Maj. Jill Metzger, an Air Force officer based at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, went missing Sept. 5 in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishek, US Central Command Air Forces confirmed today. According to a report from the Associated Press news service, Metzger...
Two USAF A-10s “regrettably engaged friendly forces during a strafing run” early Monday morning in Afghanistan, killing one Canadian soldier and wounding several others, according to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force. The A-10s were participating in Operation Medusa, aiding ISAF...
British Lt. Gen. David Richards, head of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, now in charge in southern Afghanistan, believes the new campaign launched this past weekend will end a resurgent Taliban offensive in Afghanistan within the next six months. If...
Lt. Gen. Gary North, head of US Central Command Air Forces, uses comparisons that make the enormousness of the airpower role in operations in Southwest Asia easier to grasp. For instance, he compares the effort by theater airlift forces so...
The Pentagon has released its latest report for Congress on the status of US military endeavors in Iraq, noting that “sectarian tensions increased over the past quarter.” The weekly average of attacks increased 15 percent over the previous quarter, and,...
The Tampa Tribune reports that the Pentagon fears US Central Command operations could break down because of “overburdened and unreliable” infrastructure at CENTCOM’s headquarters at MacDill AFB, Fla. However, the Tribune notes CENTCOM officials are less sanguine about the dire...
US Air Force C-130 and Singapore Air Force CH-47 airlift crews participating in the current Red Flag at Nellis AFB, Nev., brought their list of training requirements to the traditional fighter shootout, each checking off an item when they airdropped...
Back from August recess, lawmakers are quickly tackling the hot topic of national security—particularly the war in Iraq. A host of Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, sent a letter to President Bush, decrying “escalating violence, increasing instability...
Northrop Grumman reports that two months of “rigorous tests” have demonstrated that the Milstar communications satellite ground terminals currently operated by the Air Force and the Army work with the new Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite communications system. Northrop Space...
Air Force Reserve Col. Lindsey Graham—Republican senator from South Carolina—spent part of his August break serving in Afghanistan, where as a military lawyer he helped instruct Afghan military judges and lawyers. McClatchy Newspapers’ James Rosen reports that Graham has become...
The Missile Defense Agency conducted a successful “important exercise and flight test” Friday from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., of a ground-based interceptor missile, ultimately to be used to protect the nation against long-range ballistic missiles. Air Force Lt. Gen. Trey Obering,...
The Russian News Agency reports that the Russian Air Force will get the “first batch” of its new Su-34 fighter-bombers this year. The article then highlights some of the improvements over the Su-24 bomber it’s designed to replace. An earlier...
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry Goodall was killed Sept. 2 when the twin-engine aircraft he was piloting crashed after he tried to return to the small field in Waco, Tex., he had just left. Goodall, who was 73, was...
Veterans Affairs has joined forces with Florida in a pilot project that will offer severely injured troops additional benefits from the state once they transition from military hospitals to a VA medical facility. VA chief James Nicholson calls it a...
Sept. 1-4, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 61 26 87 CAS/Armed Recon 159 137 296 Airlift 650 650 Air refueling 155 155 Total 220 163 805 1,188 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance