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U.S. Air Force News

  • Bring safety home

    By encouraging prevention measures and making modifications to ensure all essential missions get off the ground, many now find themselves supporting the Air Force mission to ‘fly, fight, and win’ from a home office.

  • Virtual conference focuses on competition, resiliency

    In lieu of the normal in-person attendance, commanders, command chiefs and directors from across Pacific Air Forces connected virtually for the spring commander’s conference, including a China Symposium, operational plan tabletop exercise and resiliency discussion April 13 – 15.

  • Squadron redesignations bolster enterprise contracting support

    In joining other enterprise sourcing squadrons, the new ESSs are positioned as “centers of excellence” for distinct business-line strategic contract support across the enterprise, eliminating duplication of effort and contract execution for the same requirements.

  • Air Force expedites N95 mask production contract awards

    The Department’s Air Force Research Lab DPA Title 3 Executive Program Office, in coordination with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Office for Industrial Policy and Department of the Air Force’s Acquisition COVID-19 Task Force, or DAF-ACT, finalized contracts within five days of White House

  • AFMC mission operational under ‘new norm’

    With more than 85,000 military and civilian Airmen operating at centers and installations across the U.S., AFMC manages installation and mission support, discovery and development, test and evaluation, and life cycle management services and sustainment for every major Air Force weapon system and

  • AFICC dashboard to help clean up custodial costs

    The Custodial Services Dashboard directly supports category management, a federal government-wide initiative that drives organizations to strategically manage costs for common goods and services.

  • Vertical wiper blades reduce aircraft drag, tests show

    Across the KC-135 fleet, blades are positioned horizontally on the windshield as part of the aircraft’s original 1950s design. However, as the understanding of aviation aerodynamics advanced, research indicated placing the wipers vertically when not in use could improve aerodynamic efficiency and

  • Class of 2020 takes graduation in stride during COVID-19 crisis

    Vice President Mike Pence changed his plans amid the global COVID-19 pandemic to give the commencement address, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds flew over and 967 new officers closed-out their four years at the school by hurling their caps into the air at the end of the ceremony.

  • 78th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid

    April 18 marks the 78th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid, in which Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, U.S. Army Air Forces, and Vice Adm. William F. Halsey Jr., U.S. Navy, led a joint bombing operation on the Japanese mainland aimed to inflict both material and psychological damage upon the enemy

  • Task Force-Southeast supports COVID-19 fight

    Task Force-Southeast, led by Ninth Air Force, is the primary DoD support organization for the Federal Emergency Management Agency response to COVID-19 in FEMA Regions III and IV.

  • AF 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.

  • Special leave accrual for service members

    Today, Matthew Donovan, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, signed a department-wide authorization for service members to accrue and retain an additional leave balance of up to 120 days. The department's actions to stem the spread of COVID-19 has significantly limited the ability

  • Around the Air Force: A New Normal and A Message to Parents

    Today's look Around the Air Force features Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein addressing Air Force parents about COVID-19 concerns and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright begins a weekly video series, “The New Normal.”

  • AFIMSC geospatial tools help commanders manage COVID-19 risk

    Geospatial tools developed by the detachment’s GeoBase team are providing commanders with near real-time data detailing the spread of the disease in their areas of responsibility. Commanders are using this capability to make decisions to sustain mission readiness and help mitigate the threat of

  • Aircraft airflow tested in Nebraska to reduce COVID-19 spread

    Active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard components from AMC, in coordination with the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, worked April 4-11 at the 155th Air Refueling Wing examining airflow and particles to assess ways to prevent the spread of the

  • Illinois Air Guard C-130s join the fight against COVID-19

    Two aircrews assigned to the 182nd Airlift Wing departed Peoria Air National Guard Base, Illinois, April 7, to pick up and transport 250 medical isolation pods from the Oregon manufacturer to Chicago Midway International Airport the next day.

  • Agility Prime to hold virtual launch event

    During the week of 27 April, Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, will officially launch Agility Prime, the Air Force program to accelerate the growth of the transformative vertical flight market for subsequent government use.

  • Dover AFB reservists support nation’s counterdrug effort

    A mission from Dover Air Force Base, supporting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, involved hauling more than 100,000 pounds of cargo from Panama Pacifico International Airport, Panama, to San Angelo Regional Airport, Texas.

  • 50th Contracting Squadron uses creativity to obtain supplies

    Members of 50th CONS work with the squadrons to ensure they have the items necessary to remain operational and, on April 2, they distributed some of those materials to the 50th Space Wing at the 50th Logistics Readiness Flight’s warehouse.

  • National Guard chief: More Guard members to be called up

    Guard members are supporting COVID-19 testing sites, constructing and staffing alternate care facilities, assisting state agencies in testing analysis, medical care, communication capacities and delivering needed supplies and equipment.

  • Travis AFB innovates PPE, helps DGMC fight spread of coronavirus

    David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center medics at Travis AFB contacted the base’s 60th Air Mobility Wing Phoenix Spark innovation cell, which quickly sprang into action prototyping and developing N95 mask covers and face shields for 3D printing to prolong the life cycle of certified N95 masks.

  • 459th Airlift Squadron: a life-saving evacuation team

    For the pilots of the C-12J Huron assigned to Yokota AB’s very own 459th Airlift Squadron, this delivery of hope is just a perk of the job – providing aeromedical evacuation to the individuals that need it.

  • AF 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.

  • Contracting pros deliver to COVID-19 front lines

    The Air Force Installation Contracting Center’s 763rd Specialized Contracting Squadron is one example of mission-focused agility in support of the greater fight, recently delivering a surplus of fast-tracked emergency support to Air Mobility Command in days, if not hours.

  • BMT adapts to limit spread of COVID-19

    The shift is in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which will allow the training pipeline to continue and help ensure the health and safety of trainees and instructors while also providing relief to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland’s training infrastructure.

  • Two Memphians bring much-needed supplies home

    Two C-17 Globemaster III pilots transported 972,000 COVID-19 swab kits from Italy April 2, the seventh load of kits delivered in two weeks for distribution around the United States.

  • Jolly Green II taken to extremes

    The Air Force’s newest combat search and rescue helicopter and crews experienced temperature extremes from 120 to minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit as well as torrential rain during the month of testing.

  • Airmen, volunteers at Altus AFB unite to create masks to fight COVID-19

    ​After Secretary of Defense Mark Esper released new guidance on the use of cloth face coverings on April 5, more than 45 Airmen and dependents from the 97th Air Mobility Wing volunteered to quickly create and distribute face masks throughout the wing April 6 at Altus Air Force Base.

  • PMO Engineers thrive with ‘once in a lifetime’ billion-dollar rebuild

    As project managers for the PMO, and as part of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, Capt. Zach Bierhaus, Capt. Kyle Kowalchuk and Capt. Will Page are charged with finding solutions to the many potential issues that could affect the Air Force’s on-going efforts to develop the

  • AFIMSC leans on technology to keep mission going

    When the pandemic began limiting movement and placing challenges on the entire Air Force, AFIMSC started leveraging technology to keep delivering support across the installation and mission support portfolio and helping installations maintain readiness.

  • Update: Air Force BMT graduation and schedule

    The revised schedule will allow BMT to restructure and enhance social-distancing requirements across the training campus to ensure the safety and security not just for the trainees, but for the Military Training Instructors, other active-duty members, civilians and contractors that support the

  • 419th Fighter Wing hosts F-35 virtual field trip

    During the virtual field trip, Silkey provided an overview of the aircraft’s capabilities to his online audience to include details on its stealth technology and how it gives pilots a significant advantage on the battlefield.

  • Air Force releases guidance on use of cloth face covers

    To the extent practical, without significantly impacting mission, all individuals on Department of the Air Force property, installations and facilities are required to wear cloth face coverings when they cannot maintain six feet of physical distance in public areas or work centers.

  • Air Force postpones boards due to COVID-19 restrictions

    The Air Force is postponing promotion boards for the CY20B Colonel Biomedical Sciences Corps and Chaplain; CY20C Lieutenant Colonel Chaplain and Nurse Corps; and CY20B Chaplain Central Selection Boards, originally scheduled to convene June 8.

  • Air Force Reserve mobilizes medics to New York for COVID-19 response

    Air Force Reserve Command units mobilized more than 40 doctors, more than 70 nurses and approximately 13 respiratory technicians who departed their home stations for JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst for further inprocessing with the U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Forces Land Component Command, based out of

  • Accident report released on fatal parachute jump

    Staff Sgt. Adam K. Erickson, a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, or SERE, specialist with the 412th Operations Support Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, California, sustained non-survivable injuries during the training jump in conjunction with his official duties as a member of the Test

  • Air Force, Boeing agree on final KC-46 RVS 2.0 design

    RVS 2.0 will include 4K color cameras with proper viewing geometry, operator stations with larger screens, a laser ranger for refueling aircraft distance measurement and boom assistance augmented reality. With the help of scientists and engineers from both enterprises, the Air Force will lead design

  • 355th wing sustains CSAR capabilities

    The exercise, organized by the 563rd and 355th Operations Support Squadrons, included assets from different agencies and units across the wing.

  • Air Force releases grooming, fitness guidance during COVID-19

    In a message to Airmen March 31, Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, explained installation commanders have the authority to adjust standards as needed, while also encouraging Airmen to maintain grooming and fitness standards to the greatest

  • Air Force launches year-long leader, supervisor development campaign

    On April 1, the Department of the Air Force launched The Leaders and Supervisors We Need, a year-long development campaign designed to improve the efficiency and accessibility of supervisory training and resources for all leaders, ranging from first-time supervisors to experienced senior management

  • Air Force Academy class of 2020 graduation date moved up

    The class is planning the event six weeks ahead of schedule, allowing them to celebrate together while ensuring their health and safety by adhering to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Department of Defense guidelines.

  • US, Japanese forces join for Pacific Weasel exercise

    The 35th Fighter Wing began practicing large-force exercises in 2018, and each iteration has been refined and improved upon since its inception. Air Force members had the opportunity to integrate with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members and assets.

  • FAQ: COVID-19 impacts to BMT, technical training

    This frequently-asked-questions acts as a resource for anyone who has questions or concerns about themselves or a loved one that is part of the 37th Training Wing, including basic military training at the 737th Training Group and technical training at the 37th Training Group.

  • BMT safety efforts protect trainers, pipeline

    Specific mitigation measures that have been implemented across BMT include implementation of a 14-day restriction of movement upon arrival, as well as social distancing, symptom monitoring and increased sanitation.

  • OSI answers call amid COVID-19

    Members of OSI Detachment 813, joined by Special Agent Drew Weinzierl, 2nd Field Investigations Squadron forensic science consultant, worked through sub-zero temperatures and mid-March snows at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, looking for any evidence of what caused the hangar to catch fire

  • AFLCMC delivers C-37B early

    The program, managed by the Presidential and Executive Airlift Division, delivered the aircraft one week ahead of schedule.

  • Air Force BMT adjusts schedules, locations to sustain mission readiness

    In order to ensure the health and safety of trainees and instructors and to preserve dorm capacity, new recruits will be brought in based on a four-week repeating cycle that includes stringent restricted movement guidelines, dedicated time for deep cleaning between rotations, resetting the

  • JTF-Bravo facilitates repatriation of US citizens from Honduras

    A U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules is transporting U.S. citizens as part of an ongoing interagency effort led by the U.S. Department of State to assist American citizens unable to return home from countries around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Air Force is protecting Airmen while protecting the nation

    The critical responsibilities and missions of our 685,000 Total Force active duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen do not fade even during a pandemic. Across a worldwide enterprise, our Airmen must remain healthy so they can maintain full readiness and the capability to protect our nation’s security and

  • AFMC to host virtual STEM hiring event

    The event will provide an opportunity for hiring officials and qualified candidates to connect directly via an interactive, online platform to fill immediate, critical vacancies as well as future positions at AFMC headquarters and center locations across the U.S.

  • Guard helps medical professionals combat COVID-19

    From staffing informational phone banks to administering tests for COVID-19, many of the more than 9,000 National Guard members on duty in response to COVID-19 are assisting state and local medical professionals.

  • AFRL team selected for Excellence in Tech Transfer Award

    Dr. Brian Simpson, 711 HPW sensory psychologist and one of the inventors of MMC along with Dr. James Kearns, 711 HPW program manager were selected for the successful technology transfer of MMC, which is a system invented to manage complex communication environments.