Moseley Gathers the Brass

More than 100 Air Force general officers met at the Doubletree Hotel in Omaha, Neb., last Friday to hear words direct from the newly minted Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. T. Michael Moseley. According to a USAF spokesman, the...

Senate To Take Up USAFE Nominee:

The Senate Armed Services Committee plans next week to take up the nomination of Lt. Gen. William T. Hobbins to be the new head of US Air Forces in Europe, according to a committee spokesman. Hobbins’ nomination has been on...

Training Crash Critically Injures Officer, Kills Civilian:

Air Education and Training Command confirmed last Friday that 2nd Lt. Taryn Robinson, assigned to the Air Intelligence Agency’s 346th Test Squadron, Lackland AFB, Tex., was critically injured in an airplane crash southeast of San Antonio on Sept. 21. She...

Been There, Done That—They’re Ready:

The Air Force prepositioned forces and had units on alert around the country in preparation for Hurricane Rita. USAF forces that were shifted early to be closer to the site of potential action included: a director of mobility forces, contingency...

Rita—By the Early Numbers:

The Air Force has evacuated nearly 2,000 residents of the Gulf Coast as of Sept. 24, according to Air Mobility Command. In a 24-hour period, 827 airmen—of which 805 were Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command members—worked to...

Rescue 920 and 347:

HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and HC-130s from the 347th Rescue Wing at Moody AFB, Ga., and AFRC’s 920th RW, Patrick AFB, Fla., deployed to Laughlin AFB, Tex., for search and rescue operations after Rita’s landfall. On Sept. 24, the rescue...

CAP Flies for Storm Relief

Civil Air Patrol units from Texas and Louisiana took part in Rita disaster response actions, flying aerial damage assessments, moving officials and supplies, and participating in search and rescue efforts. According to the Air Force, as of Sept. 25, CAP...

Bush Continues To Push Greater Disaster Role for Military:

Speaking to reporters after a visit to San Antonio’s Randolph Air Force Base on Saturday, President Bush again urged Congress to consider making the Pentagon the lead agency for relief operations at home whether a disaster is natural or manmade....

Female C-130 Crew Flies Combat Mission:

An all-female crew flew a C-130E combat cargo mission in and out of Iraq. The Daily Press in North Carolina reported the first-of-its-kind event on Sept. 26. The six women in the crew are all assigned to the 43rd Airlift...

A Slap on the Hand:

A Slap on the Hand: The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog—the International Atomic energy Agency—passed a resolution Friday that criticizes Iran’s non-compliance with international nonproliferation treaties. The statement, a watered-down version of the earlier statement proposed by the US and European...

Oh, That Testimony:

According to a news release put out by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Pentagon had changed its mind about allowing five Able Danger personnel to testify publicly in the committee’s probe of the data-mining...

New DOD Podium Pointman Named:

The Bush White House has tapped Dorrance Smith, a former media advisor to the now-defunct Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq and an ABC News producer, to be the Pentagon’s chief spokesman. Smith would take over for acting head of Public...

The “Fairness” Rule:

The Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation met again last week, this time high on the agenda was a discussion of “fairness” when it come to implementing changes they plan to propose. Among topics under consideration are the consolidation of...

The Rangel—and Skelton—Numbers:

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), erstwhile advocate of a return to the military draft to provide a “more equitable representation of people making sacrifices” in wartime, was joined by Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) in requesting a GAO report on the demographics...

The Last Nightingale:

The last active duty C-9 Nightingale left Ramstein AB on Sept. 20 for its permanent home at Andrews AFB, Md., where it will be added to the base’s air museum collection. The aircraft is a modified DC-9 that entered service...

Keep ’Em Rolling:

Airmen are learning how to drive the big boys—18-wheelers—of transportation at the Basic Combat Convoy Course at Lackland AFB, Tex. The airmen who graduate after mastering 18-wheel tractor-trailer supply trucks and gun trucks used for convoy supply missions, as well...

Got Fuel, but No Way to Transfer It?:

Two quick-thinking Texas Air National Guardsmen know the answer. They fixed up a custom fuel truck nozzle that enabled them to refuel 100 stranded civilian buses at Ellington Field in Houston. The buses were needed to continue evacuation efforts for...

The Check Is Not in the Mail:

Hurricane-affected veterans in areas with no mail delivery can pick up replacement checks at any Veterans Affairs Regional Office, or call 1-800-827-1000, say VA officials. They note, too, that replacement checks are not available at VA hospitals.

Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism:

September 23-25, 2005 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 25 16 – 41 CAS/Armed Recon 102 68 – 170 Airlift – – 530 530 Air refueling – – 97 97 Total 127 84 627 838 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation...