NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • AFSOUTH strengthens space ties with partner nations

    Three officers from the Dominican Republic, Peruvian and Brazilian militaries partnered with active-duty and guard Airmen at Davis-Monthan for a rare opportunity to work collectively on the space component of PANAMAX 2014, Aug. 8-15.

  • Two cent difference saves AF, Travis AFB millions

    Travis Air Force Base has jumped on board an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century initiative set in place in 2008 that will eventually save the Air Force and Department of Defense millions of dollars each year.

  • Changes to academic degree and developmental education expectations

    Air Force officials announced actions designed to set clear expectations, restore Airmen's time and refocus officer promotions on job performance.The Air Force has addressed long-standing perceptions that to be promoted, officers must complete an advanced academic degree, and those officers selected

  • Medical experts train counterparts in Mongolia

    The sounds of agony filled the air near the wooded back lot of the Central Armed Forces Hospital, or CAFH, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as an interpreter encouraged accident victims to ‘ham up’ their performances during mass casualty response training, as part of Operation Pacific Angel 14-4 Mongolia.

  • CMSAF, Congressional representatives discuss military family life

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody participated in a Congressional Military Family Caucus at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, Aug. 14, affording more than one hundred military family members the opportunity to discuss various issues with congressional representatives and Air Force

  • Goodwill through the language of civil engineering

    U.S. Air Force civil engineers communicated with Mongolian contractors and worked with MAF engineers to help improve the quality of life in local schools and clinics, said Senior Master Sgt. Sandon Miller, lead civil engineer for PACANGEL 14-4 assigned to the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron.

  • First pipeline F-35 crew chiefs graduate

    Nine Airmen became the first Air Force recruits to graduate initial skills technical training as F-35 Lightning II crew chiefs after completing Mission-Ready Airmen training here Aug. 7."The opportunity to be the first of something so important means a lot. I know many people are looking at us to be

  • Bomber crews showcase take-off talents

    Ten B-52H Stratofortress bombers took part in a minimum interval takeoff exercise, or MITO, showcasing ground and aircrew's abilities, here Aug. 14.During a MITO, each aircraft is equipped with eight starter cartridges filled with gunpowder, that allows the engines to start up faster than a normal

  • New rotation takes reigns at Powidz AB, Poland

    With a shrill squeal, rubber met road as two C-130J Super Hercules' touched down Aug. 14, at Powidz Air Base, Poland -- their crews ready to begin a flying training deployment in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, or OAR.

  • CSAF Call to Airmen: 2015 Reading List

    The Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh III has issued a call to all Airmen, to help create the 2015 CSAF Professional Reading Program, asking for submissions that center on the profession of arms and more specifically the Air Force core values: Integrity first, service before self

  • CHIEFchat: ACAs and the future Enlisted Performance Reports

    Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody addressed the Airman Comprehensive Assessment, or ACA, how it influences enlisted performance reports, and how those reports will affect future promotions during his latest CHIEFchat at Defense Media Activity, here.

  • Greece, US plan for successful air training

    They had been in the room for nearly six hours. The planners scoured the map of Greece, searching for just the right area to place an enemy missile defense system, or an enemy airfield, or one of hundreds of other highly defended military targets

  • New inspection system taking form at Nellis

    The publication of Air Force Instruction 90-201, Air Force Inspection System, brought fundamental changes to the way the base conducts inspections. Under the new system, units will no longer be spending weeks and months preparing for a one-week inspection from the Air Combat Command Inspector

  • Kunsan sexual assault prevention, response team brings home AF-level award

    The 8th Fighter Wing Sexual Assault Response Coordinator Maj. Daniel Giannavola, and Deputy SARC, Capt. Poonsak Kajonpong, were announced as the Air Force-level winners for the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention Innovation Award for the timeframe of Oct. 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014.

  • Journalist recalls travels with Robin Williams

    U.S. service members truly lost a friend with the death of Robin Williams yesterday, Aug. 11. Williams made multiple USO tours to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf, Bahrain, Kuwait and other bases in Southwest Asia to give soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and DoD civilians a little taste of

  • US partners with Greece for bilateral training

    Nearly 20 U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, deployed to Souda Bay, Greece, for bilateral training with the Hellenic air force Aug. 11-23.

  • Code change: Securing critical assets

    Once a year, the codes used to launch Minot Air Force Base's intercontinental ballistic missiles need to be updated.The manual process requires hundreds of Airmen work around the clock for three weeks straight to ensure all launch facilities are accessed and the missile code change is a success.

  • Humanitarian assistance continues in Iraq

    The United States and Britain have flown 14 humanitarian airdrops since Aug. 7 to Yezidi refugees in the Sinjar Mountains in Iraq, a Defense Department official said Aug. 12.

  • USecAF visits with Spangdahlem Airmen

    Under Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning recently visited Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and spoke with Airmen during an all call, which he kicked off by complimenting their attention to detail.

  • AF implements static EPR closeout dates, eliminates change of reporting

    The first in a series of changes to the enlisted evaluation and promotion systems announced July 31 will include implementation of The SCOD also drives adjusted active-duty promotion eligibility cutoff dates for promotion to technical and master sergeants; all other grades are unchanged.

  • Altus breaks ground for KC-46A construction

    Officials broke ground on a new construction project on Altus Air Force Base, Okla., Aug. 7. The ceremony marked the beginning of a months-long effort to prepare for the arrival of the newest refueling aircraft in the Air Force fleet, the KC-46A Pegasus.

  • Luke civilian earns coveted Marquez award

    An aircraft armament systems technician at Luke Air Force Base, in Arizona, distinguished himself by earning the 2013 Air Force Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Award for Outstanding Munitions/Missile Maintenance Person of the Year, civilian technician category. It was announced July 22.

  • AF implements intel officer retention program

    Eligible intelligence officers have until Sept. 22 to apply for a critical skills retention bonus implemented by the Air Force this month, Air Force Personnel Center officials said today.

  • Unusual sport calls fuels Airman to France

    Cycle polo? What in the world is cycle polo? That's a thing? These are questions Staff Sgt. Jonathan MacPherson, a 673rd Logistics Readiness Squadron Fuels Management Flight fuels service center controller, is accustomed to hearing.

  • Nellis AFB Airmen save elderly couple during flash flood

    Three Airmen from the 820th RED HORSE, assisted by three members of the 799th Air Base Squadron, saved an elderly couple during a flash flood Aug. 4 while they were on their way home from their work sites at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.

  • SAPR orientation provides cohesion across Air Force

    The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response coordinators from each Air Force major command attended the first-ever three-day orientation and training here, July 29 -31, to discuss issues and innovations with Air Force SAPR top leaders and subject matter experts.

  • Deployed loadmasters use new airdrop system

    A C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron completed an airdrop for the Afghan National Army using the new Wireless Gate Release System Aug. 1, at Bagram Airfield Afghanistan.

  • Airman finds true passion in mechanic career

    Let's face it; every guy has an inner child screaming to get out. And what little boy doesn't like ripping apart his toys and making a mess of things? But the older most men get the more expensive and fancier the toys. Senior Airman Christopher Moore, a vehicle mechanic with the 386th Expeditionary

  • Intel NCO named best AF pistol shooter

    The NCOIC for intelligence for the 705 Combat Training Squadron at Kirtland AFB has become the No. 1 pistol shooter in the Air Force.Staff Sgt. Terrence Sears, NCO in charge of the Air Force National Pistol Team, took top honors among Air Force shooters at the National Pistol Championships in July,

  • CSAF: A call to excellence for all Airmen

    In his latest Airman-to-Airman message, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III urged the men and women of the Air Force to challenge themselves to be better at what they do.

  • Aircrew flight equipment shop to save $250K at Travis AFB

    Answering the call of Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry Spencer, Airmen from Travis Air Force Base’s aircrew flight equipment shop questioned the norm of a well-established process that eventually led to a local annual savings of nearly $250,000.

  • Culture change: Aviation safety in healthcare

    The Air Combat Command Surgeon General's office pioneered a program bringing operational risk management and flightline safety procedures into hospitals and dental squadrons across the Air Force.

  • James: Air Force grapples with Congress to fund readiness

    To balance readiness today and modernization tomorrow, the Air Force’s fiscal year 2015 budget request is shrinking like today’s defense budget thanks to Congress’s own priorities and the approaching threat of sequestration in 2016, Air Force leaders said July 30.

  • Tyndall AFB takes F-22 pilot training to next level

    The Air Force’s ability to continue developing a fifth generation fighter aircraft fleet ready to meet the challenges of future warfare, hinges in large part, on a steady influx of capable and trained F-22 Raptor pilots.

  • Airmen get inside look at military judicial system

    Students attending orientation training through the Offutt Air Force Base First Term Airmen's Center now actively participate in mock court-martials to raise awareness about sexual assault in the military.

  • AF implements career intermission pilot program

    Up to 40 active-duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard officers and enlisted members who meet eligibility requirements will be offered between one and three years of partially-paid time out of uniform to focus on personal and professional pursuits under the Career Intermission Pilot Program,

  • Vice chief of staff talks STEM to local educators

    Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Larry O. Spencer spoke to local educators about the particular importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to the Air Force during an ASM Materials Teachers Camp July 18, at Shaw-Howard University, Washington, D.C.

  • New museum to inspire Airmen

    Two Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland museums, the Airman Heritage Museum and the Security Forces Museum, will consolidate into the Enlisted Heritage and Character Development Center by October 2014 and will serve as a stepping stone for a larger $50 million, privately-funded museum set to open in

  • Pacific Angel-Tonga wraps up

    More than 4,300 patients received care and five schools obtained much needed upgrades as Operation Pacific Angel 14-3, a joint and combined humanitarian mission, closed July 25.

  • Airmen make 'Angels' day

    Tears masked her cheeks. Her mother tried to calm her, but her expression didn't change until Damarius Pettway walked up to her. The day would soon become special.

  • Healthy eating: A recipe for success

    Airmen from the 374th Force Support Squadron are working in concert with Certified Master Chef James Hanyzeski to improve the nutritional quality of the meals served to Airmen at the Samurai Café dining facility on Yokota Air Base, Japan.

  • AF Assistance Fund may not hit 2014 goal

    In spite of persistent economic difficulties, active-duty and retired Airmen have contributed more than $6 million to the Air Force Assistance Fund, or AFAF, during this year’s fund drive.

  • ACC, PACAF commanders confirmed

    Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Herbert Carlisle will be the next commander of Air Combat Command and ACC Vice Commander Lt. Gen. Lori Robinson will be the next commander of Pacific Air Forces, according to a Senate confirmation vote July 23.

  • SECAF discusses current, future challenges with 501st CSW

    Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James visited Royal Air Force Alconbury and RAF Molesworth, England, to learn more about the mission of the 501st Combat Support Wing and to discuss with Airmen the current state of the Air Force.

  • Airmen treat and educate at Tonga dental clinic

    American, Australian, and Tongan dentists and technicians are working together to ensure they treat as many dental patients as possible during Pacific Angel-Tonga’s health care services outreach program July 21-25.

  • Pacific Angel making a difference in Tonga

    More than 160 members from seven nations joined forces to provide humanitarian assistance to the citizens of Tonga as part of Operation Pacific Angel-Tonga July 21.

  • Security forces marksmen hone skills at Alaska range

    Brock said his parents didn't like guns and wouldn't allow him to have one. At 16 years old, he managed to get his hands on a BB gun. At 17, his grandfather, who sympathized with the teenager, got a Remington Model 522 Viper .22-caliber rifle for the budding marksman as a Christmas gift. He was

  • With precision stitching, Airman strengthens gear and career

    Senior Airman Devin Litton, a 22nd Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment, or AFE, journeyman, has spent hundreds of hours developing his sewing skills since he was first introduced to the needle and thread. He did not expect this to be a part of his job description when he was waiting

  • Medical training in hyperreality

    The Air Force Medical Modeling and Simulation Training, or AFMMAST, is improving medical training is by adding hyperreality and high fidelity through the use of the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Cut Suit.

  • Airman to publish story of tragedy, perseverance

    He could have faced another life, one that included becoming a child soldier and subsequently a lost boy from the Liberian Civil War. Instead, luck, hard work and true grit led Joseph Boyou to the Air Force where he now holds the rank of staff sergeant. Boyou, the 2nd Air Force special projects and

  • Acting VA secretary outlines problems, actions taken

    In testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs July 15, Acting VA Secretary Sloan D. Gibson outlined serious problems regarding access to health care and key actions the department has taken to get veterans off waiting lists and into clinics.

  • Wanted: Airmen selfie videos

    Do you have a unique story about the path that led you to the Air Force? Are you proud of your job and how it impacts the bigger Air Force mission? Do you work in an exceptional unit? If so, the Air Force wants to hear from you!

  • Air Force will provide assured access to space

    Gen. William L. Shelton, Air Force Space Command commander, stressed the importance of maintaining assured access to space to the Senate Subcommittee on Strategic Forces and Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation during a hearing on the options for assuring domestic access to space, July

  • Reserve Airman saves fellow Airman after ATV rollover

    The swift actions of an Airman during an ATV accident saved the limb and probably the life of a fellow Airman. Airman 1st Class Makayla Conant, 477th Security Forces Squadron, was the passenger in a Razor ATV being driven by fellow Security Forces member, Staff Sgt. Philip Strumsky, when the ATV

  • A-10 pilots 'Hawg' the range

    The winner of the 2014 Hawgsmoke competition was the 47th Fighter Squadron, an Air Force Reserve Command unit based at Davis-Mothan Air Force Base, Arizona and under the operational control of the 924th Fighter Group.

  • Weapons Airman keeps F-22s in the fight

    Airman 1st Class Kyron Abraham worked the day shift during those winter months. He drove to work through the cold night of day to the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and joined his three-man team in relieving the night shift. Then the order came to load

  • Branched out: From Marine, Soldier, Sailor to Airman

    Staff Sgt. Jesus Yanez, currently deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, from the Texas Air National Guard's 204th Security Forces Squadron in El Paso, Texas, has answered his nation's call not just once but four times: first as a Marine, then a Sailor, Soldier and currently as an Airman.

  • U.S., British wounded warriors compete in summer competition

    Approximately 100 U.S. Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and British Armed Forces wounded warriors trained and competed in the second annual Wounded Warrior Summer Invitational Adaptive Sports Tournament at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, July 7-10.

  • ISR Agency becomes part of newest Numbered Air Force

    The Air Force Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency is being realigned from Headquarters Air Force as a Field Operating Agency to become part of a new operational Numbered Air Force, or NAF, under Air Combat Command, or ACC, officials said July 11.

  • Air Force creates Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center

    The Air Force is centralizing its installation support management within a newly created Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, Air Force officials announced July 11. The change resulted from a comprehensive effort to reduce overhead costs; increase efficiencies; eliminate redundant

  • Roll Call: One Air Force

    Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Cody released the latest installment of Roll Call, explaining to Airmen the importance of being “one Air Force” that encompasses active, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen.

  • Kardashians attend shower for military moms

    "Keeping up with the Kardashians" stars Kim, Kourtney and Khloé gave back to the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst community during an Operation Shower event for 64 new mothers July 7, in Jersey City, New Jersey.

  • AF moves forward with future bomber

    The U.S. Air Force released its Long Range Strike Bomber, or LRS-B, request for proposal to industry July 9 with a contract award expected in spring 2015.

  • Transcending Tragedy

    At a stage in life that many would consider to be over the hill, Ronald Ball hardly fit the profile of an Air Force recruit. Starting over, a middle-aged man, no one would have blamed him for giving up.

  • Hill AFB plays key role in delivering F-16s to Indonesia

    The combined efforts of Hill Air Force Base's Ogden Air Logistics Complex, F-16 System Program Office, Defense Logistics Agency and several other Defense Department organizations will culminate in the initial delivery of three of 24 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft to the government of Indonesia July

  • AF introduces Total Force Commissioning Process

    Air Force officials announced the Total Force Commissioning Process July 10. This new process allows the Air Force to provide multiple career avenues for officers being commissioned through Air Force ROTC by offering cadets the chance to pursue opportunities in the Air Force Reserve or Air National

  • AF selects 8 officers for 2015 DARPA program

    Eight Air Force officers have been selected for the fiscal year 2015 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, Service Chief Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials said July 9.

  • CSAF visits Ramstein, focus on people, pride, respect

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III returned to Ramstein Air Base July 8-9 to speak with Airmen, listen to their stories of service, update them on pressing issues facing the Air Force, and thank them for their service.

  • Airmen, aircraft continue Greenland mission

    Approximately 70 Air National Guard Airmen and two ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules completed the fourth rotation in the Arctic region to support the National Science Foundation, June 27-30 here.

  • Loading F-16s with lethal firepower

    As a munitions controller with the 35th Maintenance Squadron, he receives dozens of calls every day, while waiting for one that's arguably more important than the rest. It's the call that delivers the 35th Fighter Wing's flying schedule and triggers a process that turns Misawa Air Base's F-16

  • Father, daughter share deployment to Bagram

    The military becomes a tight knit family for people who are away from home. Service members share many unique experiences and when the time comes to deploy, they need "family" support that much more. For Tech. Sgt. John Trujillo and Senior Airman Kimberly Buzzell, the support network is not only