NATO Air Policing operations

U.S. Air Force News

  • New AFRL podcast goes behind the scenes

    The Air Force Research Laboratory has launched a new podcast to bring you behind the scenes with the Air Force scientists, engineers and professionals who are developing tomorrow’s technology, today.

  • Army names 362nd TRS instructor best of quarter

    Tech. Sgt. Casey Andersen, 362nd Training Squadron Detachment 1 UH-60 helicopter maintenance course instructor, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia was recently recognized as Distinguished Instructor of the Quarter for the Army’s 128th Aviation Brigade, the best out of more than 500 instructors.

  • 2018 Air Force Safety Awards announced

    Maj. Gen. John T. Rauch Jr., Air Force chief of safety, recently announced the recipients of the five Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff Safety Awards, as well as the Chief of Safety Awards for 2018.

  • 40th HS saves local man

    An Air Force helicopter crew located and rescued a local man March 1 just south of Great Falls, concluding the search by ground and air search and rescue groups.

  • PACAF hosts Philippine airmen, strengthens relations

    Philippine Air Force service members visited Pacific Air Forces Headquarters for Airman-to-Airman, or A2A, talks to increase interoperability and enhance their relationship Feb. 24-27, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

  • Innovation Rodeo moves ideas closer to reality

    Three innovative ideas to support worldwide warfighter success are one step closer to reality today thanks to the first Air Force Innovation Rodeo, $650,000 in total seed money and a partnership with AFWERX and tech accelerator companies.

  • Wilson’s glide path for a more lethal, ready Air Force of the future

    Emphasizing priorities that will largely define the year ahead, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson stressed the need to modernize and grow the force. She also highlighted how streamlining acquisitions will inject innovative ideas and tools faster and more reliably into every corner of the

  • Spangdahlem AB master sergeant wins Spark Tank competition

    Master Sgt. Jonathan Maas assigned to the 52nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, was named the 2019 Spark Tank winner during the Air Force’s Spark Tank competition at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 28, in Orlando.

  • Faster, smarter: Speed is key in acquisition reform

    Dr. Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, spoke about fielding tomorrow’s Air Force faster and smarter by reforming the acquisition process at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Dec. 28.

  • F-35A maintainers, special ops team up for forward refueling

    For the first time, Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah and Airmen from the 26th Special Tactics Squadron and the 27th Special Operation Logistics Readiness Squadron at Cannon AFB, trained and carried out a Forward Air Refueling Point operation from the MC-130J Commando

  • Joint training strengthens Air Force, Army collaboration

    -- Airmen and Soldiers practiced Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and high yield explosives training techniques and procedures Feb. 22, 2019, as part of a joint decontamination training event.The event was the conclusion of a four phase curriculum. Participants from the 379th

  • Commanders, senior raters to select IDE attendees

    Beginning with the 2019 Developmental Education Designation Board, wing commanders and some senior raters will be able to select one Line of the Air Force officer per academic year to attend Intermediate Developmental Education in residence.

  • AFOTEC maintains mission readiness through operational testing

    The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 4, tests and evaluates new space, cyberspace, missile and missile defense capabilities. Their mission is to test weapons systems in operationally realistic environments. The goal is to inform warfighters of the lessons learned and

  • US, Qatari security forces pioneer bilateral relationship

    Select security forces members from the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron take on an ambassadorship role, pioneering bilateral interoperability with their Qatar Military Police counterparts during “Spartan Patrols” at Al Udeid Air Base.

  • 609th AOC provides resilient airpower through distributed operations

    The 609th Air Operations Center, Detachment 1, at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, supports real-world command and control operations everyday with those at U.S. Air Force Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base. Through the innovation of AFCENT Airmen, both locations refine the command and control

  • Industry gets schooled on MDC2

    Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, projected its quiet power during the Multi-Domain Command and Control (MDC2) Industry Day, Feb. 20, at the Minuteman Educational Center, according to speaker Eileen Vidrine, the Air Force's chief data officer.

  • Combat metals: The modern-day blacksmiths

    While there are a lot of precautionary measures in place to prevent bird strikes and other aircraft incidents, they are not 100 percent preventable.When these incidents occur, there’s a small group of Airmen who are called upon to do patchwork to get the aircraft back to base and to fix the damage

  • 380th EMXS AGE shop provides ground power

    The 380th Expeditionary Maintenance Group Aerospace Ground Equipment shop is responsible for 84 different types of support equipment, totaling 313 pieces in all at Al Dhafra Air Base.

  • Joint Air Defense Exercise sharpens skills, strengthens partnerships

    Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of U.S. Central Command worked together with regional partners to conduct Joint Air Defense Exercise 19-01, a regularly scheduled three-day training event focused on increasing the readiness of air defense assets in the CENTCOM area of responsibility. The U.S. Air

  • Airmen demonstrate Rapid Global Mobility in Venezuela humanitarian mission

    Airlifting 250 tons of relief supplies to alleviate a humanitarian crisis on the other side of the hemisphere requires layers coordination between multiple military and civilian agencies in a condensed timeframe. That’s what Airmen of the 305th Air Mobility Wing accomplished Feb. 16, delivering more

  • Air Force awards $739M launch service contracts

    The U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office, awarded two Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launch service contracts Feb. 19.

