Daily Report

April 17, 2012

Seventeenth Air Force to Stand Down

Air Force officials on Friday will inactivate 17th Air Force, US Africa Command’s air component since October 2008, during a ceremony at Ramstein AB, Germany. US Air Forces in Europe will become AFRICOM’s new air component. USAFE’s 3rd Air Force,...

Silver Star for Pave Hawk Pilot

Maj. Charles McMullen, an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter pilot with the 41st Rescue Squadron at Moody AFB, Ga., received the Silver Star Medal for his gallantry under fire during a rescue mission near Nad E Ali, Afghanistan, in 2009. Gen....

Bold Leaders Set High Standards

CMSAF James Roy sent an e-mail message to command chiefs and career field managers in early April, urging them to act as mentors and guide the junior enlisted corps to successful futures in the Air Force. “The theme of the...

Two More F-35s in Lot 5

The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin a $259 million contract modification to add two additional F-35 strike fighters to the jet’s Lot 5 production order. The move tacks on another F-35A for the Air Force and another F-35C for the...

Reported Sexual Assaults Rose Slightly in Fiscal 2011

The number of reported sexual assaults in the US military increased from 3,158 in Fiscal 2010 to 3,192 in Fiscal 2011, according to the Pentagon's newly issued 2011 Annual Report on Sexual Assaults in the Military. "Sexual assault has no place in this department. It is an affront to the basic American values we defend, and to the good honor of our service members and their families," stated Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a Pentagon release. He met with lawmakers on Monday to discuss proposed new measures for confronting the issue. There were 614 reports of sexual assault in the Air Force in Fiscal 2011. That's almost a five percent increase from the 585 cases filed in Fiscal 2010. The increase may be due to "increased publicity and greater familiarity" with efforts to counter sexual assault, states the report. (Fiscal 2011 sexual assault fact sheet and full report; caution, exceedingly large file.) (See also An Air Force War on Sexual Assaults from Air Force Magazine's January issue.)

Air Guard’s First Full Port Opener

The Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group recently qualified as the Air Guard’s first unit capable of running a joint task force-port opening operation. The group received US Transportation Command’s official certification for this role after its performance...

At the Cellular Level

Engineers laid the foundation of two new jet-engine test cells, including one designed to handle the F-35 strike fighter’s F135 powerplant, at Tinker AFB, Okla. The base already boasts 10 engine test cells, called “T-9s,” that support depot maintenance lines...

Air Guard Weather School Takes Flight

The Florida Air National Guard inactivated the Weather Readiness Training Center at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, near Starke, and rechristened it the 131st Training Flight. “The unit will finally be its own numbered unit,” said Maj. John Waltbillig, 131st...

GPS Integration Milestone

Lockheed Martin and Raytheon announced Monday they’ve completed the first significant integration milestone between the former’s in-development Global Positioning System III satellite and the latter’s GPS Next Generation Operational Control System known as OCX. The joint project team successfully exchanged...

We’ll Leave the Light on For ‘Ya, But

The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers claimed victory against the Air Force in its quest to free the US military of policies that it purports promote religion. This time, the atheists’ group was upset over the fact that guest...