Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly took charge of US Southern Command on Nov. 19, replacing Gen. Douglas Fraser who led the organization since June 2009. “He’s direct and tough,” said Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey in praising Kelly during...
The 79th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., welcomed the Air Force’s first combat-coded HC-130J Combat King II personnel recovery aircraft into the service’s inventory during a ceremony at the base. “This aircraft means enhanced survivability for our HH-60s and...
The Air Force is getting ready to field the second iteration of the Gorgon Stare wide-area overhead surveillance sensor, said Lt. Gen. Larry James, the Air Force’s ISR chief. MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft carry the podded ISR system. Increment...
The 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall AFB, Fla., resumed F-22 flight operations on Nov. 19, four days after wing leadership stood them down following the crash of one of the unit’s Raptors on the base grounds. Wing Commander Col. David...
The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, took over responsibility for the base’s security from the Army, standing up the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Group for the task. “I am honored to be your first commander,” said Col....
The Air Force and its reserve components all met or exceeded their recruiting goals for Fiscal 2012, according to the Defense Department’s statistics for the complete fiscal year released on Nov. 19. This continues the streak going back to Fiscal...
Air Force Special Operations Command’s enlisted corps nominated retired Gen. Norton Schwartz, former Chief of Staff, for induction into the command’s Order of the Sword. CMSgt. Bill Turner, AFSOC’s command chief, presented Schwartz with the nomination on Nov. 15 during...
A pair of C-130Js from Ramstein AB, Germany, deployed for a joint training exercise with French air force C-130Hs at Air Base 123 near Orleans, southwest of Paris. “This is the first time that French and American C-130 crews have...
