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  • Top AF leaders: Happy holidays to all!

    The Air Force’s senior leaders send a holiday message to Airmen and family members throughout the force.Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh II and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody thank service members and family members for their

  • Eligible officers, enlisted members offered early retirement

    Staff through senior master sergeants and captains through lieutenant colonels in certain Air Force Specialty Codes may apply to retire with fewer than 20 years of active service under the Temporary Early Retirement Authority, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

  • Thousands of U.S. personnel serve overseas during the holidays

    For many American service members, the holidays are just another work day.In a news conference last week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey reminded Americans that their military is deployed worldwide, performing missions that keep their fellow citizens safe.In his

  • Parents, Children Fighting Cancer weather the storm

    On a cold and gloomy winter afternoon, thick, gray clouds loomed overhead. Parents, with their children in tow, quickly escape to the shelter of a nearby aircraft hangar. A safe-haven for those seeking refuge from the elements as guests are welcomed with friendly smiles, music, Christmas lights and

  • Alaska Airmen keep Santa in sight

    NORAD conducts a special mission on Dec. 24 - tracking Santa across the globe to ensure Santa experiences safe travels during his yuletide journey and Alaskan NORAD Region plays a vital part in that mission.

  • C-17 crew members reflect on Philippine relief efforts

    Days after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippine's eastern seaboard Nov. 8, C-17 Globemaster III crews from the 535th Airlift Squadron here, began flying sorties in and out of the hardest hit areas as part of Operation Damayan. Tacloban, the capital city of the Philippine Province Leyte, served

  • CSAF to Airmen: focus on dignity, respect

    The Air Force’s highest ranking uniformed Airman released another edition of ‘Airman to Airman’ – a video series highlighting key issues and challenges facing the service.

  • CSAF hosts summit to address sexual assault

    Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Mark A. Welsh III hosted a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Summit Dec.11 and 12 as part of the Air Force's ongoing effort to provide education and analysis on the issue and to discuss the complex leadership concerns sexual assault presents.

  • Financial management leadership program open to eligible officers

    Nominations for active-duty line officers interested in the financial management leadership program, or FMLP, are due to the Air Force Personnel Center by Feb. 15, 2014, AFPC officials said Dec. 18. The FMLP is a four-year program that provides non-finance officers the opportunity to gain leadership

  • AF band spreads holiday cheer

    Dressed in holiday style the U.S. Air Force Band performed Dec. 15 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Va., as part of their holiday concert series.Visitors lined the railings and the floor around the stage as the band performed holiday classics along with

  • Operation Christmas Drop delivers relief to typhoon-stricken island

    Airmen participating in Operation Christmas Drop here, coordinated with non-governmental organizations and State Department officials in the region to airdrop critical shipments of water and food for 30 workers recovering from damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan on Kayangel Island, part of the Republic

  • Top NCO debuts new NCO, Petty Officer book

    The military's top enlisted service member debuted a new noncommissioned officer and petty officer book here today in what he called a significant moment for all enlisted leaders. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was

  • Mission complete: Reapers finish base security role in Afghanistan

    After a five-hour vehicle and foot patrol outside of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Tech. Sgt. Gary Rand sets his gear down and talks to his fellow Airmen about the mission.The Reapers have just pulled into their compound after the final “outside the wire” mission patrolling an area around the

  • Twin brothers, separated during childhood, serve together

    By any measure, brothers Staff Sgt. Billy and Senior Airman Barrington Medeiros of the 143rd Airlift Wing had a tough childhood. Originally born in California, the identical twins -- separated by only a minute -- moved to Rhode Island at a very young age. For the brothers, life there wasn't easy.

  • 329 selected for academic, career broadening opportunities

    More than 300 officers have been selected for advanced academic degree and career broadening opportunities, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced Dec. 16.Selection for an advanced academic degree, or AAD, or special experience exchange duty, or SPEED, slot is an important step in an

  • Fighter pilot gets hero's burial

    Major Troy Gilbert’s widow and their five children placed roses behind a small box beside his grave. Ginger Gilbert Ravella then knelt down, kissed her finger and placed it gently on the box after the Dec. 11 ceremony that partially fulfilled the family’s quest to bring their fallen hero to his

  • CSAF outlines joint strike fighter’s value

    On the day that Lockheed-Martin delivered its 100th F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter to the Air Force, the service’s leaders today marked the milestone and outlined the aircraft’s value. The F-35 will be delivered to Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., where it will serve as the first training

  • Air Force major named top tactician

    For the first time in 23 years, an Air Force officer has won the General S. Patton Jr. Distinguished Master Tactician Award as a student in the Command and General Staff Officer Course, or CGSOC, Dec. 12.

  • AFDW host developmental seminar with key Air Force leaders

    Airmen representing the National Capital Region enlisted, officer and civilian force attended the annual Air Force District of Washington Capital Airmen Development Seminar to enhance their leadership skills Dec. 2 through 5.

  • AF announces additional force management programs to reduce force size

    Air Force leaders announced force management programs today designed to reduce the force by thousands of Airmen over the next five years as a result of sequestration.Fiscal 2014 force management initiatives are in addition to the announcement made in July, stating the Air Force will implement

  • Wounded Airman receives new home

    The morning alarm wakes him. He gets dressed, brushes his teeth and gets his two-year-old son ready for the day. He does this with no legs, and only one arm.

  • More than 380 selected for squadron command

    More than 380 officers from various Air Force career fields have been selected for logistics, mission support, materiel leader, air base, and operations support squadron command Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

  • Afghanistan air vet earns prestigious award

    A C-130 Hercules aircraft loadmaster with the 169th Airlift Squadron received the Staff Sgt. Henry E. "Red" Erwin Outstanding Enlisted Aircrew Member Airman of the Year Award during a Dec. 8 ceremony here.

  • Injured Airman returns to duty, celebrates promotion

    Staff Sgt. Brian Williams of the 87th Security Forces Squadron is just like any other Airman. He has been in the Air Force for 13 years, has deployed six times and served as a military working dog handler at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., since 2011.

  • Small shop spreads cool savings

    During the summer months at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing a properly working air conditioner is a priority for Airmen and for aircraft assigned here supporting decisive combat air power and 30 percent of U.S. Air Forces Central Command's daily air tasking order sorties.

  • Vandenberg AFB launch propels nanosatellite into space

    An Atlas V rocket launched Dec. 5, from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., carried a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored nanosatellite into space -- and with it, the potential for more reliable and less expensive communications for troops around the world.

  • Deployed Airman gets family surprise

    For Master Sgt. Shanda Moon it was another uneventful lunch at her deployed location in Southwest Asia where she serves as the executive assistant to the command chief for U.S. Air Force Central Command. She saw a young Soldier approaching, but didn't think much about it. But as he got closer, he

  • Joint Chiefs Chairman to host Facebook town hall

    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is looking forward to interacting with a range of people during a town hall meeting on Facebook this week.Questions already are coming in to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey's Facebook page, with more than 150 questions and comments so far over a wide range of

  • NCO to commission as first lieutenant

    A noncommissioned officer from the 65th Force Support Squadron was recently selected to commission as a first lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps. Staff Sgt. Jacob Williams, 65th FSS career development craftsman, was so anxious he couldn't eat breakfast on the morning of Oct. 18. Some of the MSC

  • Aero repair keeps ‘birds’ in the air

    With the highest volume of flying missions in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command area of responsibility, aircraft at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing rely on a team of professional maintainers to keep them in top shape to accomplish the air tasking order.

  • AF appoints new space deputy

    A new deputy under Secretary of the Air Force for Space programs was appointed Nov. 18 to lead the way in innovation and plot the future of the program.

  • Mom: 'There go my boys to save another life'

    Staff Sgts. Cody and Jake Inman are both part of the Alaska Air National Guard’s rescue mission here. Cody is a pararescueman with the 212th Rescue Squadron while his brother is an HH-60 Pave Hawk special mission aviator in the 210th RQS, a new Air Force Specialty Code that combined the former

  • Welsh: Air Force performs vital national security missions

    The Air Force mission that calls for it to dominate the air, transport troops and materiel and provide communications and intelligence are all critical to American military success, but performing them is hard for the public to visualize because much of this goes on behind the scenes, Air Force

  • Welsh, Cody wrap-up trip to the Dakotas

    The Air Force’s top commissioned and noncommissioned military leaders met thousands of Airmen in the Dakotas this week, learning about their missions and lives and answering their questions. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody visited

  • President, deployed Airman talk football on Thanksgiving

    “One hundred and twenty years ago, in the midst of a great and terrible civil conflict, President Lincoln formally proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to remind those ‘insensible to the ever watchful providence of almighty God’ of this nation’s bounty and greatness. Several days after the

  • Welsh: Airmen should use common sense in approaching missions

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody told Airmen at the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Nov. 27 that they need to use common sense as they go about their duties.

  • AF implements new personnel policies as it prepares to get smaller

    The Air Force will implement new personnel policies to posture for future force management programs as it prepares to become smaller, officials announced today. In the absence of Congressional direction to mitigate the impact of sequestration, the Air Force must proceed with changes to personnel

  • Air Force focuses on nuclear security, operations

    The Air Force's nuclear mission continues to have the attention of leaders across the discipline, the Air Force chief of staff said here yesterday. Gen. Mark A. Welsh III categorically stated that he is not worried about the surety and security or the operational capability of the Air Force's

  • Welsh: Air Force must get handle on pay, benefits

    The Air Force must control the growth of pay and benefits or the service will be hard pressed to perform its primary mission to fight and win America's wars, the service's top officer said here yesterday.

  • AF senior leaders tour Dakota bases, meet personnel

    Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III arrived here today for a three-day trip through the Dakotas.Welsh, his wife Betty, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Cody will visit the base and then move to Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., to meet with Airmen and their families.

  • Wounded warriors gain confidence during Pentagon volleyball contest

    Gung-ho spirits were the norm as wounded-warrior athletes from the four services, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Department of Veterans Affairs clashed at the 3rd Annual Joint Services Sitting Volleyball Tournament, in recognition of Warrior Care Month.

  • Air Force wins top honors at international film festival

    Two Air Force video productions won awards at the 23rd International Defence Film Festival in Rome last week, including the "Grand Prix - Plaque of the President of the Italian Republic” award for best overall production, according to a festival press release.

  • A surprise homecoming at Broncos vs. Patriots game

    Maj. Wellington V. Philips II returned home from a six-month deployment in Southwest Asia to surprise his wife and son at the Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots football game Nov. 25, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

  • The future of air and space operations in the Pacific

    Four retired Air Force senior leaders addressed Air Force Association Pacific Air and Space Symposium attendees during a panel, using their lessons learned to discuss the future of Air and Space operations in the Pacific.

  • AF special operations group key to aid effort after Typhoon Haiyan

    The Air Force's 353rd Special Operations Group opened a fourth airfield in Borongan, Republic of the Philippines Nov. 18, to facilitate a more efficient distribution of relief supplies to outlying areas as part of Operation Damayan. The group has opened airstrips at Tacloban, Ormoc, Guiuan and

  • Brothers make recruiting a family affair

    Joining the armed services leads many people to leave their hometowns and serve around the world, moving far away from family and friends. Fortunately for Staff Sgt. Andrew Charvat and Marine Corps Sgt. Matthew Charvat, these brothers had the opportunity to come back and serve in their

  • Air Force official recommends energy partnerships

    Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Dr. Kevin T. Geiss, emphasized service collaboration in cost-savings measures during a panel discussion at the Joint Services Energy Panel at the George Mason University Arlington Campus here Nov. 20. Geiss said the Air Force's total fleet

  • Retired ACC ops chief lauded by acting SecAF

    A retired Air Force officer who brought the F-22 Raptor fleet back to full operational status following an indefinite grounding, received the 2012 Eugene M. Zuckert Management Award, at the Pentagon, Nov. 18.

  • Kadena joins in sending aid to Philippines

    Following the devastation throughout the Philippines, due to Super Typhoon Haiyan, which hit six central islands Nov. 8, Kadena Air Base has joined the U.S. Pacific Command in the effort to deliver aid to the country.

  • Major wins highest aviation safety award

    An Air Force pilot who maintained control of his aircraft despite losing 80 percent of his left wing during a mid-air collision, is the recipient of the 2013 Koren Kolligian Jr. Trophy, Nov. 14, at the Pentagon.

  • Women Empowered seminar instills Jiu-Jitsu, self-defense strategies

    Hundreds of feet pounding the wrestling mats echoed in the fitness center here. A stern man instructed the students to not remove their hand from the ground before planting their feet on the floor.In an effort to reduce the frequency of sexual assaults in the armed forces, the Gracie Academy created

  • Rescue team receives prestigious honor

    The two helicopter crews arrived at the mountainous location where U.S. and Afghan forces were pinned down and taking heavy fire from the cliffs above. An Afghan troop was severely injured and in need of immediate care if he was to live.

  • Re-tread pilot completes 100th combat sortie

    A 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron pilot deployed to Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, recently flew his 100th combat sortie during an air refueling mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

  • Candy Bomber drops in 65 years after Berlin Airlift

    It was 1948, World War II was over and the Cold War had begun. For many German families, living conditions were tough and food was scarce. But for the children of Berlin, there was a glimmer of hope, and it came from the sky. Army Air Corps 1st Lt. Gail Halvorsen, a C-47 pilot stationed in Germany

  • New contracting agency stand up increases AF flexibility

    The Air Force Installation Contracting Agency officially stood up during a transition ceremony here Nov. 13.Following manpower cuts last year, Air Force leaders designed AFICA, a field operating agency that reports directly to the deputy assistant secretary for contracting, to ensure bases around

  • CSAF discusses opening communications with China

    Opening up lines of communication with China is good for the United States, the region and the world, the Air Force chief of staff said here Nov. 13. Gen. Mark A. Welsh III spoke about his recent trip to China with the Defense Writers Group this morning.

  • AF leaders says vets to thank for nation's success

    The United States of America’s success is rooted in the sacrifice of millions of veterans who have served it, an senior Air Force leader said Nov. 11 at the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Va.

  • AF student pilot wins Ms. Fitness bodybuilding competition

    Since March of this year, a student pilot with the 47th Student Squadron has worked to train her body to peak fitness. 2nd Lt. Colby Chaput's efforts culminated in her competing at the Ms. Fitness bodybuilding competition in San Antonio this past October.

  • Teen uses ‘wish’ to visit brother at Misawa AB

    Gatherings are commonplace for members of the military and their families, but the reason for the Skrove's reunion is far from ordinary. Jonah is a self-described nerdy, obnoxious 17-year-old senior at Zimmerman High School in Minnesota who is battling a life-threatening bone cancer. Diagnosed with

  • AF Leaders send Veterans Day message

    Acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody issued the following message to the Airmen of the United States Air Force.

  • Doolittle Raiders join memorial wreath-laying

    The remaining Doolittle Raiders gathered at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force today to partake in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Doolittle Raider memorial in Memorial Park, followed by a flyover of B-25 aircraft.

  • Veterans in Blue Volume IV out now

    For decades, Airmen have answered the call to serve and protect the nation’s interests, people and cherished freedoms that underpin it all, risking their lives for others, and thus, becoming heroes in the eyes of those they protected.

  • From aerodromes to Reaper, RPAs push limits of technology

    The RPA actually got its start as early as 1896, when something called aerodromes at the time, were used to test the capabilities of new flying devices and to test if it was even possible for a heavier-than-air craft to achieve sustained flight. In May 1896, Dr. Samuel Langley proved that mechanical

  • Military's top officer stresses character, trust, faith to cadets

    It's not every day Airmen get the chance to ask the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Armed Forces just about anything -- including what concerns keep him up at night - but first- and second-class cadets were able to do just that when the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin E.

  • Service chiefs testify on risks of sequestration

    As they face the prospect of another year of deep cuts to their budgets, the military's service chiefs testified today before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the impact sequestration is having on the ability to organize, train and equip their service members.

  • Technology helps remember fallen, ensures memories live on

    It was a damp, foggy morning in October, amidst a sea of marble headstones; the sound of bells chiming out seemed to echo the air of somberness all around at Madingley American Cemetery, near Cambridge. The whole scene was humbling.

  • AF selects 6 captains for prestigious PhD program

    Three primary and three alternate program participants were selected for the 2014 Chief of Staff of the Air Force Captains Prestigious PhD Program, Air Force Personnel Center officials announced.

  • Strong families key to military’s strength, top NCO says

    Healthy military families are essential to guaranteeing the health of the overall force, the country’s senior noncommissioned officer said here today.Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Lisa, addressed