It sure sounded like a good idea: Take a few B-52s, strap on outboard radar-jamming pods, and scramble enemy air and electronic defense networks at will. It seems now that Air Force officials are reconsidering the whole thing in favor...

Air Force Gen. Robert H. “Doc” Foglesong, commander of US Air Forces in Europe, says he’s retiring. A USAFE press release confirms that, but does not give a date. (Update: An Air Force memo for staff does project his retirement,...

With far less fanfare than greeted the kickoff of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process back in May, the final recommendations of the BRAC commission became law, when Congress failed to reject the list within 45 days after lawmakers...

No word yet on whether the Indian Air Force is besting USAF in this year’s Cope India exercise, as they did in 2004. USAF officials say, though, that there is a growing sense of camaraderie between the two air forces....

As Cope India warmed up this week, 10 USAF communicators from the 35th Communications Squadron deployed from Misawa AB, Japan, with a theater deployable communication package and had the exercise comm operable within 48 hours. The airmen established satellite connectivity,...

Coalition air forces performed several strikes in Iraq, supporting ongoing anti-insurgent operations. A US Air Force F-15 launched a precision-guided munition against an insurgent weapons cache in the vicinity of Karabilah. US Navy F-14s struck a building used by insurgents...

Air Force Space Command says it is getting the word out, per USAF direction, on the rationale and methods to be used for the 2006 Force Shaping Plan that will cut some 4,000 officers. The first stop for Brig. Gen....

The Air Force continued its assistance for earthquake relief efforts, with a USAF C-17 and a contracted B-747 flying in more than 235,000 pounds of medical supplies, clothing, rations, aircraft parts, vehicle parts, construction materials, batteries, water pumps, generators, and...

The Air Force has awarded Northrop Grumman a $60 million contract to begin production of the next five RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles. Northrop officials say the company expects to begin production of hardware late this year and assembly...

Rebuilding the Iraqi Air Force is a matter of focusing on “one small victory at a time,” says Air Force Reserve Command Brig. Gen. Frank Padilla, who led an assessment of the work ahead. Padilla, who serves as an IMA...

Air National Guard airmen in Indiana joined their foot-pounding brethren to support recovery operations in the wake of the tornado that tore through southern Indiana. Air Guardsmen from the 181st Fighter Wing, Terre Haute, Ind., are helping with search and...

The last-minute try by Maine Senators to have the Pentagon donate—free—the military facilities to be shuttered in Maine to the state’s local governments failed to catch fire. (DR, 11/09/05) Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and cohorts rushed an amendment to the 2006...

Chairman of the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) says that his committee plans to move up on the calendar—to February—hearings at which veterans service organizations get to offer their views on VA budget priorities. Buyer explains...

The Air Force Reserve Command’s C-130Js of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron have returned to their home station at Keesler AFB, Miss., which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The Hurricane Hunters have had a busy season. They are joined back...

Like most of the rest of the country, the Air Force anticipates a much larger energy bill in the near future—estimates range from 50 percent to 100 percent, says USAF energy team manager Gary Hein. So, what to do? The...

For 76 young people, enlisting in the Air Force took center stage in front of a San Francisco 49er football crowd of 70,000. It was actually the third such event for the 49ers. The first half-time enlistment ceremony took place...

Combat veterans returning to civilian life and facing readjustment challenges have a resource to tap at Vet Centers throughout the US. And, the VA now staffs these centers with “global war on terror outreach technicians,”—themselves combat veterans. VA officials say...

November 8, 2005 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 9 5 – 14 CAS/Armed Recon 58 20 – 78 Airlift – – 155 155 Air refueling – – 35 35 Total 67 25 190 282 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation...