NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • Caring airmen help at 'Camp Collie'

    People at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., are sharing humane instincts by helping abused dogs and cats following a horrid discovery Halloween night.That night on the U.S.-Canadian border, customs agents stopped a 40-foot semi-trailer coming into Montana from Alaska. The smell from the interior was

  • Officials may change Air Force fitness program

    Air Force health officials are proposing a change to the service's fitness program to help airmen place a greater emphasis on their overall health and well-being.Many airmen incorrectly think that the Air Force fitness program is cycle ergometry, according to Maj. Lisa Schmidt, chief of health

  • Vice chief of staff extends AEF office charter

    The vice chief of staff of the Air Force extended the charter of the office of the special assistant for air and space expeditionary forces through March 2004.In a Nov. 12 memo to commanders of all major commands, Gen. Robert H. Foglesong said the arrangements made in the secretary of the Air

  • Air Force's top chief discusses issues

    The most important thing any airman can do is "recognize that what you do is valuable to our nation's very existence and what we stand for," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald Murray during his visit here Nov. 8."When I speak to young airmen, I let them know that their service is

  • Incident underscores need for space access

    The Air Force's senior space official said a rocket test failure has sounded a warning and underscores the need to apply the resources necessary for assure access to space.Peter B. Teets, undersecretary of the Air Force and director of the National Reconnaissance Office, told members of the National

  • Lessons of war drive Air Force doctrine

    The Air Force uses the lessons "learned from the blood, sweat, tears, and sometimes death of Americans in the skies" to prepare its doctrine, said Maj. Gen. Dave MacGhee, commander of the Air Force Doctrine Center at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.MacGhee visited here recently to discuss what Air Force

  • New history section debuts on Air Force Link

    Air Force Link, the official Web site of the U.S. Air Force, launched a new history and heritage section Nov. 8 to coincide with Veterans Day and the upcoming 100th anniversary of powered flight.The new section documents the achievements of airpower, starting from the early days of wooden-wing

  • New Information Management Tool software now available

    A new software tool designed to improve the efficiency of the Air Force information system is now available across the service.The new Information Management Tool viewer software from PureEdge Solutions Inc. is a replacement to the long-used FormFlow form filler software and is available from local

  • New dormitory standard means bigger rooms

    Air Force officials have developed a new dormitory standard designed to enhance the standard of living for residents of Air Force dormitories worldwide.Construction on the four-plus-one style of dormitory could begin as early as this year. This style has four airmen sharing a common living area,

  • November issue of Airman available online

    Airmen fighting terrorism, a family of 11 living in base housing, and airmen supporting space shuttle launches highlight the November issue of Airman magazine, now available in print and online.In this month's issue:A strong Japan means a stable Pacific region for the United States, and the Air

  • Port squadron moves OEF cargo, passengers

    Mission "No.1" for the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing is keeping supply lines moving within the Operation Enduring Freedom corridor. When viewing the action on the flightline at a forward-deployed location, it seems everything just happens according to some master plan.That is where the men and women

  • SnoFest tickets go on sale Nov. 1

    Tickets go on sale Nov. 1 for the military's 13th annual snow sports weekend, SnoFest.The three-day festival features discounted lodging, lift tickets, food and entertainment Jan. 24 to 26 at Keystone Ski Resort, Colo."Colorado offers some of the best skiing in the world," said Col. Rick Rogers,

  • Warren airman earns $10K for idea

    A little bit of epoxy sealed Tech. Sgt. Toby Taylor's chances for $10,000.Taylor, training noncommissioned officer in charge of the 90th Maintenance Operations Squadron electrical-mechanical technician team, was recently presented with a $10,000 check from the Air Force Innovative Development

  • Segway transporters get trial run at Tinker

    Electric scooters resembling a modern-day chariot without the horses are helping people complete day-to-day tasks here as part of a test to determine if the scooters are viable to purchase.Environmental management experts began testing the Segway Human Transporter recently in several organizations.

  • New AMC policy allows passengers to fly with more pets

    Passengers traveling on permanent change-of-station orders between the United States and overseas bases on Patriot Express flights now have the opportunity to move more than two pets per family.Air Mobility Command officials have instituted a new policy allowing passengers the opportunity to move

  • Partnership will guide military, civilian space activities

    The nation's leading space agencies added a new member to their alliance recently by signing a memorandum of agreement with the director of defense research and engineering, a Department of Defense agency focusing on technology.The agreement formally establishes cooperative relationships for space

  • Schriever bodybuilder works at professional status

    A bodybuilder here who placed fourth in the U.S.A. Championships in August is busy sculpting his body for a professional qualifier match in Dallas next month.William Owens, a captain with the 22nd Space Operations Squadron, started working on his physique 20 years ago at age 13. In 1990, at his

  • Air Force reduces number of deployed security forces

    Air Force officials have reduced the number of security forces needed at deployed locations by 10 percent, allowing more than 200 airmen to come home earlier than originally planned.The adjustment was the result of a manpower assessment and helps reduce the operations tempo for this critically

  • Malmstrom airman's idea earns $10K

    Everyone likes to save money and the Air Force is no exception. So when Master Sgt. Bruce Ronke submitted a price challenge saving the Air Force $400,000 annually, the Air Force awarded him $10,000.Ronke, the former noncommissioned officer in charge of weapons and tactics codes operations here,

  • Airmen brave hazards inside fuel tanks

    Keeping fuel flowing to an aircraft engine is an essential part of flight. Fuel systems specialists from the 374th Maintenance Squadron here operate around the clock ensuring Air Force aircraft fuel systems are safe and in peak operating condition.The 14-person team is responsible for diagnosing

  • New TV ads available online

    The latest Air Force television commercials are now available online.The four-spot series, which continues the "Cross Into the Blue" theme, depicts teen-agers with particular skills or interests applying them in an Air Force specialty. The commercials tell viewers, "We've been waiting for you."In

  • Maintenance group focusing on core competencies

    Wings around the Air Force are creating maintenance groups as part of a move toward the new combat wing organization structure.The changes are in accordance with a recent directive by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper that maintenance groups be stood up and have attained initial

  • NASA honors academy aeronautics research efforts

    Members of the Air Force Academy's aeronautics department received recognition from the NASA Johnson Space Center for their work on the X-38 crew return vehicle, which will serve as a lifeboat for the International Space Station.Named as recipients of the NASA Group Achievement Award are Dr. Tom

  • $10.4 million upgrade increases test capability

    With a $10.4 million test facility upgrade here, Air Force officials hope to make Arnold Engineering Development Center a "one-stop" shopping center for aerodynamic and propulsion test customers by providing Mach 8 capability.The Mach 8 milestone, which equates to objects traveling about 6,000 mph,

  • Oklahoma Guardsmen join U.S. planes in South Africa

    Even with more than 60 nations represented on the flightline and in hangars at the South African Aerospace Defense Exhibition here, many here say the most recognizable tail art goes to the 185th Airlift Squadron from the Oklahoma Air National Guard's 137th Airlift Wing.The unit, based in Oklahoma

  • Customs agents looking closely at military mail

    Nearly all of the military mail arriving from overseas is now being checked by U.S. Customs agents because of recent increases in contraband.The Air Force's chief of postal policy said all packages coming from overseas locations are subject to inspections by customs agents, but recent discoveries

  • Chief scientist advises senior leaders

    Dr. Alexander H. Levis describes his job as the Air Force's chief scientist as "the best in the world." He even has the scientific data to back it up.As chief scientist, Levis advises the Air Force secretary and chief of staff on scientific and technological issues, and works in coordination with

  • Combat weather: More than just forecasting highs

    Monday, hot, 109. Tuesday, hot, 110. The rest of the week, extremely hot.Some people may think a deployment to a desert in Southwest Asia would be a weather forecaster's dream -- same forecast, different day. However, the 363rd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron combat weather team does

  • ID cards prepare airmen for deployment

    An airman's projected deployment information can fit inside his or her wallet thanks to the new air and space expeditionary force identification card available online.Officials at the AEF Center here recently introduced the cards as a way to help airmen understand the details of their

