U.S. AIR FORCE NEWS

  • Lightning strikes tanker -- twice

    Twenty minutes before landing, all systems were normal, the mission had gone flawlessly and the crew of “Shell 02” was ready to complete another successful refueling flight supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. But 10 minutes and two lightning strikes later, the only thing resembling “normal”

  • Chief facing court-martial found dead

    A chief master sergeant facing a court-martial was found dead here Aug 7. Winfred B. Harrison, from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron, failed to appear for court-martial proceedings, prompting a search by base and law enforcement officials. A squadron member found the chief's body in one of the

  • American forces unearth hidden aircraft in Iraq

    American forces have found Russian fighter jets buried in the Iraqi desert, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in an Aug. 5 press briefing. "We'd heard a great many things had been buried, but we had not known where they were, and we'd been operating in that immediate vicinity for weeks and

  • Civilian processes become ‘lean’

    Air Force civilian personnel leaders want to eliminate procedural bottlenecks and waste by applying a concept called “lean.”Lean is a way of streamlining processes and making them more efficient by removing waste, reducing cycle time and improving customer satisfaction, according to David W.

  • Program desperately needs blood

    The Armed Services Blood Program needs eligible Type O blood donors to support ongoing military operations worldwide and to replenish the military's frozen blood reserves.A single battlefield injury victim can require more than 40 units of blood in an emergency. Type O donors are especially

  • Air Force unveils new uniform plan

    Air Force officials announced Aug. 6 plans for the wear test of a new utility uniform to possibly replace the current battle dress uniform.The blue, gray and green tiger-stripe camouflage ensemble is a departure from the current woodland pattern uniform and includes many new features that are

  • Airmen get peek at new uniform

    A prototype of the new Air Force utility uniform was unveiled July 9 in various duty sections at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., and Bolling AFB, D.C.Senior Master Sgt. Jacqueline Dean, from the Air Force uniform board, enlisted the aid of eight airmen to demonstrate both the men’s and women’s version

  • Vandenberg air tower goes civilian

    The airfield tower here has become the first active-duty Air Force tower to be manned by contract civilian air traffic controllers. The switch took place Aug. 1.The bottom line for the change boils down to manning and bucks."Switching to civilian air traffic controllers frees slots in a critical

  • August Airman now available

    The August issue of Airman features “aces,” snipers at Bashur Airfield, the upcoming Air Force Academy football season and road maintenance airmen in a Washington national forest. These stories and more can be found in this month’s magazine, now available in print and online.Ace in the Sky -- World

  • Combat communicators keep airmen in touch

    As the fourth aircraft touched down after the Army seized the airfield here, the base gained one of its mission essential teams -- combat communicators.The team’s sole purpose is to deploy into a bare-base environment and set up expeditionary communications. For them it is not a challenge. It was