Daily Report

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz will award Capt. Barry F. Crawford Jr. the Air Force Cross—the second highest honor for valor in combat—at a Pentagon ceremony on Thursday. On May 4, 2010, Crawford, a special tactics officer assigned to an Army special forces team in eastern Afghanistan, "placed himself at grave risk on four occasions while controlling over 33 aircraft and more than 40 airstrikes on a well-trained and well-prepared enemy force" during an intense 10-hour-plus firefight, states his award citation (partially redacted at the Air Force's request). It adds, "His selfless actions and expert airpower employment neutralized a numerically superior enemy force and enabled friendly elements to exfiltrate the area without massive casualties." Crawford will become the fifth Air Force special operator to receive the Air Force Cross since Sept. 11, 2001, and only the third living recipient during that span. Only seven other airmen have earned the honor since 1975. For the complete gripping account of Crawford's extraordinary heroism that day, read Caught in the Crossfire.

Soon, probably early in May, President Obama will announce the four-star general who is his nominee to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff. If confirmed by the Senate, the new Chief will take over from Gen. Norton Schwartz,...

The Air Force is attempting to spread a “culture of resiliency” to the field to help combat airmen suicides, CMSAF James Roy told a Capitol Hill audience last week. Resiliency is the ability to endure and grow from a situation...

The Defense Department continues discussions with the Council of Governors on the council’s suggestions for modifying proposed force structure changes to the Air National Guard, said Secretary Michael Donley. DOD “continues to evaluate what our next steps should be,” he...

Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz has assigned Maj. Gen. Michael Carey to be the new commander of 20th Air Force at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo., announced the Pentagon. The numbered air force oversees the nation’s three Minuteman III ICBM...

The United States is closely monitoring North Korea as the communist nation prepares to launch a long-range Unha-3 rocket sometime between April 12 and April 16, according to Obama Administration officials. The North Koreans have said the Unha-3 would carry...

F-15s from Kadena AB, Japan, scrimmaged against Royal Malaysian Air Force fighters in a friendly duel for Exercise Cope Taufan, hosted at RMAF Butterworth in northwest Malaysia. Squaring off against Malaysian F-18s, Mig-29s, and Hawk 208s, USAF pilots enjoyed a...

Tactical Air Control Party airmen juggled 33 allied aircraft from four different NATO countries, simulating coalition close air support operations in Afghanistan at Serpentex 2012 on the isle of Corsica. “Participants are going to Afghanistan all the time,” said Capt....

Swordman Capt. Weston Kelsey, an Air Force Reservist, and biathlete A1C Emily Shertzer of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard are the Air Force’s 2011 male and female athletes of the year, respectively. Kelsey is the nation’s top men’s epee fencer...