KC-135s and Airmen from the 349th Air Refueling Squadron at McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., lived in quarantine and dramatically changed their routine before heading to the Middle East earlier this month. The early April deployment to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, is an example ...
Airmen and F-16s from the “Triple Nickel” returned to Aviano Air Base, Italy, from a six-month combat deployment to the Middle East—the first time a full unit returned from a deployment since the Defense Department ordered a restriction on movement because of COVID-19. The Airmen ...
The Air Force is bracing for a year or more of adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting its operating tempo and procedures under a new "reset" expected June 1, Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said April 22. He's not seeing any major programs faltering ...
A joint Air Force team on April 21 delivered a rapidly developed containment system prototype that will enable as many as 28 COVID-positive patients to be transported aboard a C-17. The team, led by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and the Air Force’s ...
The Air Force is expanding access to remote mental health support and offering resources to help members deal with the stresses of coping with social isolation and the COVID-19 pandemic. "I haven't seen an uptick [in requests for help], but I am very, very aware ...
The Pentagon is adjusting its COVID-19 testing policy, with a new emphasis on screening service members in its highest priority missions in addition to diagnosing troops who are already sick. As the new coronavirus outbreak spread, the Defense Department used its limited testing resources to ...
The Air Force’s 36th Wing recently teamed up with Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to set up an expeditionary medical facility at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam to treat U.S. Navy sailors evacuated from their COVID-19-ravaged aircraft carrier, according to a ...
The Pentagon’s top acquisition official anticipates the military will see a three-month setback across its major defense acquisition programs as the coronavirus pandemic throws contractors and program officials off their usual rhythm. “We do anticipate about a three-month slowdown at slower rates in terms of ...
The Air Force on April 17 signed a $13 million research and development blanket purchase agreement with healthcare startup Curative Inc., to employ and scale a Food and Drug Administration-authorized, saliva-based COVID-19 test that can yield results in about one day, USAF announced April 20. ...
The Defense Department's newly extended travel ban provides additional leeway to bring troops home from deployments, as Air Force officials try to figure out how to meet the service's highest priority needs if the ban is extended yet again. The policy change loosens guidelines for ...
The COVID-19 Military Support Initiative—a joint program of the military nonprofits Blue Star Families and Association of Defense Communities—recently launched a poll to determine the biggest challenges the new coronavirus pandemic is posing to U.S. troops, veterans, their families, and their communities. But the head ...
Nearly 90 newly minted second lieutenants are heading to the Space Force as its first company-grade officers, following their April 18 graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond likened the first young Space Force members to USAFA's inaugural ...