The Air Force is asking for nearly $9 billion in Fiscal 2010 for its portfolio of space programs, Gary Payton, USAF’s space czar, told reporters yesterday in the Pentagon. The request is roughly several hundred millions dollars more than what...

The Air Force leadership issued a joint memorandum on May 8 that lays out the five-point plan for improving the service’s acquisition arm based on shortcomings identified in recent competitions such as the KC-X tanker and CSAR-X rescue helicopter and...

Military recruiting hit another high note as job losses and job stagnation continue in a still shaky economy. According to the data released by the Pentagon May 11, all the services and their reserve components met or exceeded their enlisted accession goals for the month of April. The Air Force accepted five more than its goal of 2,162 new recruits, while the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve also accepted a few above their goals of 860 and 783, respectively. Because of the continuing recruiting bonanza, the Obama Administration has proposed trimming the 2010 military recruiting and retention account by about $800 million under the $7.039 billion enacted in 2009, "without sacrificing the high quality of today's force," according to statement on the reduction by the Office of Management and Budget. To make this 11 percent cut, OMB says the services plan to implement such economies as holding recruiting and retention programs at 2009 levels, reducing enlistment and reenlistment bonuses, reducing advertising budgets, and reducing the number of recruiters.

Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) admonished Air Force space acquisition director, Maj. Gen. Neil McCasland, to refrain from engaging in “happy talk” as he discussed the status of the Global Positioning System during a May 7 House Oversight and Government Reform...

According to Lt. Gen. Larry James, commander of 14th Air Force and the Joint Force Component Command for Space, there is no “on or off” with regards to a potential gap in GPS coverage projected recently by the Government Accountability...

The F-35 is intended to take over the tactical nuclear weapon delivery role now filled by the F-15E and F-16, but creating this capability is still only in the concept stage, according to the Air Force. The F-35 cannot carry...

The 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany, conducted the first-ever personnel drop with its new C-130J transport on May 4. More than 35 Army paratroopers participated in the test drop, which was meant to verify the performance of the...

The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, formally added four new squadrons May 5. The new units—the 655th, 755th, 855th, and 955th Air Expeditionary Squadrons—will oversee the some 1,200 airmen who are deployed to more than 40...

The US Air Force Academy has earned the maximum 10-year accreditation after undergoing a comprehensive and intense evaluation by an eight-member team of distinguished leaders in higher education from April 27-29. The evaluation group, a part of the Higher Learning...

May 6, 2009 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 28 20 48 4,979 CAS/Armed Recon 13 76 89 12,316 Airlift 140 140 17,104 Air refueling 49 49 5,461 Total 322 39,855 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance...