFB, N.D.--

  • F-22 excels at establishing air dominance

    Beginning with Lot 7 production of the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force hopes to enter into a cost-saving, multi-year procurement contract with the aircraft and engine manufacturer. According to Maj. Gen. Richard B.H. Lewis, Air Force executive officer for the F-22 program, a multi-year procurement

  • Air Force announces new mission at Cannon AFB

    Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., will be the new home for an Air Force special operations wing, Air Force officials announced June 20.Air Force Special Operations Command will accept ownership of Cannon AFB and the Melrose Range effective Oct. 1, 2007. The decision came as a result of an eight-step

  • Pararescuemen chance the extremes

    From an altitude of 3,500 feet, Air Force pararescue jumpers, or PJs, leap from a C-130 Hercules in an effort to rescue three victims from the frigid waters of the Kachemak Bay in Alaska. This was one of three training scenarios for PJs deployed to Alaska for Northern Edge 2006. “Alaska’s different

  • Exercise tests intelligence platform

    U.S. Strategic Command and the Air Force are among the government agencies testing the Dynamic Time Critical Warfighting Capability, or DTCWC, platform against realistic threat systems here during Northern Edge 2006. Designed to analyze intelligence and verify its potential accuracy, the DTCWC

  • Space institute begins advanced missile warning course

    The National Security Space Institute will conduct the first-of-its-kind missile warning advanced course here July 24. This 13-week course is designed to create experts in the missile warning and defense mission arena. The course will provide in-depth education on missile warning and defense with a

  • Assignment opportunities expand for Code-C Airmen

    Some previously restricted Airmen now may be assigned permanently or on temporary duty to any stateside base with a medical facility or to certain overseas bases with a medical facility because of recent changes to Air Force Instruction 41-210, “Patient Administration Functions,” and the initiation

  • Thunderbirds announce 2007 officers

    The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, “Thunderbirds,” has announced its new officers for the 2007 demonstration season, the 54th in the team’s history.Joining the team on the left wing position at Thunderbird No. 2 is Maj. Chris Austin from the 57th Wing here. The slot pilot, Thunderbird

  • AETC housing privatization on track

    Despite delays caused by Hurricane Katrina, Air Education and Training Command is still on track to meet its goal of privatizing 100 percent of military family housing. The Housing Privatization Initiative was approved by the Department of Defense in 1996 as a more timely and cost-effective way to

  • Doctor named as examiner for national quality award program

    An Air Force Reserve Command doctor has been selected to the 2006 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award. The award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive. Col. (Dr.) William B.

  • Test parachutists jump to conclusions

    It has been said there is no good reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.  But a small cadre of Airmen here have a very good reason to do so -- saving lives. They don’t wear the maroon beret of the Air Force pararescue troops.  They are members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron’s test

  • Moody prepares for hurricane season

    Airmen here buckled up the base, battled heavy winds and provided support for off-base recovery efforts during a hurricane evacuation exercise held May 15 to 18. Responding to “Hurricane Timothy” provided a realistic evaluation of the 347th Rescue Wing’s capability to plan and take the proper

  • Five selected to comm hall of fame

    Five Air Force communications pioneers are the newest members of the Communications and Information Hall of Fame located in the Air Force Communications Agency’s Ludwig Heritage Hall here. Lt. Gen. Michael Peterson, the Air Force chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer,

  • Air Force notifies force shaping lieutenants

    Today, 2,084 lieutenants in the 2002 and 2003 accession year groups will learn if they were selected for retention by the Force Shaping Board. Each officer is being notified personally of their status by their senior rater. Officers deployed will be notified by either the deployed commander or their

  • Next-generation radar to undergo testing aboard Proteus

    A smaller, next-generation radar that will improve the Global Hawk’s surveillance capacity will soon undergo testing aboard a Proteus aircraft here. The 851st Electronic Systems Group is preparing for a year-long test of the smaller version of the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program,

  • 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

  • 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

  • New civilian personnel system set to kick off April 30

    The first phase of the new National Security Personnel System is ready to launch April 30. Spiral 1.1 includes 11,000 Defense Department civilian employees throughout the United States. "The most important message is that we are ready," said Mary Lacey, NSPS program executive officer. "Employees are

