Gen. John P. Jumper, in a farewell talk with reporters, worried aloud about current and future challenges to US air superiority—something that most Americans and even many defense and military officials (who should know better) take for granted. “Everybody says...

In one last “Chief’s Sight Picture,” dated Aug. 31, then Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper focused on suicide prevention in light of what he termed the Air Force’s “alarmingly high suicide rate in 2004.” He said the rate had...

Air Force Special Operations Command crews from the 347th Rescue Wing, headquartered Moody AFB, Ga., had picked up 221 stranded Hurricane Katrina survivors as of Aug. 31, the Air Force confirmed Thursday in a statement. That is the latest date...

Air Combat Command has begun using high-flying U-2 high-flying reconnaissance aircraft from Beale AFB, Calif., to collect high-resolution imagery of the Hurricane Katrina damage. The U-2 imagery will be used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among other organizations, to help shape the US response to the flood damage. For a listing of Air Force support to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, click here.

Air Force Reserve Command plans to inactivate all five of its combat logistics support squadrons next month. The squadrons and some 650 highly skilled airmen are located at Hill AFB, Utah, Lackland AFB, Tex., Robins AFB, Ga., Tinker AFB, Okla.,...

TSgt. Michael Downey II on Aug. 31 received the Airman’s Medal, USAF’s highest award for heroism in peacetime, from Air Force Chief of Staff John P. Jumper during a Washington ceremony. In October 2003, Downey, who is assigned to the...

Still in limbo—at least as far as his Air Force connection—is newly installed National Reconnaissance Office Director Donald M. Kerr. Until Kerr’s appointment in late July, the head of the NRO had always been the undersecretary of the Air Force....

More than 50 airmen and two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters of the 56th Rescue Squadron, NAS Keflavik, Iceland, came home Monday after nearly two weeks in Bulgaria, where they demonstrated how to conduct combat search and rescue during Cooperative Key...

The Pentagon has muddled through a three-week investigation into allegations that Operation Able Danger uncovered information in 2000 about the 9/11 hijackers that was not passed on to the FBI. (See DR, 8/18/05.) DOD officials on Thursday said that they...

The Military Coalition is taking note of the work being done by the Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation and checking it twice. (TMC is a coalition of some 30 veterans service organizations, including the Air Force Association.) At the...

The Congressional Budget Office says the upfront cost for H.R. 994—a measure that would allow federal civilian and military retirees to pay for health premiums on a pre-tax basis and let active duty and military retirees deduct some Tricare fees...

USAF Gen. John W. Handy, commander of US Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command, will retire Wednesday after 40 years of active military service. The ceremony, to be held at Scott AFB, Ill., also will mark the first separation of...

For the first time in 10 years—since it began peace talks with archrival India—Pakistan has begun a month-long war game, bringing into play its entire air force fleet and other assets. The Pakistani Air Force expects to fly 8,200 sorties...

The Chinese government issued a white paper Thursday that was highly critical of efforts to build a regional missile defense system in Asia and voiced opposition to US efforts to provide Taiwan such capability. The paper maintained that development and...

Three C-130s of Iraq’s 23rd Air Transport Squadron flew two battalions of Iraqi security troops from Irbil to Tall Afar in Iraq over a two-day period last week, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, with the Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters Thursday....

September 1-5, 2005 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 35 28 – 63 CAS/Armed Recon 144 82 – 226 Airlift – – 695 695 Air refueling – – 138 138 Total 179 110 833 1,122 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation...