Airmen are once again embarking on an unusual mission, as 12 security forces airmen from Nellis AFB, Nev., volunteer to take over security duties in an area of Baghdad once patrolled by US Army troops. The airmen will serve in Iraq for 15 months, first going to Ft. Hood, Tex., for team training with the Army. SSgt. Robert Leighton, 99th Security Support Squadron area supervisor at Nellis, told the Bullseye base newspaper, “From what we understand, this is the first time we, the Air Force, have taken this type of role over from the Army.” The Nellis airmen are being joined by security forces volunteers from other bases, forming three USAF flights.

The 1st Space Control Squadron based at Cheyenne Mountain AFS in Colorado Springs is moving to Vandenberg AFB, Calif., according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Gen. Kevin Chilton, head of Air Force Space Command, told the Gazette that this is...

Officials and visitors at Dover AFB, Del., broke ground on a new C-17 training facility and celebrated the expected arrival of the aircraft. Dover is getting a new $5.6 million state-of-the-art training facility that will feature a new full-motion C-17...

Alabama Air National Guard Lt. Col. Scott Patten has surpassed 3,000 flying hours in F-16, marking his 3,000th during a mission Sept. 11 over Iraq. Patten is a member of the 187th Fighter Wing at Montgomery. The wing deployed some...

A computer containing veterans’ information that was stolen in early August has been recovered and a man has been arrested for the crime. The computer, stolen from a Unisys Corp. building in Reston, Va., contained the names, Social Security numbers,...

Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, speaking at West Point during his 40th class reunion, told cadets that they will witness the military’s evolution from maneuver to interdependent warfare that will eliminate as many battlefield obstacles as possible. Wynne said, “The...

In a move to get beyond the current FAA restriction that allows unmanned aerial vehicles to operate in national air space but not in concert with manned aircraft, the Air Force wants to build an “experience base” from which the...

Air Force officials from Spangdahlem AB, Germany, say the F-16 crash on Sept. 14 was not an accident; instead it was a “controlled bailout.” Col. Darryl Roberson, commander of Spang’s 52nd Fighter Wing, told reporters that the F-16 flown by...

Air National Guard airmen from Alabama, Illinois, and Wisconsin currently make up the Tiger aircraft maintenance unit at Balad AB, Iraq, where they maintain F-16s of the 332nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron. More than half of these airmen are full-time Guardsmen, reports the Red Tail Flyer. That means many of them have worked together for years, 30 years in some cases. Others are new and are getting “more intense” experience than was possible during technical training, says SrA. Joshua Harrison from Alabama. The Tiger AMU has “fixed or inspected the jets twice as much as they would in the states,” according to the Flyer.

The Air Force has awarded Maj. Douglas Webb, 5th Medical Operations Squadron, Minot AFB, N.D., a Bronze Star for his actions during deployment to forward operating base Al Kasik, Iraq. According to the Minot Northern Star, Webb oversaw opening a...

A 110-pound satellite build by students at the University of Texas at Austin is at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland AFB, N.M., for testing prior to launch. Called the Formation Autonomy Spacecraft with Thrust, Relnav,...

The House passed H.R. 5815, the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Authorization Act of 2006, which includes initiatives to open hospitals, share medical equipment, and restore medical centers on the US Gulf Coast. The legislation calls for new hospitals...

In a new Pew Research Center poll, a majority of Americans believe that decreasing our military presence is the best way to reduce another terrorist attack—a complete reversal from public opinion in August 2002. In 2002, 48 percent of Americans...

The Government Accountability Office says the Pentagon needs to improve its global posture strategy by reporting more to Congress and addressing management and funding issues. In its latest defense management report, GAO says that DOD has only addressed three of...

Sept. 14, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 19 6 25 CAS/Armed Recon 43 44 87 Airlift 180 180 Air refueling 40 40 Total 62 50 220 332 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance