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  • Vehicle management flight keeps Barksdale moving

    The responsibility for all government vehicles here falls to the 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron’s vehicle management flight. That accountability includes buying 25 vehicles a year and managing 894 vehicles, with an annual repair budget of $1.6 million. Master Sgt. Michael Boyles, vehicle

  • A-10 pilots, support personnel head to OEF

    More than 400 Airmen with the 355th Fighter Squadron and the 354th Maintenance Group and their A-10 Thunderbolt IIs recently left for a 120-day deployment. “I’m excited to go on this deployment,” said Capt. Darrell Walton, a pilot with the 355th. “With so much training space here in Alaska, I

  • ACC chief visits with deployed Airmen

    The top Air Combat Command chief master sergeant recently toured units here to ensure Airmen were properly trained and equipped before deploying. Command Chief Master Sgt. David Popp said the No. 1 reason for his visit was ensuring that the Airmen deploying from ACC units are trained, equipped and

  • Leasing option increases Air Force land value

    Underutilized Air Force land does not need to sit idle any longer. The Air Force Real Property Agency converts underutilized land and infrastructure into real value for the Air Force, installations and communities through the enhanced use leasing option, officials said. "Enhanced use leasing is a

  • Security forces transformation to affect total force

    As the Air Force continues to adapt for the future, changes to the security forces career field will affect the total force. Brig. Gen. Robert Holmes, director of security forces and force protection, calls these transformations a “refocus” on how his people train and fight. “We’re not in the Cold

  • 5+1+1 equals U.S. air superiority

    Five + one + one = the ability to direct the command and control of U.S. and coalition air power across the globe. “It also equals seven of course. That's the number of ‘Falconer’ air and space operations centers, and Falconer support centers, how online with common capabilities,” said Lt. Col. Rob

  • Airmen train on latest technology

    A shadowy silhouette is seen through dust clouds, brush and trees. There’s neither enough sun nor moonlight to distinguish the surroundings. The atmosphere is unfamiliar, uncomfortable, dangerous and unpredictable. You know your enemy is watching your every move. Relief is found in a locked and

  • ROBE upgrade sets KC-135 on forefront of battle communications

    A KC-135 Stratotanker here was fitted with upgraded communications equipment recently which will revolutionize battle space and the way the United States and its allies fight wars. After 18 months on the drawing board, the Roll-On Beyond Line-of-Sight Enhancement Spiral 2 program, ROBE, has been

  • Air Force to replace combat search and rescue helicopters

    Air Force combat search and rescue teams will use a new helicopter -- the now under development CSAR-X -- to help recover downed pilots around 2012. The new helicopter will replace 101 HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters Air Force combat search and rescue teams now use. The Air Force expects to begin

  • Trainees learn attention to detail through 'warrior' mindset

    You won't find today's basic trainees hunched over brown T-shirts, tugging at them with tweezers to make perfect 6-inch squares. Instead, you will soon find Airmen who have mastered the M-16 rifle, can identify its components, field-strip and clean it, and reassemble it without the slightest

  • Think of safety first

    Keeping Airmen here safe is not a task taken lightly by the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing’s ground safety office. "Our job is to prevent the loss of life or damage to government equipment," said Tech. Sgt. Clyde Lathon, 332nd AEW ground safety manager. "We are the Air Force equivalent to the

  • Andersen AFB: growing to meet its mission

    The eyes of U.S. military leaders are once again focused here to provide peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. “The strategic importance of Andersen is rejuvenating,” said Col. Michael Boera, the 36th Expeditionary Air Wing commander. “No longer is Andersen the sleepy hollow it’s been

  • Civil engineers plan for the future

    Expansion plans here have civil engineers drawing up blueprints for construction projects for next year, the next five years, even the next decade. “We’re planning for the future so that 50 years from now people will be glad we designed everything right the first time,” said Lt. Col. Marvin Smith,

  • 'Air and Space Power Journal' winter edition available

    The College for Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education at Air University has published and distributed the Winter 2005 edition of the Air Force's professional journal, "Air and Space Power Journal." Published here, the Air and Space Power Journal serves as an open forum for the presentation and

  • Rex the Dog finds new home

    A 21st Security Forces Squadron Airman is the first military working dog handler allowed to adopt her K-9 partner from active duty. Tech. Sgt. Jamie Dana, a military working dog handler, has been waiting since August for the official word after she requested to adopt her K-9, Rex. The two were

  • SECAF celebrates welcome to the blue

    Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne was “welcomed into blue” during a ceremony here today. He was received by a hundreds of Airmen, the Air Force Honor Guard and Air Force Band. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, chief of staff of the Air Force, presided over the event and told everyone present it was

  • CENTAF commander visits deployed Airmen, Sailors on last trip to Afghanistan

    As part of his final trip to Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces visited deployed Airmen and Sailors here Jan. 10 to 11. During a troop call, Lt. Gen. Walter E. Buchanan III addressed Airmen and Sailors who are deployed to Bagram as part of Air and Space Expeditionary Force

  • Battlestar Galactica docks for sneak-peek at Columbus

    The Sci-Fi Channel’s mantra -- “Fuel the Imagination” -- was the theme of the night as Battlestar Galactica television series fans invaded the Columbus Club for a celebrity-style sneak preview. The Season 2 premiere episode of Battlestar Galactica was shown a day early -- Jan. 5 --to approximately

  • Improved earpieces reaching Falcon pilots

    F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots here will soon start using an earpiece that will afford better hearing protection and an improved mission focus. The 4th Fighter Squadron's "Fighting Fuujins" will receive the new attenuating custom communication earpiece system this month. The earpiece was developed at

  • 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

  • Mission is out of this world

    Its material is found nowhere else on Earth but here, while its mission is out of this world. Detachment 5, 22nd Space Operations Squadron has an antenna that uses a durable Kevlar mix as its cover, the first of its kind in the world. They use it because the material must withstand 195-mph typhoon

  • Leaner processes working at Kirtland

    The Air Force is becoming leaner without the help of fad diets or abs-crunching exercise regiments. Logistics and maintenance programs imported from the private business sector, like Lean, are turning once-bloated processes into models of streamlined efficiency. The payoff is less cost, improved

  • New Mexico Tech to build on Kirtland

    The Air Force conveyed more than eight acres of base land to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology during a ceremony here Jan. 6. The agreement is designed to stimulate business efficiencies and technological advancement through the construction of new facilities. The land conveyance, a

  • Group chops away at space system’s weaknesses

    Several times a year, a group of junior U.S. military officers and federal government employees use open source databases -- such as the Internet and libraries -- in an attempt to reveal potential weaknesses in the Department of Defense's space systems. More often than not, participants in the Space

  • 23:59:60… Atomic clock takes quantum leap

    A leap second. It’s a time on the clock that doesn’t come along very often, and it’s a subject of debate between astronomers and clock watchers. Outside the debate is the job of making sure everyone who relies on the leap second receives it. That job, in the hands of the 2nd Space Operations

  • Patrick auto hobby shop achieves Air Force first

    The 45th Services Squadron auto hobby shop earned the highest honor any automobile repair facility can earn -- the National Institute for Automotive Excellence Blue Seal of Excellence. After 10 years of automotive knowledge tests, equipment inspections and certifications, the auto hobby shop earned

  • Aggressor squadron stands up at Nellis

    The Air Force will reactivate the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jan. 12. In a letter to Airmen, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Air Force chief of staff, cited the history of the unit as “legendary” and said the aggressors will “directly contribute to the combat capability of our

  • Airmen participate in Rose Bowl events

    A B-1B Lancer kicked off the national college football title game Jan. 4 with a flyover of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Gen. Ronald Keys, commander of Air Combat Command and Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center here, represented the Air Force at several

  • California Guard to get the Predator

    As part of ongoing Total Force initiatives, the Air Force, the National Guard Bureau and the Adjutant General of California announced today that the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Air Refueling Wing, March Air Reserve Base, Calif., will become the home for a new MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial

  • Keeping Predators flying helps keep Balad safe

    Airmen who maintain the MQ-1 Predator here take great pride in ensuring the unmanned aerial vehicles they look after can keep and eagle eye on what goes on in Iraq. The 61 Airmen of the 46th Aircraft Maintenance Unit -- and three Royal Air Force Airmen -- keep the Predators flying for the pilots who

  • Controllers keeping Iraqi skies safe

    Another small dot drags a string of numbers with it as it hesitantly shuffles onto the screen. Now there are 30 dots with numbers. Airman 1st Class Grant Gers slips a strip of paper, no wider than a magazine and shorter than two end-to-end sugar packs, neatly but quickly enters the squawk (four of

  • 2005: an Air Force year to remember

    It’s going to be hard to forget 2005, with the war on terrorism, tsunami response, hurricanes and floods. But light did find its way through the darkness. Most memorable are the Airmen who lent a helping hand to those in desperate need. This year also brought new technology, a continued presence at

  • Wynne: more integrated operations in Air Force’s future

    The secretary of the Air Force said the service is headed toward more integrated operations. Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne stopped at this airlift base Dec. 23 after trips to bases in Southwest Asia and Germany. He talked about the importance of force integration, new weapons platforms

  • Space group to activate new unit

    Air Force Reserve Command’s 310th Space Group will travel deeper into the space program when it activates a new unit Jan. 7. Headquarters Reserve National Security Space Institute will be a Reserve associate unit to the National Security Space Institute in Colorado Springs, Colo. The institute is

  • Vandenberg activates Area Control Center

    The 30th Space Wing activated the first major center in the new Western Range Operations Control Center Dec 15. The WROCC will be used for command and control of all Vandenberg launches and to oversee the Western Range, an area that encompasses the west coast of the continental United States and

  • Red Horse team maintains smooth operations in, out of Kandahar

    A team of about 20 Red Horse civil engineers from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., are doing their part to keep flights coming in and out of here in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As part of a $7 million construction project, warfighters can expect to see more than 150,000 square feet of

  • Sega: Integration key for space operations

    The under secretary of the Air Force and executive agent for space, Dr. Ronald M. Sega, sees space-based platforms continuing to be a vital asset to our nation’s military forces.He is looking to get back to the basics on space acquisitions, while aiming for increased integration of individual space

  • Schriever family members ‘deploy’ to fitness center

    About 60 Airmen and family members came to the base’s main fitness center recently for a three-hour “deployment.” Children moved through a processing line and received necklaces, certificates and hand-pressed buttons. Some went into the racquetball court to practice their marksmanship on skee-ball

  • SECAF visits deployed Airmen, shares insight

    The world and the Air Force have gone through remarkable changes since Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne hung up his Air Force uniform more than 30 years ago. The enemies, tools to fight them and tactics are all different now. But just six weeks into the job, the secretary visited Airmen

  • 23rd SOPS volunteers donate time at local soup kitchen

    Among other items, the recipe calls for 14 pounds of ground beef, 12 eggs and one quart of milk. It yields 50 portions of meatloaf, just about right for another hot meal at the Sonshine Soup Kitchen. Since 1989, the small soup kitchen in Derry, N.H., has served about 40 hot meals to local area

  • Moseley: Airmen engaged worldwide

    Since August 1990, when the first wing deployed for Operation Desert Shield, the Air Force has been engaged in solid combat, the Air Force chief of staff said. Gen. T. Michael Moseley took time recently to discuss Air Force issues and Airmen performing the mission. For 15 years, Airmen have been

  • Moseley discusses past, plans for future

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley brought up several points of Air Force history at a three-day Air National Guard senior leader conference here. He addressed generals, command chief master sergeants and adjutants general during the opening day of the conference as they prepared to

  • Special tactics Airmen train on submarine

    A U.S. fighter pilot has been shot down. He is injured and behind enemy lines. But he has established communications and is evading the enemy. Time is a critical factor. He needs to be rescued, and he needs to be rescued now. Submerged off the coast lies 19,000 tons of stealth in the form of a

  • Air War College hosts diplomats

    When thinking of the war on terrorism at home and abroad, two pictures emerge for many Americans: the military on the battlefield and the diplomats working foreign policy here and overseas. Both work to ensure America's security. These pictures merged here when 19 Department of State officials

  • Security forces help hurricane victim

    We see them everywhere. At the gates. In their cars and our rearview mirrors. By the flightline. They’re so omnipresent that many of us ignore them as part of the landscape. However, at least one man in the civilian community can't miss the 45th Security Forces Squadron Airmen who helped him rebound

  • Airmen earn awards for innovations, improvements

    Airmen from seven major commands received the Chief of Staff Team Excellence Awards and Air Force Best Practice certificates for mission process improvements. Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel Gen. Roger A. Brady presented the trophies and

  • Air Force leaders discuss current issues

    Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley met with the media at the Pentagon to discuss a wide range of topics and issues. The leaders provided updates on aircraft and the new Air Force mission statement at the Dec. 13 meeting. F-22A Raptor The

  • Comm squadron develops Air Force Standard Desktop

    The 50th Space Communications Squadron here is spearheading development of the Air Force Standard Desktop Configuration. This move will strengthen network defenses on all Air Force active-duty, Reserve and Guard installations in 2006 and may become a part of an approved configuration for all federal

  • From the frying pan into the gas tank

    What smells like barbecue and can go 80 miles per hour? Master Sgt. Brian Hosken’s ride to work. Sergeant Hosken, the 45th Space Communications Squadron base land mobile radio manager, uses used vegetable oil to fuel his 1985 turbo-diesel Mercedes Benz car. He’s been doing that for nearly three

  • Vandenberg helicopter crews help seize drugs

    The 76th Helicopter Squadron here helped seize $284 million of marijuana while supporting Joint Task Force North counterdrug operations this year. The joint task force bases operations on requests for Department of Defense assistance from the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Border Patrol in

  • Air attachés end conference on regional issues

    The Latin American Air Attaché conference that brought together Airmen serving in 21 countries to discuss concerns including the global war on terrorism ended here today. 12th Air Force hosted the event, which started Dec. 5, for Bruce Lemkin, the deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for

  • Air Force releases new mission statement

    The realities of the world have changed dramatically since the creation of the Air Force in 1947 and continue to change almost daily. With these changes in mind, Air Force leaders released a new mission statement Dec. 7 that defines the current and future direction of the Air Force. "Today, our

  • Airman meets doctor who saved her

    More than five months, 8,000 miles and countless prayers led to an unlikely reunion at a Colorado animal sanctuary. Tech. Sgt. Jamie Dana and Maj. (Dr.) Paul Morton first met June 25 in Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq -- a hot summer day the major described simply as chaotic. They met again Dec. 2 on a cold

  • Defender training readies ‘brass’ for deployment

    A new Air Force Materiel Command program helps train security forces leaders for deployment to combat zones. “Brave Defender,” developed by the command’s Security Forces Regional Training Center, prepares security forces commanders and senior enlisted leaders for success in the field. "This course

  • Moody rescue crews receive Mackay Trophy

    Two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter aircrews received the Mackay Trophy from Gen. John D. W. Corley, the Air Force vice chief of staff, at a ceremony here Dec. 5. The 13 Airmen earned the award for rescuing five Soldiers whose helicopter crashed in a sandstorm near Kharbut, Iraq, in April 2004. The

  • Help desk changes speed up response times

    Response times to communications outages are now almost immediate after the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron here made changes to their help desk operations. The rapid response is the result of fixes that emphasize command-and-control in help desk operations. Most visible is the

  • Americans, Germans ink Ramstein support agreement

    German and U.S. Air Forces in Europe leaders signed an agreement that continues the Ramstein support arrangement between the two nations. The agreement covers logistical and administrative support provided to the German support unit at Ramstein, including housing and work space. Lt. Gen. Horst

  • Airmen ensure deployed troops get their mail

    When the truck backs into place and the back doors open, brown and white cardboard boxes are stacked far and wide. These are not ordinary boxes. They may be special links to families and friends back home during the holiday season. Knowing this, the five people at the post office at this base do

  • ’Patriot Express’ reengineering on track

    The reengineering process to significantly scale down Patriot Express is on track, said experts in Air Mobility Command’s Air Transportation Division. Patriot Express is an AMC-managed, military-chartered commercial air service for transporting Department of Defense customers to and from overseas

  • Immersion turning out culturally savvy officers

    Traveling to a foreign country, speaking the native tongue and understanding the culture are dreams to some people. But thanks to an Air Force program, line officers have the opportunity to turn those dreams into reality. Language and Area Studies Immersion is a program designed to build a force of

  • Peterson teams among 'top dogs' at K-9 trials

    Two 21st Security Forces Squadron teams placed near the top in the tactical obedience and top agency areas at a national competition for working dogs. This is the sixth consecutive year squadron’s military working dogs and their handlers from here competed at the Tucson Area Police K-9 Trials in

  • Symposium keys on space support

    The theme for this year’s Air Force Association National Symposium was “Space – Enabling the War Fighter.” With this in mind, Space and Missile Systems Center commander Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel and other Air Force leaders, and industry partners met in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 18 to discuss their

  • Second chance: Active-duty father donates kidney

    It’s evening, and the Pitman family is playing Candyland in their living room. Devin, 5, bounces from the sofa to the gameboard and pulls a card. “Ice cream!” the blue-eyed boy shouts, and moves his yellow pawn toward the end of the trail. “My turn,” his father says, leaning over the board to pull a

  • ORIs evolve with modern war fighting

    Airmen today can face deployment with increased confidence after practicing modified operational readiness inspection scenarios that reflect current wartime conditions. According to Air Combat Command's Inspector General Col. Tom Jones, with the expeditionary nature of today's Air Force, it is

  • Vandenberg Airmen put eyes in sky

    Somewhere on Vandenberg, two Airmen wearing berets and rifle slings have their heads in a monitor as they fly a remote control plane. The Airmen are demonstrating a new capability for security, surveillance, reconnaissance, battle damage assessment and more, in the form of a four-pound,

  • Discovery Channel show visits McConnell 'Dirty Jobs' crew

    “It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it.” That’s a cliché jokingly thrown around in everyday life. But a team of 22nd Maintenance Group Airmen tackle their “dirty job” with such aplomb, the Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe” taped an episode about the Airmen here Nov. 21 and

  • Airmen graduate from Army interrogator school

    More than 90 Airmen stood next to Soldiers when the first “bluesuiter” graduated from the U.S. Army Intelligence Center’s interrogator school at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. The Airmen -- with youth ministers and Scout leaders in their midst -- graduated Nov. 10. The Airmen volunteered after the Army asked

  • PME boosts civilian leadership opportunities

    In the Air Force's current climate of shared leadership, civilians are being provided opportunities to fill positions that have historically been held by military officers. For goal-oriented civilians, there are many opportunities to attend professional military education courses to prepare for

  • Chaplains deal with deployment issues

    Whether conducting service or casually chatting with Airmen seeking spiritual guidance, military chaplains here stand ready to help. The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing’s five chaplains and three assistants offer the same services found at stateside bases. That is in addition to dealing with the unique

  • Minot completes Minuteman emergency communications upgrade

    The 91st Space Wing completed the last modifications to its Minuteman minimum essential emergency communication network at the Oscar-01 missile alert facility in the Minuteman missile complex. The completion of Oscar-01, Nov. 11, marked the final modification to the last of 50 launch control centers

  • New lieutenant colonels to attend senior developmental education

    The P0505A Lieutenant Colonel Central Selection Board selected officers for promotion and identified senior developmental education "selects." The board met at the Air Force Personnel Center here. Selects join a resource pool of officers who will be considered for future attendance at in-residence

