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  • CMSAF visits Airmen, stresses importance of USAFE mission

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody and his wife, retired Chief Master Sgt. Athena Cody, met with Airmen from bases around U.S. Air Forces in Europe during visits, Jan. 25-31, to thank them and their families for their service, and to discuss the future of USAFE.

  • Cope South experts exchange knowledge, techniques

    The flight line here at exercise Cope South 15 (CS15) is usually a flurry of activity every morning, with maintainers firing up auxiliary power units and loadmasters finalizing their cargo plan.However on Jan. 27, there wasn't a single C-130 Hercules aircraft engine running. Instead, U.S. and

  • Air Force 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.

  • Max Impact rocks ESPN

    The Air Force’s premier rock band, Max Impact, was presented with a short-notice, high-visibility opportunity while preforming at the Scottsdale Fan Fest, home to Entertainment Sports and Programming Network's live broadcast for Super Bowl XLIX in Scottsdale, Arizona, Jan. 27.

  • Lakenheath's 493rd FS awarded 2014 Raytheon Trophy

    It's known as "Gold," it's the home of the Grim Reapers, and, for 2014, it's been named the top fighter squadron in the Air Force.The 493rd Fighter Squadron demonstrated their ability to remain “Forward, Ready, Now,” and was recently awarded the highly competitive and prestigious Raytheon Trophy.

  • Air Force risks becoming too small to succeed under sequestration

    During testimony on Capitol Hill Jan. 28, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III stressed the negative impact sequestration will have on future Air Force capabilities, emphasizing further budget cuts will lead to low morale and declined readiness in the Air Force.

  • AF identifies Boeing 747-8 platform for next Air Force One

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James in coordination with Frank Kendall, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, determined that the Boeing 747-8 will serve as the next presidential aircraft, commonly known as Air Force One.

  • For the love of shooting

    If you were to ask Staff Sgt. Alan Daly to explain the role combat arms instructors play in the success of the 48th Fighter Wing mission, he would say that the base is a “forward, ready, now” base."That's what we do. We deploy," said the 48th Security Forces Squadron combat arms instructor.

  • Altus AFB assists with Army National Guard jump training

    Even with the noise of the aircraft flying 1,000 feet above the ground, the mood is quiet."Six minutes!" yells Staff Sgt. Laura Bourdlais, a 58th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, before she opens the side door revealing the lights of San Antonio, Texas, in the distance.

  • Cope South 15 launches in Bangladesh

    U.S. Air Force and Bangladesh air force (BAF) personnel took to the sky Jan. 24, for the launch of exercise Cope South 15, a Pacific Air Forces-sponsored, bilateral tactical airlift exercise at BAF Base Bangabandhu, Bangladesh.

  • 341st MMXS missile communications train for field

    When it comes to ensuring the U.S.'s intercontinental ballistic missiles are ready at a moment's notice, an essential piece to the puzzle is proper maintenance on its communications network.This is where the 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron Missile Communications training section comes into play.

  • CMSAF visits Lajes, engages with Airmen

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody and his wife, retired Chief Master Sgt. Athena Cody, made a stop at Lajes Field, Azores, during a tour of remote locations across U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Jan. 26.

  • The 'daily flap' brings morale, leadership to Total Force team

    When reporting for the duty day, most maintainers go to their areas, prepare for their shift and begin the day's work. Yet the day begins a bit differently for some members in the 92nd Maintenance Squadron, where an Airman found a way to motivate, inspire and lead others with just a few words of

  • Behind the iron mask: Airman builds heroic persona to help others

    Beneath every superhero’s mask is an individual who enters society with a mission to leave it better than he or she found it.Iron Man is one of the many superheroes who not only lives in comic books, but also thrives on the big screen, and is seen as a hero to many.Tech. Sgt. Brian Thornton, a 628th

  • Ramstein Airmen train with French air force

    Airmen from the 37th Airlift Squadron participated in Volfa 15-1, an annual, multilateral training event led by the French air force at Orleans - Bricy Air Base, France, Jan. 21.

  • Airman pulls woman from burning vehicle

    As the flames grew more intense with each failed attempt to coax the shocked woman out of the car with words, Tech. Sgt. Justin Mahana knew they were running out of time, so he took a different course of action.

  • Air Force BMT introduces innovative Capstone Week

    Air Force basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph-Lackland will soon restructure its current eight-and-a-half-week course to make room for a new five-day program called Capstone Week, beginning Jan. 27 with trainees entering BMT.

  • Air Force 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.

  • 96th Test Group brings 'R2-D2' to life

    Remotely tucked away in the high desert of southern New Mexico, the 96th Test Group provides some of the most sophisticated military testing in the world. Often, their innovations and technological pursuits seem like works of science fiction, such as the group's latest project dubbed affectionately

  • Adventure in Alaska: Officer looks to mush dogs in Iditarod

    Snow and trees are all that can be seen for miles while the bitter cold nips at any piece of exposed skin. Maj. Roger Lee can almost taste the frost touching his warm breath as he yells "mush" to command his 16 dogs to trudge across the vast landscape, breaking the deafening silence of his

  • Modernization is a must for the nuclear enterprise

    The Air Force’s priorities for modernization and continuous improvement in the nuclear enterprise were the top of discussion during the Air Force Association’s monthly breakfast Jan. 20 in Arlington, Virginia.

  • Cross-utilization training solving problems for McChord Airmen

    After a year of cuts in both manning and fiscal resources, the 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here had to develop a creative way to keep the mission going strong by educating Airmen in other Air Force specialty codes (AFSCs) to assist the currently undermanned aircraft hydraulics section.

  • Andersen AFB Airman makes every dollar count

    An Airman from the 554th RED HORSE Squadron put his innovative thinking to the test, stepping up to the challenge put forth by Air Force leaders under a service wide cost saving initiative.Capt. Nassem Ghandour, the 554th RHS engineering flight deputy commander, was recognized through the Every

  • Controlling the airspace for three generations

    Children often admire parents and grandparents for doing great things, which can compel them to follow in their families’ footsteps and strive for greatness. For one Airman here, those footsteps from the past were followed almost exactly, leading to three generations of air traffic controllers.

  • Living museum: Airman preserves AF uniforms

    Walking through the 20th Maintenance Group building, it would be appropriate to stop and gaze into the office of one senior leader there. Eyes would be greeted with several mannequins wearing different shades of green and blue, each decorated with metals and ribbons.For most of his life, Lt. Col.

  • SAPR: Creating a culture shift

    According to officials from the Department of Defense's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, rising reports of sexual assault is not only a good indication of a cultural shift in the force structure, but also on the utilization of SAPR resources.People who experience sexual assault are

  • Israeli air force training

    Maj. Kevin Coughlin, the 48th Airlift Squadron flight commander and an instructor pilot, had the opportunity to travel far from Little Rock AFB to train Israeli aircrew members beyond the initial training level.

  • DUI through a Defender’s eyes

    One quiet night while on shift, a security forces patrol leader and her partner witness a car rolling through the stop sign at a nearby intersection. With vehicle lights flashing, they initiate a traffic stop.After approaching the vehicle and requesting the required documentation – government I.D.,

  • USecAF lands at Moody, visits Airmen

    Under Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning visited Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Jan. 15, for the first time to learn more about the mission and experience it firsthand.

  • Air Force 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.

  • Air Force senior leadership addresses need to stabilize RPA enterprise

    During a State of the Air Force address held at the Pentagon, Jan 15, Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James announced immediate preliminary steps to develop a get-well plan to improve the health of the MQ-1B Predator and MQ-9 Reaper enterprise in light of extensive combatant commander

  • SecAF, CSAF discuss future of the Air Force

    Senior leadership addressed the key issues, priorities, initiatives and challenges facing the Air Force during the State of the Air Force press briefing, Jan. 15 at the Pentagon.

  • Hard work, dedication in below zero temperatures

    It's 6:30 a.m., 27 degrees below zero and the sky remains dark. Senior Airman Taylor Lancaster heads to his locker to sort his gear and make sure he has everything ready to begin work in the frigid weather.

  • Resurrecting a mission: Family christens ship for fallen Airman

    On Aug. 11, 2014, Capt. Dana M. Lyon christened the motor vessel that was named after her husband, Capt. David I. Lyon, who was killed in Afghanistan Dec. 27, 2013. The christen took place before the vessel departed to perform its wartime mission.

  • State of the Air Force

    Senior Air Force officials will brief the press at 2 p.m. EST, Jan. 15. Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III will discuss the current state of the Air Force, as well as, share their thoughts on the future of the Air Force.

  • EOD: Keeping Airmen, community safe

    The motto, “initial success or total failure,” requires Airmen of the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) flight here to think outside the box and accept nothing less than perfection when performing their duties.

  • Brothers in arms

    Brothers in arms is a common expression among military members, but rarely do actual siblings directly complement each other's contributions to the mission. At the 388th Fighter Wing on Hill Air Force Base, Utah, 1st Lt. Sean Rush and Staff Sgt. Brandon Rush are doing exactly that.

  • Building strategic relationships

    The Air Force’s ability to continue building partnerships to meet challenges of future warfare directly involves Airmen and Soldiers who are focused on building partnership capacity throughout Southwest Asia. As the result of a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates (UAE),

  • Power lifting through faith, strength

    Staff Sgt. Ashley Bryant, a Tulsa, Oklahoma-native, broke the women's national bench press record with a 231.1 pound lift during a weight-lifting competition in Illinois while home on leave.

  • Academy Airman helps Afghan interpreter start new life in US

    Master Sgt. Michael Simon, now an Academy Military Trainer for Cadet Squadron 16, began a year-long deployment in June 2011 at Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan as a Mi-17 crew chief air adviser, where he relied heavily on Afghan interpreters to stay alive and accomplish the mission of training Afghan

  • Air Force 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.

  • Airman continues the family business

    Staff Sgt. Dana Walker is from a family focused on science. Her father and her siblings have careers in different science fields and Walker herself chose to become a meteorologist in the Air Force.

  • 2014 Information Dominance Award winners announced

    The Air Force Chief of Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer, Lt. Gen. William Bender, recently announced the winners of the 2014 Air Force Information Dominance Awards and the General John P. Jumper Award for Excellence in Warfighting Integration.

  • New deicing simulator saves money, manpower, increases training

    With the winter months comes freezing temperatures, snow, frost and ice, but despite the inclement weather the mission continues, making aircraft deicing a main priority for maintainers.This year, to increase training capabilities and save money and manpower, the 92nd Maintenance Group installed a

  • Kabul Afghan Airmen complete FAST training

    As American security forces transition to Resolute Support, it is important that Afghan security forces can secure their own country. Recently another step was taken in this direction when eight Afghan air force security forces airmen graduated the first Kabul Air Wing Fly-Away Security Team

  • End of an era signals new beginnings for security forces

    Ninety-five security forces Airmen from around the country attended the last 99th Ground Combat Training Squadron's Base Security Operations course Dec. 6-20, at the Silver Flag Alpha Range Complex, outside of Las Vegas.

  • A new era of retrograde operations as squadron inactivates

    Ringing in not only a new year, but a new era of retrograde operations, the 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron was inactivated during a ceremony here Jan. 1.In a time honored tradition, Lt. Col. Christopher Carmichael, the 455th EAPS commander, relinquished command of the squadron to Col.

  • Ice bridge closes gap to range complex

    From the first day the Tanana River in Alaska is frozen enough to walk on, Airmen from the Eielson Air Force Base’s 354th Civil Engineer Squadron’s range maintenance shop drill holes, pump water and let it freeze, layer after layer.

  • AF government travel cards receive tech upgrade

    Beginning this month, Citibank is issuing chip and PIN-enabled government travel cards (GTC) to new card applicants, individuals whose cards will expire in 2015 and individuals who have reported lost or stolen cards.

  • 2014 Air Force Year in Photos

    This Year in Photos feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America.

  • Grand Forks officer selected for Mansfield Fellowship Program

    An officer with the 348th Reconnaissance Squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota will soon be making his way from the Land of the Sunflake to the Land of the Rising Sun after being accepted for one of the world's most prestigious international fellowship programs.

  • Putting the ‘combat’ in combat communications

    Airmen from the 644th Combat Communications Squadron recently exercised their abilities to respond to various scenarios during contingency operations such as emergency response, self-aid and buddy care, and force protection, while demonstrating combat skills at the Andy South annex near Andersen Air

  • Air Force 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.

  • CSAF visits Bagram, connects with Airmen

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, spent a portion of his visit to the Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility engaging with Airmen, NCOs and officers during an Airman’s Call here Dec. 15

  • OSI agents committed to the challenge

    To a select group of special agents assigned to Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 212 at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, it is an honor to commit their time as peace-keepers of the Air Force.

  • Dreams come true for Italian Airman

    Sono un aviatore Americano. When translated, these words represent the bridge between two disparate lives for Dimas Bernacchia -- the life of an Italian immigrant and the life of an American Airman.

  • CSAF visits Aviano

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Ms. Heidi H. Grant, the deputy under secretary of the Air Force, international affairs, and Mrs. Betty Welsh visited Airmen and their families Dec. 22, at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

  • ‘NORAD Tracks Santa’: Bringing him to a home near you

    Santa will be traveling around the world Dec. 24, delivering presents to all the girls and boys. To help keep tabs on Santa, North American Aerospace Defense Command, including Alaskan NORAD Region (ANR), Continental U.S. NORAD Region and Canadian NORAD Region, will track him across the globe to

  • Australian F-35 lands at new home

    The first Royal Australian air force F-35A Lightning II arrived at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona Dec. 18, marking the first international partner to arrive for training.

  • CSAF visits Al Udeid

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III met with Airmen and answered their questions about current Air Force issues during a visit Dec. 14, to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

  • Roll Call: A historic year

    The Air Force’s senior enlisted Airman released the latest installment of Roll Call, reflecting on the last year and urging Airmen to celebrate their accomplishments.

  • Eagle flies home: Airman receives a native name

    Capt. Myles Morales, the 336th Recruiting Squadron support flight commander, traveled approximately 1,700 miles to Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota, to receive one of the most distinguished decorations in his Native American culture: a name.

  • Altitude chamber takes its last breath

    For more than 50 years, aircrew at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, have shared a common physical experience; they all have felt the effects of rapid depressurization inside a hypobaric chamber.

  • Coalition partnerships key in Operation Inherent Resolve

    At the forward headquarters of U.S. Air Forces Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, U.S. Airmen work closely with their counterparts from 14 nations as they plan and carry out daily air operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).