  • New guidance for travel to Mexico

    The United States Army North Force Protection division has new guidelines regarding travel to Mexico to ensure that our service members are kept safe.

  • Army GLO connects ground intent to air action

    Communication between the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard is similar to trying to understand a different language because each service uses different lingo and acronyms in their daily operations.

  • Financial Operations workshop features innovation

    Tech. Sgt. Samuel Spaethe used to spend hours upon hours completing work as a financial services technician, often working weeknights until 7 p.m. and then on Saturdays just to get the job done.

  • Davis-Monthan AFB exercise balances flexibility, survivability, lethality

    Landing in an austere location, a small number of Airmen move at a rapid pace to accomplish a very specific mission. With only the supplies needed to survive for a week, they begin to unload food, shelter and equipment. After unloading, they set up a campsite as home base for their operations.

  • Air Force Tech Report: Chem light replacement

    Chemical illumination has been a useful tool for military operations for years in the form of chem lights or glow sticks. However, glow sticks could be a hindrance to carry around. The Air Force Research Lab has exponentially lightened the load to allow chemical illumination in the form of a crayon,

  • Columbus AFB instructor pilots connect with Virginia Tech AFROTC cadets

    It’s not everyday cadets are given the opportunity to work closely with U.S. Air Force pilots; however, the Virginia Tech Air Force ROTC Detachment 875 was given the chance when instructor pilots from the 37th and 48th Flying Training Squadrons visited the university Feb. 8-11.

  • Conventional Rotary Launcher upgrade tested

    An upgrade to the B-52 Stratofortress and the Conventional Rotary Launcher was tested, Feb. 11. The change is designed to increase mission flexibility and make the B-52 more lethal in a combat environment.

  • Donovan: Readiness, force lethality begins with training

    Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew P. Donovan, the second highest ranking civilian in the Department of the Air Force, visited Sheppard on Feb. 14, 2019, to see how the Air Force’s largest and most diverse technical and undergraduate pilot training base is employing technology to train today’s

  • Registration open for Air University’s 4th LREC Symposium

    Registration is now open for Air University’s 4th annual Language, Regional Expertise and Culture Symposium.The Air Force Culture and Language Center at Air University hosts the symposium each year providing a platform for academic exchange on topics specific to language, region and culture

  • AFMC hiring effort draws new talent, faster

    With a command mission that relies heavily on a more than 65,000 person civilian workforce, recruiting, developing and retaining top talent is critical to success. This is the driving force behind the ongoing AFMC effort to transform the civilian hiring process across the enterprise to meet mission

  • Improving relations through Friendship Games

    More than one hundred service members from the U.S., United Arab Emirates, and several coalition nations participated in the Friendship Games Feb. 6, at Al Dhafra Air Base.

  • 35th Fighter Squadron launches into Cobra Gold 19

    The 35th Fighter Squadron departed on Feb. 6, and the 35th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron departed on Feb. 7 to participate in Exercise Cobra Gold 19 in a historic redeployment to Korat Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand.

  • 8th MDOS polishes readiness with 3D tech

    The 8th Medical Operations Squadron Dental Flight ensures all Kunsan service members have the brightest smile and best teeth with efficiency, comfort, and new technology to facilitate a quick return to duty after procedures.

  • EOD Airmen detect, disarm, protect

    The Joint Defense Operations Center calls about a confirmed or suspected explosive ordnance disposal incident. Three Airmen rush out the door, set up their truck and immediately depart for the incident site. They head out with a security element to safely transport them to the location. For them it

  • MacDill Guardsman saves life, receives Airman’s Medal

    Airman 1st Class Peejay Jack, a 290th Joint Communications Support Squadron vehicle maintainer with the Florida Air National Guard, was awarded the Airman’s Medal by Maj. Gen. Lenny Richoux, the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command commander, during a ceremony at MacDill AFB Feb. 9.

  • Red Flag strengthens F-35A maintainers

    After more than two weeks launching F-35A Lightning II sorties at Red Flag 19-1, maintainers with the 388th Fighter Wing are impressed with the jet and the young airmen who help maintain it.

  • Airmen, dignitaries celebrate KC‐46 arrival

    Reserve Airmen assigned to the 730th Air Mobility Training Squadron, dignitaries and Air Force leaders accepted the new KC‐46A Pegasus during a historic arrival celebration Feb. 8 at Altus Air Force Base.

  • 'Trial by Flag' for new F-35A pilots

    F-35A pilots who recently graduated their initial training and are currently deployed to Nellis Air Force Base as part of exercise Red-Flag 19-1. Now they are being battle-tested.

  • AETC launches podcast focused on “Developing Mach-21 Airmen”

    Air Education and Training Command has launched a new professional development podcast to help communicate and inform Total Force Airmen across the globe on relevant, timely topics related to the recruiting, training, education and development fields.

