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  • The longest day of the year: Musser to row 24 hours

    June is Post traumatic stress disorder awareness month: John Musser started the story in 2009 when he explained how he began to notice his wife having memory issues with minor things she wanted to tell him, and it progressed as months went on. In 2014 after receiving another cognitive test, the

  • Hill Airmen return home after multinational exercises in Europe

    Aircraft and Airmen from the 4th Fighter Squadron returned to Utah this week after deploying the F-35A Lightning II to Europe a little more than a month ago. The squadron, compromised of active duty Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing and Reservists from the 419th FW here, participated in Atlantic

  • Task Force Crimson reaches its ‘End of Watch’

    Dec. 21, 2015, will always be remembered in the storied history of the Office of Special Investigations, as the date six OSI and Security Forces Airmen made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the Nation. For nearly 20 years, everyone assigned to Task Force Crimson worked to safeguard Bagram Air

  • Mental health: Pushing past the stigma

    The wellness of service members is a priority across the Department of the Air Force, yet mental health has remained one of the most challenging components. Each service has struggled with an increasing number of suicides since the mid-2000’s. In 2018, there were 103 suicides among Air Force

  • Medical Group promotes preventative care with physical therapy

    Did you know that physical therapy is not just for restoring mobility or physical function following a major accident or catastrophic injury? Physical therapy is also a great tool to promote movement, reduce pain, and restore function by evaluating and treating musculoskeletal injuries early.

  • F-35 Demo Team meets F135 Engine Team

    Members of the F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team visited Tinker Air Force Base to meet and thank the men and women of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex Heavy Maintenance Center for their work on the F135 engine that powers their aircraft.

  • Air Force’s last serving POW retires

    “I thought to myself ‘this is it - I’m a dead man.’” As Lt. Col. Rob Sweet, the last serving Air Force prisoner of war, approached retirement on June 6, he recalled the moment during Operation Desert Storm when his A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft was shot down by enemy forces southwest of Basra, Iraq.

  • 20th MDG executes Ready Eagle

    The 20th Medical Group conducted exercise Ready Eagle, May 27, 2021. The exercise challenged Shaw medics to treat simulated explosion victims across multiple sites.

  • 552 ACNS and 752 OSS team up for cyber-escort mission

    The 552nd Air Control Networks Squadron and 752nd Operations Support Squadron recently joined together to conduct a cyber-escort mission on the key cyber terrain of a Control and Reporting Center component at Tinker Air Force Base. A five-person Mission Defense Team crew integrated with a six-person

  • The 4th Fighter Group on D-Day

    Sunday 6 June 2021 marks 77 years since D-Day, a pivotal event in World War II. At 2300 hours on 5 June 1944, Colonel Don Blakeslee briefed the 4th Fighter Group pilots on the D-Day operations the next day. Blakeslee emphasized it was going to be a long, tough day with the Group flying three sorties

  • 357th FS executes Agile Dragon

    Airmen from the 355th Wing participated in exercise Agile Dragon at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, May 21 – 27, 2021. 100 Airmen from the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base deployed eight U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt IIs to execute agile combat employment principles in simulated real-world scenarios.

  • Not your average kit

    By definition, a kit is a set of articles, a set of parts, tools or supplies, which can be large or small and are packaged, mailed or transported by working sections. For a support section within the 55th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, a kit is something vital to ensuring mission accomplishment in a

  • Total Force Integration proved at PSAB

    Rooted in a sea of sand, the U.S. Air Forces Central (AFCENT) mission is, in-part, seamlessly accomplished by both active duty and the Air National Guard—proving the concept of Total Force Integration (TFI). TFI is nothing new. Once called “Future Total Force,” TFI became the standard about 15 years

  • A-10 ACE Immersion

    The 354th Fighter Squadron hosted an A-10 Thunderbolt II agile combat employment immersion at Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Wisconsin, May 20, 2021.

  • Airman’s Foundational Competencies: An Air Force Initiative

    In this episode of The Air Force Starts Here podcast, we explore the Airman’s Foundational Competencies. The Air Force has identified 24 Airman’s foundational competencies for all Airmen, as part of a systematic competency-based approach to develop the force. In to episode 51 of "The Air Force

  • Two off-duty 64th AEG Airmen aid motorcyclist after collision

    Two Airmen deployed with First Air Force (1AF) 64th Air Expeditionary Group (AEG) in support of federal COVID-19 response efforts aided a motorcyclist following a collision on May 22, 2021, in Pine Township, Ind. The Airmen were off-duty from the state-led, federally supported Roosevelt High School

  • AF breaks down updated fitness test scores

    Without the waist measurement as a scored component, push-ups and sit-ups will increase from 10 to 20 points each, while the 1.5-mile run will remain at 60 points. Scoring will fall into five-year age groups, as opposed to the previous 10.

  • 4th Fighter Squadron enhances interoperability during Atlantic Trident 21

    U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft and Airmen from the 4th Fighter Squadron, compromised of active duty Airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing and reservists from the 419th FW, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, are participating in Atlantic Trident taking place at Mont-de-Marsan Air Base,

  • AFCEC initiative targets infrastructure readiness, disaster recovery

    First, it was Category 5 Hurricane Michael with sustained winds of 155 miles per hour and pure destruction as the eye passed directly over Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Oct. 10, 2018. A few months later and nearly 1,000 miles away, it was the icy waters of the Missouri and Platte rivers that

  • IROC prototype could revolutionize Air Force energy

    A revolutionary tool for energy managers, civil engineers and others, is being pioneered at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Natural Disaster Recovery Division. The Installation Resilience Operations Center, or IROC, is being tested at Tyndall through a contract.

  • 38th RQS celebrates 20th anniversary

    The 38th Rescue Squadron hosted a celebration May 21, in honor of its 20th anniversary. Although the rescue mission has not changed, the ability to accomplish the mission has improved over the last 20 years.

  • Hill Airmen, F-35 tested during concurrent exercises at Tyndall AFB

    Airmen from Hill’s fighter wings recently deployed the F-35A Lightning II to Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., for concurrent training exercises – one a large-scale, joint-force air war, called Checkered Flag, the other an air-to-air weapons evaluation, Combat Archer.

  • Summer water safety; tragedy can be avoided

    Summertime is heading our way, and with the warm weather, more adventures abound. Whether you are into boating, swimming, kayaking, or paddle boarding, there will be water hazards.

  • 2021 Hurricane Season Readiness

    Are you prepared for hurricane season? According to the National Hurricane Center, the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. In order to prepare, Air Force members and their families are encouraged to first determine which evacuation zone their home is located in. To find

  • Risk Management - the key to a safe and enjoyable summer

    The Department of the Air Force reminds Airmen and Guardians to apply sound risk management when enjoying outdoor and recreational activities with family and friends this summer. The summer focus period runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

  • Reducing the stigma, encouraging mental health care in the military

    In the military, the stigma of mental health is grounded in the cultural misperception that a service member must have "zero defects" to be mission-ready. While the Department of Defense strives to identify and eliminate barriers to care that service members face regarding mental health treatment,

  • DAF releases update on telework, remote work guidance

    The DAF guidance memorandum, DoDI1035.01_DAFI 36-816 Telework Program, provides necessary clarification and expands the Department’s use of telework and remote work based on current lessons learned, pending a comprehensive review of the Department of the Air Force telework program.

  • AUAB’s 540-degree protection system

    As technology and warfare changes, so too does the focus for base defense. No longer can the military focus solely on the 360-degree defense of the base perimeter – defending the airspace is also necessary to fight in today’s contested environments. This is where the counter-small unmanned aerial

  • GRIT: A different way to bond

    The 386th Expeditionary Mission Support Group are investing in “collective success” by implementing a program designed to strengthen resiliency and encourage communication through deliberate and meaningful personal and professional development from commanders and supervisors. GRIT is a way to

  • 1AF completes BLUE FLAG 21-1 homeland defense exercise

    Members of Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) – 1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern) completed a week-long BLUE FLAG exercise May 14 focused on refining processes to defend North America against cyber, cruise missile and other air, space and cyber domains threats.

  • For the Warfighter: Operational Test advances at NE21

    As Northern Edge 21 concludes, the 53rd Wing is returning home having achieved major test objectives for multiple weapons systems May 3-14, 2021. In addition to F-15EX deep end testing and B-52 long-range kill chain milestones for hypersonic weapons, the 53d Wing’s F-35s, MQ-9s, F-15Cs and F-15Es,

  • Risk vs reward

    As the weather improves, there’s no surprise that many of our Airmen who ride motorcycles have been out more. Therefore, it’s crucial to remember the importance of motorcycle safety while riding. In April 2021, two Airmen from Travis Air Force Base lost their lives because of a motorcycle accident.

  • Tackling Tornadoes Takes Teamwork

    Across military operations, weather influences the entire spectrum of planning to execution. From carrier groups routing around typhoons to installations evacuating aircraft in advance of a hurricane, weather drives human behavior daily. Within the 557th Weather Wing, forecasters are preparing now

  • Ruck march honors fallen police officers at the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing

    U.S. President John F. Kennedy named the week in May where the 15th falls, National Police Week, where law enforcement officers who have fallen in the line of duty are honored for their sacrifice. U.S. Air Force Security Forces Airmen take that to heart as they are also members of law enforcement,

  • Team Phoenix inducts 42 new members

    “…I will faithfully uphold the Team Phoenix code of ethics, promote mutual respect, and help others in times of need. I promise to improve the culture around me and encourage my peers to do likewise. I take this obligation freely and I volunteer without reservation.” These words were repeated by 42

  • Innovation saves 37 work-hours using spreadsheet

    In a deployed environment, unit travel representatives (UTR) have to find an extra 40 hours to complete the duties required of them within a five-day span. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Caleb Jones, 386th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron manpower analyst, created a macro, a recorded series of

  • Run Toward the Fire: My journey through mental illness

    Suicide has been a part of my Air Force journey. It took a conversation with someone I trust and respect greatly, who also happens to be a mental health professional, to realize that suicide came nearer to defining my own story than I’d been willing to admit. “I’m going to give you one piece of

  • CSAF letter to Air Force spouses

    Dear Air Force Spouses,Thank you for your courage and strength, and for being part of our Air Force family. Those in uniform are easily recognized for their service and sacrifices, but it’s you...the unsung heroes of our Air Force who sacrifice so much to support your family, the Air Force, and our

  • 5th ASOS fires on all cylinders during Yakima FTX

    The 5th Air Support Operations Squadron, located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, conducted a week-long field training exercise here, April 26-30, 2021. The 5th ASOS is a combat support unit located at Fort Lewis, Washington. The squadron provides tactical command and control of airpower

  • 609th AOC optimizes ATO production, first to use KRADOS operationally

    U.S. Air Forces Central’s 609th Air Operations Center made history this week when it became the first AOC to operationally utilize the Kessel Run All Domain Operations Suite to plan and execute the Master Air Attack Plan. The KRADOS suite of applications, which was developed by the Air Force Life

  • Celebrating 80 years of elite simulated warfighter training

    From wooden rifles to virtual reality, Nellis Air Force Base has used simulation to train warfighters for decades. Today, Nellis Airmen can step inside the new Virtual Test and Training Center, which uses advanced computer-generated models to simulate in-flight combat. On the contrary, during World

  • B-52 Hypersonic Kill Chain Employment Success

    A B-52 Stratofortress from the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, conducted a successful simulated hypersonic kill chain employment from sensor to shooter and back during Northern Edge 21, May 5, 2021.

  • Agile Flag - A Base Appears

    What would happen if personnel needed to be rapidly deployed to a location where nothing was on the ground except a landing strip? That is one of the questions that Air Combat Command’s Agile Flag 21-2 experiment sought to answer

  • 34th Fighter Generation Squadron completes Agile Combat Employment exercise

    From April 27-30, Airmen from the 34th Fighter Squadron and 34th Fighter Generation Squadron completed an Agile Combat Employment (ACE) Exercise, designed to prepare Airmen to rapidly forward-deploy fighters and operate from a forward base. Pilots and maintainers from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill

  • Thunderbirds announce new commander

    The commander of Air Combat Command, Gen. Mark D. Kelly, has officially selected the next Thunderbird commander to lead the United States Air Force Thunderbirds for the 2022 and 2023 demonstration seasons.

  • Tyndall celebrates 80 years of air power

    The 80th Anniversary of Tyndall Air Force Base prompts us to remember our past so we may better plot the course of our future. What has been clear from the beginning is Tyndall has fulfilled a key portion of the defense needs of a nation.

  • Qualifying DM’s first ADM teams

    The 355th Security Forces Squadron hosted its first ever Advanced Designated Marksman Course at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and in Florence, Arizona, April 14 – 16, 2021.

  • 379th ECES SAPR Reps stand for change

    Sexual assault and harassment can be emotionally devastating and unjust, but the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Representative Program trains Airmen, who volunteer, how to assist victims if an incident has been reported to them.

  • Swamp Fox is here

    With a roar of their engines, a contingent of F-16CJ Fighting Falcon aircraft from the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th “Swamp Fox” Fighter Wing, joined the Prince Sultan Air Base team this past month.While their mission here is a defensive one, Swamp Fox personnel offer a sense of

  • Airman crosses four decade threshold while deployed to the 332nd AEW

    Looking back 40 years is something many of us can do, however it’s a far more select group that can look back over a 40-year career. Chief Master Sgt. David R. Purtee enlisted in the U.S. Air Force April 25, 1981, at 17 years-of-age, from his hometown of Lancaster, Ohio.

  • 688th Cyberspace Wingmen enhance National Military Command Center mission

    Airmen of the 688th Cyberspace Wing, 38th Engineering Squadron provided direct support to the National Military Command Center in Washington D.C. The Wingmen directly enhanced the joint staff and the Secretary of Defense’s execution of the NMCC mission by engineering and installing updated

  • Airman deployed to the 332nd AEW shares story of life-long resilience

    Senior Airman Francis Andrew was born in Sudan in Northeast Africa where one night his town suffered the ravages of civil war, as soldiers attacked without warning ripping him from the life he’d known until that point. At seven years of age, this Airman, currently deployed to the 332nd AEW, suffered

  • Top cop visits Moody, discusses future of base defense

    The U.S. Air Force’s top cop, Brig. Gen. Roy W. Collins, director of Security Forces, and deputy chief of staff for Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection, Headquarters USAF, met with Airmen during his first visit to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, April 29 - 30, 2021.

  • Air Combat Command Announces 2021 Award Winners

    General Mark D. Kelly, the commander of Air Combat Command (ACC), announced the recipients of ACC's 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year, First Sergeant of the Year, Officer of the Year, and Civilian of the Year Awards for 2021.

  • Team Creech conducts MQ-9 IRF training

    Airmen from the 432nd Wing/432nd Air Expeditionary Wing conducted an immediate response force (IRF) training at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. March 22- 26, 2021.

  • Air Force transitions from CVR Teams to more secure systems

    Beginning June 15, Commercial Virtual Remote (CVR) Teams will no longer be an option within the Air Force, and all information stored in that system will go away. As the CVR environment goes away, the Air Force network version of Microsoft Teams – a separate application with slightly different

  • Partnering for the Children

    In 2006, the Bay Area Education Alliance was formed. This alliance between Tyndall AFB, Naval Support Activity Panama City, and Bay District Schools, serves to meet the unique needs of military members with children assigned to Tyndall. April is designated as the Month of the Military Child by the

  • 53rd Wing gears up for Northern Edge 21

    More than 25 aircraft, and hundreds of Airmen, from across the 53rd Wing are headed to Alaska in support of Northern Edge 21, INDOPACOM’s premier bi-annual exercise designed to increase joint combat effectiveness in all spectrums of warfare, May 3-14, 2021.

  • ASAB bringing in a storm: TYPHOONS

    U.S. Air Force 386th Air Expeditionary Wing and the Italian National Contingent Command Air/Task Force Air Kuwait leadership came together to commemorate the first operational takeoff of two F-2000 Eurofighter Typhoons from Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, April 20, 2021. The aircraft are part of Task

  • The last ride

    Driving home yesterday, a familiar country tune blasted in the background: “It’s not if they will, but how they remember you.” It was ironic and somewhat poetic to hear those words on April 27th, exactly ten years to the day since our family was forever changed by the U.S. Air Force’s largest single

  • DAF kicks off 2021 Fall Prevention Focus

    For the eighth year, the Department of the Air Force is partnering with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration during the National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls being held May 3-7. The DAF theme for this year’s focus is “Make a Difference in Fall Prevention.” The theme incites every

  • TACP officer becomes F-16 pilot

    A convoy of Afghan Humvees makes its way down narrow roads in urban Afghanistan while escorting an Afghan Army Corps commander in the summer of 2016. From the rear, a Tactical Air Control Party officer witnesses a rocket-propelled grenade rip through the lead Humvee, as a gunner with a heavy machine

  • PSAB Welcomes new SAPR duo

    In April 2021, the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing welcomed new additions to the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program team: 1st Lt. Darby Germain, Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, and Senior Master Sgt. LaTonya Reno, the full-time Victim Advocate.

  • Testing new tech on the A-10

    Operational test personnel from the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, a tenant unit on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, conducted a ground test on a new visual display system for the A-10C Thunderbolt II, April 14, 2021.

  • One aircraft, two owners: Hawgsmoke builds on pilot, maintainer bond

    Maintenance professionals work countless hours on the flightline to prepare and equip aircraft for each sortie, while pilots must trust their lives to the quality of the maintenance. This relationship is honed and proven through countless deployments, exercises and most recently, Hawgsmoke 2021, a

  • Gamblers redeploy home to Shaw

    Airmen assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron and the 77th Fighter Generation Squadron, also known as the “Gamblers”, as well as other Team Shaw units, redeployed from U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility late April.

  • DoD adds COVID-19 guidelines for deployers

    The Disaster Emergency Medical Operations Support Team tested more than 250 Airmen for COVID-19 prior to their departure to a deployed location April 15, 2021, here.

  • Kingpin command and control ops begin at Shaw

    The 727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron officially began full operations from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., on April 20, 2021, after 10 years of operations at Al Dhafra Air Base, UAE. In total, more than 150 U.S. Air Force Airmen and coalition partners belonging to the 727th EACS have repositioned

  • AFW2 Announces Team Air Force for Warrior Games 2021

    The Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) Program is proud to announce the 2021 Air Force Warrior Games team. A team of coaches and staff selected 45 primary and 15 alternates, a combination of active duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen and veterans, after their 2021 Virtual Air Force Trials competition. The