  • JEFX focuses on battle operations, communications

    The Theater Battle Operation Net-centric Environment and the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node -- known as TBONE and BACN -- are two of the initiatives being tested during the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2006. The combined air operations center, or CAOC, is the experiment’s

  • Hot stuff: Firefighters test gear for Air Force

    Being a firefighter is arguably one of the most physically demanding jobs. For that reason, the Air Force is finding ways to make the job easier. Sixteen firefighters here are testing new protective gear that may increase comfort, mobility and mission effectiveness for more than 3,600 active-duty

  • Military, families can get online mental health screening

    Military members and families coping with the stress of overseas deployments and other potential health-threatening issues can log onto the Internet to get help, said a U.S. military psychologist. Servicemembers from all components and their families can obtain a mental health self-assessment or

  • Reserve aircrew airlifts CE teams supporting war on drugs

    A C-17 Globemaster III aircrew flew civil engineers to this tropical isle as part of ongoing support for the war on drugs. The mission also provided an opportunity for the aircrew to maintain their proficiency.The transport started its circuitous mission April 7 at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.,

  • Team tests pod at 'LITENING' speed

    Three Air Force units have started accelerated testing of a LITENING-AT targeting pod. The 416th Flight Test Squadron here is working with the 85th Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and the 422nd OTES at Nellis AFB, Nev., to update the existing LITENING pod with

  • Physical therapy program confers first doctoral degrees

    Two Air Force officers received diplomas and were conferred doctoral degrees in physical therapy during a graduation ceremony here April 7.Capt. Linda Currier and 1st Lt. Elissa Ballas graduated along with 10 Army officers after 27 months of study in the highly ranked U.S. Army-Baylor University

  • Air Force wins two modeling, simulation awards

    The Air Force has won two of the five awards presented by the Department of Defense in modeling and simulation.Air Force winners are: Analysis: Weapon Effects Analysis and Probability System Team, Air Force Materiel Command. The team was awarded for developing and maintaining a world-class software

  • Palmdale detachment takes testing to new heights

    Edwards Air Force Base has a history of testing cutting-edge weapons systems for the Air Force. A little-known detachment at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., also has a testing history, but the aircraft tested there are not as well-known as the newest Air Force assets. Warner Robins Air

  • Air Force announces new call center locations

    The proposed sites for the Air Force Financial Services Center and the Air Force Claims Service Center were announced by Air Force officials April 10.The preferred location for the AFFSC is Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., while the preferred location for the AFCSC will be in the Dayton, Ohio, area.

  • Staging facility puts wounded warriors on ‘road to recovery’

    What do a bank manager, a school nurse and a Seattle Symphony chorus member have in common? They’re all reservists, they all volunteered to serve at Balad Air Base, Iraq, and they all work at the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility, part of the 332nd Expeditionary Aerospace Medicine Squadron

  • Lou Gehrig's disease forces Airman to retire

    Tech. Sgt. Jason Whitman’s retirement ceremony March 29 was a lot like any other. He received a few gifts and mementos and shared the moments with a roomful of family and friends.But it was different. Sergeant Whitman was in a wheelchair, the atmosphere was somber and muffled crying could be heard

  • Web site lets reservists correct duty history 'live'

    Air Force Reserve members worldwide can now correct or change their duty history via the virtual Personnel Center Guard and Reserve, a customer-service Web portal operated by the Air Reserve Personnel Center. Previously, Airmen had to visit their local military personnel flight or call several

  • Exchanging with pilots from 'down under'

    The mission of U.S. Air Force’s refueling aircraft is to carry out global air refueling, airlift and humanitarian assignments. That mission is not only accomplished by U.S. pilots. Foreign exchange pilots from Australia assigned to Fairchild help their U.S. counterparts achieve that mission. The

  • New civilian personnel system to mean slight pay hike for most

    Most of the first 11,000 Defense Department civilian employees to convert to the new civilian personnel system in April will receive a pay increase, an official said today. About 85 percent of people will see an initial bump in pay when they are enrolled in the new National Security Personnel

  • AFPC contact center to open

    The Air Force Personnel Center’s Web-based services and contact center, known as Personnel Services Delivery Transformation, will officially open it doors March 31. The new initiative means Airmen will be able to conduct routine personnel transactions via the Web that are currently worked through

  • Philippine Airmen attend professional military education at Hickam

    The Hickam Professional Military Education center is hosting Philippine Air Force students at its Airman Leadership School to help them develop a program of their own. After an assessment by Air Force senior noncommissioned officers from Pacific Air Forces, the Philippine Air Force expressed the

  • Officials announce Air Force safety awards

    Air Force safety officials announced the winners of the 2005 safety awards. They are: -- Secretary of the Air Force Safety Award: Category 1, U.S. Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, Germany; Category II, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. --

  • Air Force committed to energy-efficient strategies

    The Air Force continues its pledge to be a leader in energy stewardship. For the last six months, the Air Force has been working on a strategy to have energy as a consideration in nearly all of its activities, from operations to acquisition. The Air Force is increasing efforts to reduce the demand

  • More personnel actions available online

    Like MyPay and LeaveWeb before, the Air Force is bringing even more military personnel flight actions online. The process, called personnel services delivery transformation, takes effect March 31, and will encompass even more options than those of the Virtual MPF site already on the Internet. “We’re

  • Big leap forward in detecting ground targets from cosmos

    When launched in 2010, a football-field-in-length demonstrator radar antenna, weighing more than 5 tons, will serve as the forerunner for the future of America's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets in space. Administered by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles

  • No typical day for OSI agents

    For many people, the three letters “O-S-I” conjure up images of intrigue, adventures, glamour and risk. However, for agents assigned to the Office of Special Investigations, the federal-level investigative service represents long days, serious work and countless hours of writing. “In a deployed

  • Keeping Tuzla’s airfield operational

    There was a time in the late 1990s when Tuzla Air Base was crawling with hundreds of Airmen. As times changed, the duty of airfield maintenance has increasingly moved into the hands of contractors, but the Air Force still has a presence at the base. While the majority of the U.S. military presence

  • Operational Raptors fire first missiles in evaluation program

    The 27th Fighter Squadron made history when two F-22A Raptor pilots fired air-to-air missiles Feb. 14. It was the jet's first official air-to-air weapons system evaluation since becoming operational two months ago.Nearly 40 Airmen from the Langley Air Force Base, Va., squadron participated in the

  • Wilford Hall chosen for national study

    The vascular surgery service at Wilford Hall Medical Center has been chosen to participate in a national trial looking at the effectiveness of stent graft treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms versus standard open repair. The trial has been named PIVOTAL, which stands for the Positive Impact of

  • Global Hawk UAV welcomed home after three-year deployment

    After supporting the global war on terror for three years, Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle No. 3 (UAV-3) received its official homecoming Feb. 20 when its wheels touched down at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.During its overseas deployment, UAV-3 logged more than 4,800

  • New personnel system presents opportunity

    The Defense Department's new National Security Personnel System, or NSPS, is on track for initial implementation, the system's program executive officer said Feb. 9. "We’re still on track to deploy folks into Spiral 1.1 in April," Mary Lacey said. "We've got over 11,000 (non-union) employees that

  • New Orleans to be first AF Reserve BRAC closure

    Air Force Reserve Command's 926th Fighter Wing at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans will be the command's first wing affected by the most recent Base Realignment and Closure. Moved up a year, resources from the 926th will realign to four bases: Buckley Air Force Base, Colo.; Nellis

  • Air Force eliminates commissioned officer distinctions

    The Air Force will eliminate the distinction between active-duty regular and reserve officers by May 1. Previously, an officer who earned a reserve commission served in a sort of probationary period until promoted to major, when they could become a “regular” officer. The contract reserve officers

  • Vance couple selected to pilot B-2s

    The Air Force's only B-2 Spirit bomber wing has announced a historical first -- the selection of a married pilot couple. Capts. Rob and Beth Makros, T-38 instructor pilots with the 25th Flying Training Squadron here, have been selected for assignment to the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force

  • Air Force evacuates injured ABC News team to Germany

    A C-17 Globemaster III from the 172nd Airlift Wing and medical personnel from the 791st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron evacuated a wounded ABC news team from Balad Air Base, Iraq, to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 30, for treatment at the nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

  • Air Force cardiologist helps Iraqi children

    As a volunteer pediatric cardiologist for several nonprofit organizations, Lt. Col. (Dr.) Kirk Milhoan has screened children with congenital heart disease in Mongolia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Mexico, Tibet and Sudan. When he deployed to the Air Force theater hospital at Balad Air Base, Iraq, in 2005, he

  • Guam Guard works side-by-side with active-duty counterparts

    Maria Ronquillo is known as one of the nicest and most caring teachers on Guam. As a teacher consultant for a high school here, she frequently visits students to make sure they have good grades and make progress in their classes. But you don’t want to see this friendly islander make a “house call”

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Murray: Enlisted joint military education available

    Joint professional military education will become a reality for enlisted Airmen throughout their careers. A new Department of Defense policy requires joint learning objectives in all enlisted levels. While the officer corps is mandated by law to include joint education, this policy specifically

  • 386th AEW wing slated as next generation of fuels mobility equipment

    The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing will become the test wing for the next generation of fuels mobility support equipment. The fuels operational resources capability equipment is scheduled to be installed by Jan. 3 with an operational utility evaluation immediately following. The equipment is designed

  • F-22A Raptor goes operational

    The F-22A Raptor -- Air Force’s most advanced weapon system -- is ready for combat, Air Force officials announced here today. In reaching initial operational capability, the Raptor is certified ready for operational use. The first combat-ready Raptors are flying with the 27th Fighter Squadron of the

  • Computer program crash was a good thing

    There's nothing like a computer program crash to ruin your day, especially when it’s used to track patients in the Air Force’s largest medical facility. But with luck, a computer expert can help figure out the problem. And if you’re really lucky, the solution can be even better than the original.

  • Supersonic Raptor drops first guided bomb

    An F/A-22 Raptor flying at supersonic speed dropped its first 1,000-pound guided joint direct attack munition over the range here. Since July, Raptor program have flown seven JDAM supersonic separation test missions under a variety of conditions. The aim is to prove the JDAM can safely separate from

  • Radar unit helps rescue glider crash victims

    Radar analysis provided by the 84th Radar Evaluation Squadron at the Western Air Defense Sector here helped in the rescue of two people crash landed their glider in remote southern California mountains. A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department helicopter rescued the instructor pilot and a student

  • Wilford Hall testing new vascular viewer

    Airmen at the Wilford Hall Medical Center’s emergency department are helping evaluate a new light scope used to help locate patient’s veins and arteries. The vascular viewer uses an infrared lighting source to trans-illuminate tissue. So medical personnel can use it to better locate a patient’s

  • Wilford Hall to evaluate Tourette syndrome program

    Wilford Hall Medical Center received a $3 million multi-site National Institutes of Health grant to evaluate a behavior therapy program to help control tics in adults who suffer Tourette syndrome. Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by enduring motor and vocal tics. “A growing

  • Evaluators put ‘Js’ through the paces

    Active duty, Reserve and Guard C-130J Airmen put the aircraft through its wartime paces here during a joint training exercise. Airmen worked with Soldiers at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La., to test the airplane last month. The exercise tested the aircraft’s ability to

  • Dynamic Weasel sharpens combat skills

    Exercise Operation Dynamic Weasel begins here today to hone the skills Airmen need for combat deployments. The exercise will sharpen tactics, techniques and procedural skills while practicing for combat situations, said Maj. Anthony Roberson, the 20th Operations Support Squadron director of

  • Mishap investigation training changes course

    Figuring out what causes an airplane to crash is no easy task. But many flight surgeons, aerospace physiologists and some psychologists will be part of an aircraft mishap investigation at some point in their careers. So the more they know about what to do, the better. To better prepare students for

  • A-staff helps sustain joint humanitarian effort

    The 818th Contingency Response Group and 24th Air Expeditionary Group continue handling hundreds of thousands of pounds of cargo each day as part of the continuing Pakistani earthquake recovery effort. Col. Richard Walberg, who commands both groups, said while much of the "visible work" goes on in

  • Big bangs destroy 2,000 munitions

    Airmen from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal flight detonated 2,000 munitions, keeping them the out of the hands of insurgents. It took four detonations to destroy the weapons, which members of the Iraqi national guard had captured. After each big bang,