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  • Exercise tests joint cargo operations

    Airmen and Soldiers assigned to U.S. Transportation Command's Joint Task Force-Port Opening are participating in Eagle Flag 2009, an Air Expeditionary Center-sponsored exercise here where they are being evaluated on their ability to establish and operate a port of debarkation and cargo distribution

  • Airmen keep airlift mission moving

    Air Mobility Command Airmen and aircraft have flown nearly 74,000 sorties and delivered about 251,000 tons of cargo in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in 2008 and through June 30, 2009. With the statistics soaring, airlift is making a strong case as a primary source of warfighting

  • 379th AEW commander addresses bloggers' roundtable

    The 379th Air Expeditionary Wing commander spoke with online journalists during a Department of Defense Bloggers' Roundtable Aug. 5 from Southwest Asia. Brig. Gen. Stephen Wilson, spoke to journalists about how the men and women of the 379th AEW meet the ever-changing needs of the Combined Forces

  • Air Force Global Strike Command activated

    Air Force officials stood up a new major command to oversee all of its nuclear forces in an activation ceremony Aug. 7 at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. Air Force Global Strike Command will provide combat ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global strike operations in support of

  • Aug. 5 airpower summary: A-10s provide overwatch for coalition forces

    Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations August 5, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here. In Afghanistan, Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles provided armed overwatch

  • Air Force Global Strike Command will stress nuclear mission

    A key step in reinvigorating the Air Force's nuclear deterrence mission will be made Aug. 7 with the activation of the Air Force Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley said the new command will bring together the Air Force bomber force and

  • Hickam Airmen deploy to Afghanistan

    Fifty-four reservists from the 624th Civil Engineer Squadron left Hickam Air Force Base for a deployment to Afghanistan Aug. 5. Half the squadron is being mobilized and the Airmen will support Army personnel when the arrive in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Members of the 624th CES

  • Air Force Week in Photos

    This week's photo highlights feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force. View the Week in Photos slideshow.

  • Weather fails to dampen Air Force-NASCAR relationship at Pocono

    The Air Force and NASCAR have long enjoyed a proud relationship that continues to grow with each race. That relationship was very much in evidence at the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. Thousands of race fans flooded the track grounds Aug. 1 to watch their favorite drivers complete practice runs

  • EOD Airmen help keep community safe

    Airmen from the Cannon Air Force Base Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight responded to a bomb scare in July in Clovis, N.M., and they used their training and skills to defuse the situation. The suspected bomb turned out to be a training aid once owned by a now-deceased Albuquerque, N.M., arson

  • Last Voice Network Systems course graduates at Sheppard

    The Air Force's last class for the Voice Network Systems course graduated July 30 at Sheppard Air Force Base. The Voice Network Systems course trained Airmen to be future apprentices in one of 16 Air Force specialty codes that will be merging into a new career field known as the cyber AFSCs. The

  • Officials look to solve social network risks without ban

    As Pentagon officials here weigh the benefits and risks of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, they hope to craft a policy that shores up security vulnerabilities without requiring a ban. Meanwhile, Marine Corps officials clarified its guidelines on social networking, and said they

  • Airmen provide dental care to Guyanese patients

    Members of the 59th Dental Group from the Wilford Hall Medical Center here participated in a humanitarian mission to give routine dental care to people in Guyana July 19 through 31. A team of six doctors and 14 enlisted Airmen brought mobile dental equipment needed for the two-week rotation to

  • Nellis contractors killed in vehicle accident

    Two civilian contractors were killed in a single-vehicle accident Aug. 4 while working on the Nevada Test and Training Range in Nevada. Killed were:-- Curtis Fowler, 55, of Tonopah, Nev.-- A second victim whose name is currently being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.The two were killed

  • Aug. 4 airpower summary: KC-10s fuel flight

    Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Aug. 4, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here. In Afghanistan, Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles provided armed overwatch for

  • Photo essay: Academy acceptance parade

    Members of the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 1973 present members with the cadet handbook, "Contrails," during the Acceptance Parade Aug. 5 at the Academy in Colorado. The parade marks the official end of Basic Cadet Training and formally welcomes the new class into the cadet wing. View the

  • AMC supports air forces in Africa

    Air mobility Airmen are providing their experience and expertise to the Air Force's newest geographic combatant command, U.S. Africa Command, and its components with daily C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules airlift missions across the continent. "Intratheather airlift is fundamental to building

  • New total force C-5 inspection program saves money

    Airmen are testing a new inspection program here that will not only save the Air Force $1.38 billion over the next two decades, but also will keep four extra C-5 Galaxy aircraft available every day for air mobility efforts. The new program, which will change the way the Air Force conducts C-5

  • Education opportunity available for senior level civilians

    Air Force civilians interested in applying for the Academic Year 2011 Defense Senior Leader Development Program have until Sept. 11 to submit nomination packets to the Air Force Personnel Center here. The Department of Defense's DSLDP focuses on how to effectively lead organizations and programs, as

  • U.S., Japanese F-15 pilots train for Red Flag-Alaska

    U.S. and Japanese F-15 pilots began day and night air-refueling training July 27 and will continue through Aug. 7 in preparation for the Red Flag-Alaska exercise in October.Instructor pilots from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and Yokota Air Base, Japan, joined KC-135 Stratotanker teams from the

  • New leaders take command of redesignated AFCENT, 9th Air Force

    New leaders took command during the 9th Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Central change of command and redesignation ceremony Aug. 5 at Shaw Air Force Base.Lt. Gen. Gary North relinquished command of 9th Air Force/AFCENT, then the two units were redesignated into two separate commands.Army Gen. David

  • Guard officer model for new Air Force career field

    Can an Airman who never flew a combat sortie give expert advice to an Army commander on the use of airpower in battle? That question has been the focus of study and debate for nearly two decades in the Air Force. But Lt. Col. William Wheeler and nine others in the Air National Guard showed it could

  • Obama: VA outreach aims at seamless transition

    The days of Department of Veterans Affairs officials waiting passively for veterans leaving the military to come amd seek benefits and services are over, President Barack Obama told military reporters Aug. 4 here. Today's VA is reaching out, while servicemembers are still in uniform, to make sure

  • Airmen assist Iraqis with maintenance training

    On the flightline, in hangars and in backshops here more and more Iraqi air force members are repairing their own helicopters with less and less instruction from American Airmen.Airmen assigned to the 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron help the Iraqi air force become self-sustaining by

  • Aug. 3 airpower summary: F-15E provides cover for disabled convoy

    Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Aug. 3, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here. In Afghanistan, Air Force B-1B Lancers provided air support for friendly

  • Obama: Health care reform won't affect VA, Tricare

    In ongoing discussions about health-care reform, President Barack Obama offered assurance Aug. 4 to those receiving medical care through Tricare or the Department of Veterans Affairs: Your benefits are safe. Eligibility for health care under VA or Tricare "will not be affected by our efforts at

  • Guam Guard members leave mark in Dili

    An 11-member team from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, recently provided much-needed civil engineering assistance as part of Operation Pacific Angel 2009 in Dili. Pacific Angel is a Pacific Air Forces humanitarian and civic assistance program conducted in the Asia-Pacific region and led by 13th Air

  • Shoplifting, and resulting costs to military community, down in '08

    High-tech electronic article surveillance systems, eagle-eyed closed circuit television cameras and an aggressive youth shoplifting awareness campaign helped take "a bite out of crime" at Army & Air Force Exchange Service facilities last year as shoplifting cases dropped 15.7 percent, from 7,635 in

  • Photo essay: Academy football drills

    The U.S. Air Force Academy Falcons coaching staff began looking for the starting lineup during the second day of football practice at the Academy in Colorado. The Falcons host the Nicholls State Colonels Sept. 5 in their home opener. View slideshow.

  • Pace team in place to help marathoners reach goals

    The Air Force Marathon pace team will be on-hand to help both first time and experienced marathoners looking to reach their running goals for the Sept. 19 race here. The pace team is a group of experienced marathoners that will lead runners through the entire 26.2 miles of the course at even,

  • Pentagon officials weigh social networking benefits, vulnerabilities

    Defense Department officials here are weighing the benefits of social networking and other Web 2.0 platforms against potential security vulnerabilities they create. In a memo issued in late July, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III directed a study of social media sites like Twitter,

  • Officials urge parents to check students' immunization records

    Department of Defense Education Activity officials here are reminding parents to review their children's immunization records to ensure they're up to date by the first day of the school year. "Updating students' immunizations is an important part of back-to-school preparations," said Mary Patton,

  • Command chief master sergeant screening board convenes

    The command chief master sergeant screening board for calendar year 2009 recently selected 200 candidates out of a field of 740 eligible chief master sergeants to fill 80 expected requirements. A significant change in this year's selection process was the "all-in" concept approved by the Air Force

  • Photo essay: Bagram Airmen destroy explosives, munitions

    Airmen from the 755th Air Expeditionary Group's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight destroyed several hundred pounds of mixed ordnance, including discarded Soviet munitions from the 1970s, Aug. 2 at a disposal range several miles from here.  View the slideshow.

  • Photo essay: Photographer captures mission

    Aerial still photographer Tech. Sgt. Michelle Desrochers documents a C-17 Globemaster III refueling mission over the Pacific Ocean July 30. The aircraft is assigned to the 336th Air Refueling Squadron out of March Air Reserve Base, Calif. Sergeant Desrochers is from the 4th Combat Camera Squadron

  • Installation Acquisition Transformation revises implementation plan

    Air Force officials here recently completed a comprehensive restructuring of installation acquisition within the continental United States, dubbed Installation Acquisition Transformation, and adopted a revised implementation strategy. The Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century high-value

  • SOUTHCOM officials embrace two-way impact of social media

    Social media has become all the rage throughout the military as a growing number of senior leaders turn to blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter entries and other social networking venues to get word out about their activities and engage new audiences. Command officials exploring the best way to get

  • WaveRider test vehicle meets B-52

    Airmen successfully mated the X-51A WaveRider flight test vehicle to a B-52 Stratofortress July 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The fit check followed integration earlier in the month of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne scramjet propulsion system into the X-51 at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale,

  • Tricare deputy director highlights new programs

    Tricare officials are enhancing programs and services as part of an ongoing commitment to provide quality health care for military families, the new deputy director of Tricare Management Activity said. One of the key Tricare initiatives is to enhance the contact beneficiaries and their family

  • Major force protection contract awarded

    A team of professionals led by Hanscom's 642nd Electronic Systems Squadron recently ensured Air Force security forces around the world will have access to cutting edge integrated base defense systems for the next five years. On July 24, the Air Force awarded a Force Protection Security System

  • Operation Allied Force comes alive through 'Tanker Living Legends' series

    Four veterans of NATO's 78-day air war, Operation Allied Force in 1999, recalled their experiences through the "Tanker Living Legends" speaker series July 30 at the Global Reach Planning Center at Scott Air Force Base. Among the "living legends" who spoke included Lt. Gen. Vern M. "Rusty" Findley

  • Ophthalmology residency program receives top accreditation

    The San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium Ophthalmology Residency Program at Wilford Hall Medical Center here has obtained the highest level of accreditation.Officials with the Accreditation Counsel for Graduate Medical Education have awarded the residency program a five-year

  • Obama: New GI Bill renews commitment to troops

    President Barack Obama today saluted the implementation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill Aug. 4 during a ceremony at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Signed into law June 20, 2008, the new GI Bill is a Department of Veteran Affairs-sponsored program that provides the most comprehensive educational

  • LeMay Center holds first Service Core Function Symposium

    The developers at the LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education here concluded a symposium July 28 that helped define the new service core functions enabling Airmen to accomplish the full gamut of missions the Air Force provides to the joint force. "The Air Force's first Service Core

  • DOD personal property program actively seeks servicemembers' input

    Have you ever had your household goods moved and at the end of the process, thought, "That was the best move I've had. I hope my next move is that good." Or conversely, "That move was horrible. I hope no one else has to use movers like these."Well, you now have a say in which moving companies the

  • Aug. 2 airpower summary: HH-60G transports medevac patients

    Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Aug. 2, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here. In Afghanistan, Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs were providing armed

  • Air Force aeromedical evacuation teams give British soldier fighting chance

    Three Air Force aircraft along with multiple aircrew, aeromedical evacuation teams, and agencies from around the world gave a British soldier a fighting chance at life in late July after the soldier sustained multiple gunshot wounds and had his blood supply replaced more than 10 times at a military

  • Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman cites Coast Guard's 219th birthday

    Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton convinced Congress to authorize construction of 10 topsail schooners Aug. 4, 1790, for the U.S. Revenue-Marine to combat widespread smuggling. Our nation proudly celebrates that day 219 years ago when the U.S. Coast Guard was born. Since then, thousands of men

  • Silver Flag provides contingency training for USAFE Airmen

    U.S. Air Forces in Europe Airmen participated in a week-long contingency operations training exercise here July 27 through 31. Silver Flag consisted of five days of classroom training and two days of field training. Airmen from various Air Force specialty codes had to work together to set up and

  • Photo essay: Airmen deploy

    Airmen from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., deploy to Southwest Asia in support of operations. View the slideshow.

  • Scientists use virtual world to support troops

    Scientists are using virtual online worlds to improve the flow of information and support to servicemembers returning from deployments. Jacquelyn Morie of the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies discussed the "Transitional Online Post-deployment Soldier Support in

  • Air Force officials focus on information protection

    The recent spate of cyber attacks against government systems has gotten the attention of the administration and the DOD. Just as flight altered the way the Air Force operated in the 20th century, the information explosion promises to shape the way the nation fights and wins its wars. In a recent

  • Investing in energy conservation expected to save millions

    More than a dozen Energy Conservation Investment Program projects will soon break ground Air Force-wide and are expected to save the Air Force more than $4 million a year. The Fiscal 2009 Military Construction appropriation to the Office of the Secretary of Defense provided $22.6 million for ECIP

  • Operation Lone Star underway

    Operation Lone Star, which provided health care to more than 11,000 South Texas residents in just two weeks last year, has expanded this summer to provide free health clinics in even more locations. Military personnel, state and county officials and hundreds of volunteers are providing free health

  • National Resource Directory contains a wealth of information

    The National Resource Directory is an online resource for wounded, ill and injured servicemembers, veterans, their families and those who support them. The NRD provides information on, and access to, medical and non-medical services and resources across the country which will help them reach their

  • Explosion injures 2 Airmen

    Two Airmen were injured in a landmine explosion Aug. 2 about 12:30 p.m. at an off-base location near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The Airmen were transported to the Craig Joint Theater Hospital here. The Airmen are assigned to the 755th Air Expeditionary Group, which reports to the 455th Air

  • Aug. 1 airpower summary: B-1Bs conduct precision strikes

    Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Aug 1, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.In Afghanistan, Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs employed shows of force with

  • July 31 airpower summary: F-16s quells enemy attack

    Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations July 31, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.In Afghanistan, F-16 Fighting Falcons employed strafing runs on a group of

  • July 30 airpower summary: F-15Es eliminate IEDs

    Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations July 30, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.In Sangin, an Air Force MQ-9A Reaper responded to an enemy threat by

  • Air Force officials to host UAS Symposium

    Air Force officials will host the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium Aug. 4 to 6 at the University of North Dakota, in which participants will address representatives of academic institutions and industry as well as local military leaders regarding the Air Force UAS vision.Air Force leaders

  • Historic first step taken to join bases in San Antonio

    A milestone in San Antonio's long military history happened here July 31 as Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz , commander of Air Education and Training Command, officiated the activation ceremony for the 502nd Air Base Wing with Brig. Gen. Leonard A. "Len" Patrick taking command. "Today's activation of the