Jason Healey

The U.S. moves to ensure a robust supply chain for rare-earth elements—beyond China’s control.

National Guardsmen in Iowa played a crucial role in cleaning up after a storm with winds up to 140 miles per hour hit Cedar Rapids earlier this month, uprooting trees, knocking down power lines, and causing power outages across southeast Iowa. Within 24 hours, Airmen ...

The Air Force's new combat search and rescue helicopter completed its first aerial refueling on Aug. 5. Air Force and Sikorsky pilots flew the HH-60W Jolly Green II at 110 knots to connect with an HC-130J tanker during the initial test, which lasted just under ...

Eight groups of hackers attempted to to take control of a Defense Department satellite on Aug. 9. The weekend-long event, called “Hack-A-Sat,” was intended to spur interest in cybersecurity and help the DOD and the Air Force learn about unforeseen security risks. The event was ...

American and Israeli F-35s trained together earlier this week, in the second bilateral exercise between the two countries focusing on Joint Strike Fighter operations. The exercise, called Enduring Lightning II, “illustrates the close relationship between the air forces and military echelons and enhances the cooperation ...

A sudden fire off base added an unexpected sense of urgency and realism to a firefighting training exercise in Northern Michigan. When a historic building in Alpena, Mich. suddenly caught on fire, nearby firefighters participating in parts of Northern Strike 20, a National Guard annual ...

The Air Force released a list of resources to help foster conversations on race and inclusion within the service. Since protests started after the killing of George Floyd on May 25, Air Force leadership has encouraged frank discussions on race throughout the service. The goal ...

After 1st Lt. David Schmitz died during a routine training exercise in June, his former best man and fellow F-16 pilot vowed to keep his legacy alive by setting up a scholarship foundation in his memory. “He had an impact on so many people. I ...

The U.S. Space Force's Space and Missile Systems Center is on schedule to launch a top secret payload for the National Reconnaissance Office on July 15, marking the new service's first launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The National Reconnaissance Office Launch-129 (NROL-129) ...

Ten Airmen recently became the first to graduate Basic Military Training after English learning through an Air Force program. The Airmen were in the Defense Language Institute English Language Center’s ECHO Flight program beta test, a replica of an Army program that provides language training ...

A veterans support group is planning a 22-mile march near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, to raise awareness on the number of veterans who kill themselves. Veteran Internships Providing Employment Readiness, or VIPER, works to reduce veteran suicide by ensuring job placement and training before a ...

Three F-35A Lightning IIs arrived at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, on June 25, doubling the size of the base’s F-35A fleet. Eielson will receive 48 more aircraft by December next year, giving Alaska the highest concentration of combat-coded, fifth-generation fighter aircraft of any state. ...

The first operationally ready Negatively Pressurized Conex arrived in Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, on June 24. The adapted shipping container can fit onto C-17 and C-5M aircraft, and can safely transport up to 23 COVID-19 patients without risking contamination of the aircrew or aircraft, ...

Airmen from Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska recently finished the first bombs for the 354th Fighter Wing’s F-35A strike fighters. Eielson, which received its first two F-35s on April 21, is the first Pacific Air Forces base to host F-35s. The fighter delivery and ...

The Sig Sauer M18 handgun will replace the M9 pistol that has been in service since 1985. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Small Arms Program Office purchased some 125,000 M18s from Sig Sauer for $22.1 million, and delivery is slated to be complete ...