McCain Savors Tanker Competition

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), in a letter to Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, has taken issue with Air Force insistence that the two qualified companies vying for the new aerial refueling aircraft contract should divulge the extent of their government...

Bone, the Bomb Dropper King

The B-1B bomber, commonly called “Bone,” has dropped more bombs than any other aircraft since the global war on terror began, says Lt. Col. Michael Eliason, director of operations for 9th Bomb Squadron at Dyess AFB, Tex. “We’ve become an...

Success in Afghanistan

NATO’s recent offensive in Southern Afghanistan was a “significant success” that has driven Taliban insurgents from their positions and opened the way for development, said British Lt. Gen. David Richards, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, crediting the teamwork...

New Ad Campaign Starts

The Air Force launched a new recruiting advertising campaign, called “Do Something Amazing,” during prime time Monday night. The commercials, which tie in with USAF’s new interactive Web site, showcase Air Force people performing their jobs. The videos were taken...

Secret No More

TSgt. Roscoe C. Lindsay posthumously received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a mission conducted during the Cold War in 1959, reports the Wichita Eagle. Lindsay’s widow, Loy Lindsay, accepted the medal on his behalf during a ceremony at McConnell AFB,...

Foot-in-Mouth Disease Spreads

According to The Chosun Ilbo, Clinton Administration Defense Secretary William Cohen (now chairman of the Cohen Group in Washington) expressed the opinion recently at a Washington meeting that the transfer of military command and control to South Korea would not...

Getting an Eyeful on Wake

Typhoon Ioke’s Aug. 31st damage to Wake Island’s communications infrastructure could have been a lot worse, say airmen from Hickam AFB, Hawaii, who arrived as part of a 53-member assessment and fixit team. Dependent upon satellite communications for its telephone,...

Poland Gets Advanced F-16s

Lockheed Martin has rolled out Poland’s first F-16 fighter aircraft under the Peace Sky program that began in April 2003 and that will give Poland the most advanced fighter aircraft in NATO. In attendance at Lockheed’s Fort Worth, Tex., production...

Japan Considering More Missiles

Gen. Paul V. Hester, head of Pacific Air Forces, said US Forces Japan is working with the Japanese government on a plan to acquire more ballistic-missiles to defend against the North Korean threat, reports Stars and Stripes. Hester said during...

It’s Master Sergeant Now

We reported earlier that TSgt. Ruben Vazquez, a medical technician with the 36th Medical Operations Squadron at Andersen AFB, Guam, had earned a Bronze Star for heroic actions while deployed to Iraq. Now, he’s gotten an “instant promotion” to master...

Discount for Pakistan F-16s?:

President Bush plans to give Pakistan a “substantial discount”—or perhaps compensation of some sort—on its purchase of 36 F-16 aircraft to show appreciations for Islamabad’s efforts in the war on terror. According to The News, President Pervez Musharraf has received...

VA to Open Clinic in Cape Coral:

Veterans Affairs plans to build a new outpatient facility on land recently purchased in Cape Coral, Fla., to more effectively serve the many veterans living in Lee County, according to a VA press release. The clinic will replace a VA...

Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism

Sept. 15-17, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 48 13 61 CAS/Armed Recon 122 148 270 Airlift 518 518 Air refueling 121 121 Total 170 161 639 970 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance