Daily Report

Aug. 14, 2012

Welsh Introduces Himself

Gen. Mark Welsh introduced himself to airmen in his first official letter to them since becoming the Air Force’s 20th Chief of Staff. “My story starts with my family. My dad, who was the greatest patriot, officer, and leader I’ve...

2012 Outstanding Airmen

The Air Force has selected its top enlisted members for 2012, naming them the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year. They are: • SMSgt. Laura A. Callaway, Air Mobility Command; • SMSgt. Emilio Hernandez, US Air Forces in Europe; •...

Mission, Airmen, Families

Gen. Philip Breedlove, US Air Forces in Europe’s new commander, said there will be no immediate changes in the command. His priorities for USAFE, which is headquartered at Ramstein AB, Germany, fall into three main categories: mission, airmen, and families....

Panetta Visits Airmen at Niagara Falls

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Air National Guardsmen and Air Force Reservists assigned to Niagara Falls ARS, N.Y., that the Pentagon remains committed to the base. “We’re counting on this base. It’s important geographically,” said Panetta during his Aug. 9...

North Carolina Air Guard Trains Botswanans

For the MEDLITE 12 exercise, members of the North Carolina Air National Guard’s 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte have been at Thebephatswa AB, Botswana, providing hands-on training to their Botswana Defense Force counterparts in aeromedical evacuation operations. Like the North...

Contingency Reunion

Contingency response airmen from across Air Force Reserve Command converged for Patriot Express 2012, a combined-unit airfield-opening exercise with Navy seabees at Fort Carson Air Terminal, Colo. “To have [airlift control flights] from five different locations around the country come...

Predators Participate in Homeland Defense Exercise

Members of the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Reconnaissance Wing at March Air Reserve Base employed two MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft during exercise Grizzly Field 2012 to help with search and rescue efforts after a simulated earthquake struck southern...

An Aussie in a Raptor’s Nest

Royal Australian Air Force Flt. Lt. Mark Biele is an F-22 instructor pilot on exchange with the 90th Fighter Squadron at JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. He’s only the second Australian exchange pilot to fly the F-22, according to a base release....

Each Bomb a Time Capsule

An Air Force historian is compiling data on every US bombing mission since World War I in order to pinpoint the geographic location, historical progression, and strategic effects of US bombardment writ large. “What if you had the detailed data...

Russian Air Force Bulking Up

Russia plans to invest heavily to rebuild and modernize its air force by 2020, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. He announced this plan at the Moscow Air Show on Aug. 11 in comments marking the Russian air force’s 100th anniversary,...