  • Pararescuemen continue Pakistan humanitarian relief

    Above the mountainous countryside of northern Pakistan, two Air Force pararescuemen aboard a Russian-made MI-8 helicopter survey areas where people may need relief supplies. These Airmen, known as PJs, are part of a unit that traveled halfway around the world to participate in the ongoing

  • Los Angeles center partners with AFIT, Loyola

    The Space and Missile Systems Center and Air Force Institute of Technology entered a new partnership with Loyola Marymount University to meet the center’s educational goals. Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, SMC commander, Brig. Gen. Mark Matthews, AFIT commandant and Dr. Richard G. Plumb, Dean of the Seaver

  • Fundamentals course gives space students head start

    A training squadron here is offering students the first-ever spacelift course. Taught by instructors of the 392nd Training Squadron, the two-week class provides students training in spacelift concepts, capabilities and operations. There was a need for the course. In January 2004, Air Force Space

  • Teamwork keeps Balad power on

    A group of Airmen has the tough and fast-paced job of maintaining all the generators that power this desert base. The Airmen are with the 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron’s aerospace ground equipment and heating ventilation and air conditioning shop. They stay busy. "Power generation is the

  • Wargames are serious business

    To the untrained eye it seems to be a room full of computers. However, to Airmen of the 608th Combat Operations Squadron the combined air and space operations center here is a lethal weapon system. “It’s the total package, we find the target, fix the position, track it, engage the target and assess

  • Airman, volunteers working to renovate hospital

    Airmen from the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing here are revamping the Air Force theater hospital, creating a brighter and safer environment for patients and providers. The 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, 332nd Expeditionary Communications Squadron and 332nd Expeditionary Medical Support

  • AWACS crews watch over president

    Members of the 552nd Air Control Wing were in Argentina through Nov. 7th to provide airborne surveillance for the Summit of the Americas attended by President George W. Bush. Thirty-three North and South American leaders convened at the summit to discuss solutions to common political, economic and

  • Cadets designing, building unmanned aerial vehicles

    At the Sensor-based Intelligent Robotics Laboratory in the department of electrical and computer engineering here, cadets and faculty are designing and building more sophisticated autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles. These UAVs will able to communicate with each other and search, track and destroy

  • Exercise tests aircrews in virtual reality by linking simulators nationwide

    The first nationwide virtual reality exercise, Virtual Flag 06, used networked simulators to create a realistic and cheap simulated battlespace to test aircrews and space and ground operators. The exercise, led by the Distributed Mission Operations Center here, ended Nov. 4. The networked simulators

  • Officers chosen for education, cross-flow duties

    More than 210 officers from 18 career fields were selected to attend developmental education or for cross-flow assignments beginning in summer 2006. The development team special program selection and Air Force Institute of Technology boards considered officers from various fields. They included

  • Schriever's rabbi teaching Hebrew class

    The 50th Space Wing chaplain’s office held the first “Beginning Hebrew” class for people interested in learning the basics of the language. From the first base bulletin advertising the four one-hour sessions, the response has been nothing but positive, base officials said. “When we first advertised

  • Wynne: Air Force needs more joint role

    Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne said as the Air Force evolves to a new global war on terrorism era he wants it to participate in more joint operations. The Air Force is operating “as a joint service, right now -- today," the secretary said. But he said the service needs to foster a more joint

  • SOC shutdown marks end of era at Blue Cube

    With each flip of a switch, the room grew eerily quieter as the end of an era drew closer. The equipment room of the Satellite Operations Center-52 inside the Blue Cube here ceased operations recently, after 36 years of around-the-clock support to the space community. Members of 21st Space

  • Center redesign promises to improve production

    Continuous process improvement is alive and well at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. For proof, look no further than the 76th Maintenance Wing's new F100 Business Unit being stood up as part of a landmark $500 million, 10-year process of transforming maintenance, repair and overhaul, or MRO,

  • Cutting edge micro-satellite achieves milestones

    A 220-pound micro-satellite developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate here recently accomplished significant mission milestones when it rendezvoused with the upper stage of a Minotaur I launch vehicle at distances between 1.5 kilometers and 500 meters. The Air Force

  • New SECAF sends 'Letter to Airmen'

    The following is a "Letter to Airmen" from Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne:"It is an honor to serve as Secretary of the Air Force, and I look forward to working alongside you in keeping our Nation safe. Because of your dedication, skill, and sacrifice, the U.S. Air Force gives an

  • Space, missile career field seeks officers

    Air Force company grade officers in the 1997 to 2000 commissioned year groups looking to expand their horizons may want to consider applying for retraining into the space and missile career field. Officers must have at least one year time on station as of March 15 and be released from their current

  • Air Force must stay the course with FTF, AEF

    The Air Force must transform through Future Total Force and stay the course with the Air and Space Expeditionary Force concept, said the directors of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard. The Future Total Force concept is the Air Force's plan to better integrate the Air National Guard, Air

  • Air Force authorizes Berlin Airlift streamers

    Nearly 60 years after the operation, Air Force units involved in the Berlin Airlift are now authorized a new streamer to add to their unit guidons. “A question was raised to Dick Anderegg (the Air Force historian) a couple months ago if the Berlin Airlift was a campaign, and if so, do we have a

  • Tunnel 9 completes vehicle testing

    The Arnold Engineering Development Center's Tunnel 9 facility in White Oak, Md. is playing a crucial role in the ongoing Falcon program, with the completion of mission-critical testing of the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 1. The Falcon initiative is a joint Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

  • DOD announces recommended holiday mail dates

    The Department of Defense announced Oct. 31 the recommended mailing dates to ensure that holiday cards and packages for service members arrive overseas in time for the holiday season. "To ensure delivery … to military APO/FPO addresses overseas and to international addresses, we suggest mail be sent

  • New space badge wear begins today

    Air Force Space Command commander Gen. Lance W. Lord authorized wear of the new space badge to begin today. “We will unify our USAF credentialed space professional community under a single space badge -- a recognizable, distinctive symbol of the unique and challenging space mission and those who

  • Airmen help prepare Soldiers for Afghanistan duty

    Airmen from around the Air Force helped prepare 10th Mountain Division Soldiers for their deployment to Afghanistan during exercise Unified Endeavor 06 here. The exercise, which ended Oct. 23, prepared members of the division’s headquarters and staff for their upcoming rotation to head Combined

  • Real estate agency announces award winner

    The Air Force Real Property Agency has announced its 2005 Air Force Real Estate Award winners. Air Force-level winners are: -- Real estate specialist: Cheryl Cordray, 28th Civil Engineer Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. -- Senior real estate specialist: Lynn Holcomb, Air Force Space Command,

  • Davis-Monthan getting combined air operations center

    The Air Force broke ground on a new combined air operations center here. There was the sound of sledgehammers swinging when workers started the conversion of an old ground-launched cruise-missile facility into the new Falconer CAOC facility Oct. 17. The new operations center -- scheduled to open in

  • Lakenheath opens air dominance center

    The Air Force’s first Joint and Combined Air Dominance Center of Excellence is now open for business here. Lt. Col. Dave Slade, the center commander, said the Air Force established the center in response to the changing security environment in European Command’s area of responsibility with the

  • Cope Thunder 06-01 challenges end

    The first winter Cope Thunder ended here Oct. 20 and aircrews found the weather was their main adversary. But the weather at this remote base -- which grounded many missions -- is exactly why exercise planners picked it to host Pacific Air Force’s premier combat airpower exercise, said Col. Bob

  • Vandenberg launches final Titan IV

    After five decades of service, the Air Force and the Lockheed Martin Corp. launched the last Titan IV B rocket from here Oct. 19. The heavy-lift workhorse thundered off the pad at 11:05 PST to deliver its final payload to space. It carried a critical national security payload for the National

  • Iraqi pollsters receive airlift help

    When Iraq took its next step toward democracy -- voting on a constitution -- Airmen and Marines helped ensure the process worked. That included getting 1,320 Iraqi poll workers safely to and from Baghdad International Airport to their polling stations around the country. It was a job that lasted