Gates Urges Senate to Repeal DADT

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday he was “disappointed” the Senate failed to muster enough votes Thursday to clear the way for repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law. He urged the lame-duck Congress not to give up. “There’s still...

Candidate Bases Identified for Light Mobility Aircraft

Air Force officials announced Thursday that JB McGuire, N.J., and Travis AFB, Calif., are candidate basing locations for Light Mobility Aircraft. They envision stationing a single squadron of 12 LiMA platforms and approximately 100 personnel at one of these sites....

BMT May Help Trainees Receive Citizenship

Some Air Force trainees may soon earn more than the proud title of airman when they graduate from basic military training at Lackland AFB, Tex. Col. William Mott, commander of the 37th Training Wing, which oversees BMT, is working with...

Tanker Unit Activates Again

The Air Force has activated again the active duty 912th Air Refueling Squadron, this time to operate KC-135 tankers in an associate arrangement with Air Force Reserve Command’s 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March ARB, Calif. This pairing is one...

DeMint: US Must Reject Mutually Assured Destruction

Senate Democrats don’t really expect a ratification vote for the New START arms control agreement in the lame-duck session, but are continuing to campaign for ratification for partisan political reasons, said Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) Thursday. “The people [voters] have...

C-17s Bring Abrams Tanks to Afghanistan

A C-17 transport and crew operating with the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in Southwest Asia brought the first Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams tank to Afghanistan. Additional M1A1s followed on more C-17s, marking the first time that the Pentagon has introduced...

GAO: Mobility Study Missed Mark

The Pentagon’s Mobility Capabilities and Requirements Study 2016, issued earlier this year, failed to clearly identify gaps or excesses in mobility systems, Government Accountability Office auditors have found. For example, the study was “ambiguous” whether there is excess capability in...

Another First for Afghan Air Force

Afghan air force maintainers successfully inspected, serviced, and launched a C-27 transport on their own from Kabul, checking off another important first for the infant force. The maintainers have been working with NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan advisors for the past...

Building Unit Cohesion

Members of the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, England, and their British counterparts at RAF Marham worked on building unit cohesion during the leadership, ethos, and air power, or LEAP, day at Marham. The Dec. 6 gathering was...

Bronze Stars for Little Rock Airmen

TSgt. Heath Mooney and TSgt. Lawrence Lipinski, explosive ordnance disposal technicians with the 19th Civil Engineer Squadron at Little Rock AFB, Ark., have each earned a Bronze Star medal for meritorious service in Southwest Asia. For both airmen, it is...

Airmen Shuttle Injured Manatee to New Home

Members of the active duty 6th Air Mobility Wing and Puerto Rico Air National Guard’s 156th Airlift Wing came together on Thursday to airlift an injured West Indian manatee from MacDill AFB, Fla., to its new home in Puerto Rico....

Air Sorties from SWA 120110

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, Dec. 1-2, 2010 Sortie Type OND OEF OND/OEF Total YTD ISR 43 133 176 25,992 CAS/Armed Recon 30 169 199 33,121 Airlift 347 347 58,327 Air refueling 95 95 16,325 Rescue 47 47 7,632 Total...