  • Phoenix Readiness to become 'graduate-level' training

    Expeditionary combat support personnel throughout the Air Force will soon have more opportunities to get "graduate-level training" in the art of building and operating an air base from scratch.Phoenix Readiness, the Air Mobility Command-run training program operated by the Air Mobility Warfare

  • Test Pilot School updates admission requirements

    Pilots, engineers and navigators applying for slots at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School here are finding some of the school's requirements have changed recently.The biggest difference for applicants comes in the easing of experience requirements for pilots and navigators.Beginning with this

  • Technology symposium highlights turbine engine successes

    Nearly 100 years after the Wright brothers changed the future with their first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., a new generation of American scientists and engineers gathered here to tackle the challenges of powering flight for the next century.Nearly 700 Defense Department, NASA and aerospace

  • Out on patrol

    An F-16 Fighting Falcon from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., patrols the no-fly zone in support of Operation Northern Watch. The aircraft, assigned to the 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, was part of an air and space expeditionary force deployment package. The unit spent the 90-day rotation

  • A cut above the rest

    Master Sgt. Ed Caffrey, superintendent of a heavy equipment section of the 219th Red Horse squadron here, has forged a new identity for himself.He is one of only 92 master bladesmiths in the world.Although he has always been interested in making knives, he did not take it up until after a visit to a

  • Air Force tackles aging aircraft issue head on

    B-52 Stratofortress System Program Office officials here met with Boeing and Defense Department experts to discuss an aging aircraft issue that not only impacts the B-52, but possibly the entire Air Force fleet.People from Boeing, the Navy, Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command,

  • Some Air Force families eligible for free child-care

    Certain Air Force people returning from overseas deployments supporting Operation Enduring Freedom are eligible for free child-care.The Extended Duty Child-Care Program will provide the service for up to 16 hours per child under 12 years old. The child-care is available to active-duty, Reserve and

  • Transitional health care hinges on updating records

    Demobilizing reservists who wish to receive transitional health-care benefits need to update their records and obtain transitional medical care cards for their family members when they outprocess. Reservists called to active duty for more than 30 days to support a contingency operation are eligible

  • Launch marks new era of space vehicles

    A new era of space launch vehicles began when the first Lockheed-Martin Atlas V lifted off the pad at Cape Canaveral Aug. 21.This launch begins the operational start of the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, the latest in technology for launching critical payloads into space.EELV

  • Peterson airman stars in AF commercial

    The moment Airman 1st Class Jessica Sanchez stepped onto the Hollywood sound stage recently, she was "crossing into the blue" at the same time.The missile warning intelligence analyst with the 21st Operations Support Squadron at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., won the role of a young Hispanic woman

  • AMC sends pet shipping reminders

    It is the middle of the moving season, and it is important that people follow a few simple guidelines to have their cat or dog travel smoothly with them. Air Mobility Command has arranged a very liberal pet policy with the air carriers that fly the Patriot Express missions, said Master Sgt. Nikki

  • Remembering close air support's humble beginnings

    Even the most complex of systems often begin with a simple idea.Case in point: close air support.While today's soldier can expect aerial support from fighter aircraft, specially designed gunships and helicopters -- even heavy bombers dropping laser guided munitions from several miles away -- the

  • Cable guy

    Staff Sgt. Lonnie Gonzales, from the 363rd Expeditionary Communications Squadron, works with limited space while laying fiber and copper cable for the new base theater here. Gonzales is deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah. (Photo by Senior Airman Shannon Kluge)

  • Four selected for Financial Management Leadership Program

    Four Air Force officers were chosen recently to participate in the service's Financial Management Leadership Program, designed to develop aerospace leaders with financial management and command experience.Capts. Jeffrey Dibiasi, 52nd Munitions Support Squadron, Kleine Brogel, Belgium; John Gondol,

  • Edwards hosts Industry Outlook Conference

    Experts from an array of aerospace businesses together with Air Force senior project managers will gather here October 24 to 25 to learn how they can best support future flight-test and evaluation programs.The Industry Outlook Conference will provide an opportunity for engineers, acquisition