  • Pegasus Wings its way to 97th AMW

    The 97th Air Mobility Wing welcomed its newest weapon system, the KC-46A Pegasus, to the official training unit of the Air Force’s state-of-the-art tanker aircraft at Altus Air Force Base, Feb. 8.

  • Project HeRO improves squadron health habits

    A new Air Force Health and Readiness Optimization program, or HeRO, seeks to partner with squadrons by using data to help Airmen improve health habits that impact readiness.HeRO represents a reboot of Air Force Health Promotion efforts. It is designed to target at-risk squadrons using data and

  • Total force exercise sharpens combat-ready skills

    Aerial porters, defenders and medical personnel from the 433rd Airlift Wing joined the 502nd Air Base Wing defenders, the San Antonio Military Medical Center doctors and helicopter crews from Texas Army National Guard, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation Regiment in Operation Dust Storm Feb. 1 at

  • US, Philippine AF concludes bilateral air contingency exchange

    U.S. and Philippine air forces Airmen marked the successful completion of 12 days of bilateral training and increased mutual cooperation during the seventh iteration of Bilateral Air Contingent Exchange-Philippines, or BACE-P, at Cesar Basa Air Base, Feb. 1, 2019.

  • One weekend, three countries, helps nearly 130,000 people

    Over a weekend-long combined humanitarian and training mission, three C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and their Reserve Citizen Airmen crews from the 315th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charlston, S.C. delivered humanitarian aid to Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras, Feb. 3-4.

  • Civilian Developmental Education offers opportunities to learn, grow

    The application cycle for the Academic Year 2020 Civilian Development Education opportunities opens March 1.“The Air Force is making a dedicated effort to develop the entire workforce and all of our future leaders,” said Patricia Young, Air Force Materiel Command executive director. “We are making

  • Air Force ends promotion testing for E-7 and above

    The Air Force announced today it is removing the Weighted Airman Promotion System testing requirement for active-duty promotions to the grades of E-7 through E-9, beginning this fall with the 2019 E-9 promotion cycle.

  • Protecting the force day in and day out

    It takes Airmen from every base and job to execute the deployed mission at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. This same concept applies to the 380th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron’s Force Protection unit, where Airmen from every Air Force specialty code to help carry out the mission.

  • Air Force analyzes operational efficiency – one airframe at a time

    The Energy Analysis Task Force, or EATF, led by the deputy assistant secretary of Air Force Operational Energy, has been systematically visiting Air Force bases around the country to observe actual training and mission flights, and speak with flight crews (to include operators and maintainers) about

  • Air Force, industry meet to discuss rebuilding Tyndall

    Air Force representatives met with more than 450 industry professionals and community leaders Jan. 31 to begin a dialogue and partnership that will eventually lead to the rebuilding of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, as an “installation of the future.”

  • Sub-zero temps won't stop the warfighter

    Offutt Air Force Base Airmen battled through some of the coldest weather to hit Nebraska in decades as they participated in the first 2019 Operational Readiness Exercise held here January 28 – 30.

  • AtHoc Emergency Mass Notification System receives upgrade

    AtHoc, an interactive warning system that allows senior leaders to inform base personnel of urgent information such as base closures or delayed openings, recently received updates to its system that requires the user to verify contact information.

  • Air Force offers EOD retention bonuses

    The Air Force has been granted an exception to policy enabling it to offer Selective Retention Bonuses to a wider population of Explosive Ordnance Disposal senior noncommissioned officers, if they agree to continue serving in EOD for a minimum of three years.

  • Airlift unit tests mettle in joint Patriot Palm exercise

    Teaming up with Federal Emergency Management Agency, the FBI, Army, Coast Guard and Marine Corps, the 315th Contingency Response Flight completed Exercise Patriot Palm, a joint-service emergency and natural disaster response exercise, coordinated by the Air Force Reserve. The event is designed to

  • Registration opens for 3rd annual I-WEPTAC

    The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center announces registration for the third annual Installation and Mission Support Weapons and Tactics Conference is open.

  • Virtual training platform maintains, improves military surgeons' skills

    It is vital for medical Airmen to continuously maintain and improve their skills. To access more training opportunities, military surgeons are looking to virtual training platforms. The Air Force is working with sister services to study a virtual training platform called Crowd-Sourced Assessment of

  • 97 AMW boom operators prepare for future KC-46 students

    The 56th Air Refueling Squadron has been training the past few months to ensure they are ready for the arrival of the KC-46 Pegasus. While simulators are useful, scheduling and usage can create delays that slow the process of training. That is where part-task trainers, or PTTs come into play.

  • Last chance for life: US, PAF airmen exchange egress ideas

    U.S. Air Force members from the 113th Maintenance Squadron participated in a subject matter expert exchange with Philippine Air Force 430th Aircraft Maintenance Group Egress personnel, during the Bilateral Air Contingent Exchange-Philippines, or BACE-P, at Cesar Basa Air Base, Jan. 22.

  • Changes at HQ AETC focus on Force Development Efforts

    Lt. Gen. Steve Kwast, commander of Air Education and Training Command, announced changes to Headquarters AETC and to 2nd and 19th Numbered Air Force organizations today, in order to refocus the headquarters on force development efforts.