Daily Report

May 26, 2010

Major Receives Airman’s Medal

Heroism displayed by Maj. Dorene Betsy Ross during the aftermath of the disastrous Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti led USAF to award her one of its top awards for bravery, the Airman’s Medal. Army Lt. Gen. Ken Keen, deputy commander...

GPS Launch Pushed Back Again

The Air Force announced early Tuesday that the launch of the first Global Positioning System Block IIF satellite from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., is now tentatively rescheduled for Thursday between 11:00 p.m. and 11:19 p.m. EDT. Monday night’s launch attempt...

Now They Are Fully Manned

USAF airmen have been training Afghanistan counterparts in the employment of the C-27A Spartan tactical airlifter since last fall, graduating the first Afghan C-27 pilot in February, but the advisory unit they comprise has just recently achieved 100 percent manning....

All In

According to a report by the News Bulletin, the Air Force has received the last of its planned 454 T-6A Texan II trainers with the one flown in last week by Capt. Matt Wilcoxen and Capt. Nick Woodrow to NAS...

During the Bagram Attack

A report from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, recounts action during the Taliban attack last week. The early morning attack started with rocket propelled grenades, that Lt. Col. James Lowe, commander of the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, said caused no significant...

First AEHF Satellite Goes to Cape

Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday that it has delivered the first advanced extremely high frequency communications satellite to Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., from where it is expected to be launched into orbit on July 30 aboard an Atlas V rocket. “Lockheed...

Ship Bumps X-51 Test

The Air Force has had to postpone the planned May 25 maiden free flight of the X-51A hypersonic air vehicle because a freighter was transiting a portion of the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range several hundred miles...

Build and They Will Come

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) and Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.) announced inclusion of $3.75 million in the Fiscal 2011 defense authorization bill to cover an aircraft conversion facility at Stewart Air National Guard Base to position the base to receive C-17...

The DADT Compromise

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, according to Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell, would prefer to complete the Pentagon review first, but is OK with the Congressional plan to vote now on new legislation that would overturn the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) law. Peter Orszag, Office of Management and Budget director, wrote Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.), chief architect of the new legislation, that the Administration would prefer that Congress wait until the Pentagon completes its review before taking legislative action, but barring that, the proposed amendment "meets the concerns raised by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff." Lieberman, writing the White House, said the measure "puts a process in place to repeal" DADT once the President, SECDEF, and JCS Chairman "certify the repeal won't deter "standards of readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention." (Lieberman amendment) (OMB May 24 letter) (Lieberman letter to White House with Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.)) (AFPS release by Donna Miles)

Peterson Gets 9/11 Memorial

Officials with NORAD and US Northern Command on May 18 commemorated a new 9/11 memorial at the entrance of the commands’ headquarters building at Peterson AFB, Colo. The memorial features a steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center that...

Air Sorties from SWA 051710

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, May 17, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 23 53 76 8,597 CAS/Armed Recon 12 76 88 12,773 Airlift 167 167 23,406 Air refueling 49 49 5,927 Rescue 27 27 2,177 Total...