The 80 Airmen hovered in bunkers on Jan. 7, 2020, weren't sure they would live through the night. The sky glowed and the ground “shook with a force impossible to put into words," as Iranian ballistic missiles rained down on al-Asad Air Base, Iraq. Air ...
U.S. Central Command has ordered a stop movement for all forces deploying to the Middle East to allow for a 14-day quarantine to counter the spread of the new coronavirus. Under the order, announced March 20, forces deploying to U.S. commands or coalitions in the ...
U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan continued at a steady rate in February, despite progress toward a peace deal with the Taliban, as counter-terror operations targeted the Islamic State group’s Khorasan offshoot and al-Qaeda. In February, U.S. manned and unmanned aircraft dropped 360 weapons—the lowest monthly total ...
Two U.S. service members died during a March 8 fight with Islamic State group militants in northern Iraq. The Americans were killed while advising and accompanying Iraqi security forces during a mission targeting an IS stronghold in a mountainous area, according to a March 9 ...
President Trump nominated Gen. Charles Q. Brown, head of Pacific Air Forces, to be the next Air Force Chief of Staff, succeeding Gen. David Goldfein, who retires this summer. If confirmed, Brown would be the first African American to serve as Chief of Staff of ...
The Air Force recently deployed the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System back to the Middle East, about three months after pulling the aircraft from theater for the first time in 18 years. Air Combat Command said at the time there was a "higher ...
Enemy attacks on U.S., coalition, and Afghan forces in the fourth quarter of 2019 reached the highest level since the U.S. government’s watchdog for the war began keeping track in 2010, resulting in increased air operations in the country. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan ...
US strike aircraft dropped more bombs in Afghanistan in 2019 than any other year since at least the surge in 2009. US aircraft flew 2,434 strike sorties, releasing 7,423 weapons, according to statistics released Jan. 27 by Air Forces Central Command. These totals are higher ...
US and coalition aircraft continued to strike Islamic State group targets in Iraq and Syria in November as US forces drew down in size, according to new statistics from Air Forces Central Command. Last month, aircraft as part of Operation Inherent Resolve conducted 153 airstrikes, ...
The health of the Air Force's B-1 fleet, which spent much of 2019 plagued with readiness issues, has improved, enabling Air Force Global Strike Command boss Gen. Timothy Ray to send the bombers on a short-notice deployment to the Middle East with plans for a ...
US-managed airstrikes in Afghanistan dropped in October but rose in Iraq and Syria, according to new data published by Air Forces Central Command. In Afghanistan, the number of airstrikes by manned and unmanned platforms dipped from 948 in September to 777 in October. In Iraq ...