Despite the “thumbs down” view of the QDR and Mobility Capabilities Study on procuring more than 180 C-17 airlifters, Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) has enlisted a bipartisan group to push the White House to keep the production line open—taking the number to 222. A letter sent to President Bush cites the Defense Science Board position that closing the line too soon would pose an unnecessary risk.

The Air Force and Lockheed Martin say the first modernized Global Positioning System passed its on-orbit check, enabling the 2nd Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colo., to declare it operational. GPS IIR-14 (M) provides increased signal power, two new military...

The 5th Air Force, headquartered at Yokota AB, Japan, wants more noncommissioned officer participation in the USAF-Japanese Air Self Defense Force exchange program, reports Stars and Stripes. The Pacific Air Forces NAF is working with US Forces Japan and JASDF...

Working over the weekend to get the conference version of the 2006 defense authorization bill out the door, House legislators passed the bill on a 374-41 vote. The Senate was expected to take up the $441.5 billion measure Monday. One...

US Air Force F-16s conducted a pre-planned air strike in the vicinity of Tall Afar, Iraq, on Dec. 18—expending precision-guided munitions against a cave being used by Iraqi insurgents.

Airmen with the 22nd and 23rd Special Tactics Squadrons “joined” the Navy for contingency training aboard USS Alabama in the Pacific Ocean. The weeklong exercise provided experience on an Ohio-class submarine like those being converted from ballistic missile platforms to...

While more Americans have been reversing judgment on whether the Iraq War was a mistake, their take on the immediate withdrawal of troops is a different case. According to the New York Times, a new AP-Ipsos poll shows that a...

House Armed Services Committee leader Duncan Hunter will not be trying to create a recreation facility for military personnel and veterans on California’s Santa Rosa Island, located in the Channel Islands National Park. The Los Angeles Times reports that Hunter...

USAF continues to provide what is now termed “in lieu of” personnel to handle work once done by soldiers. Among these new blue “soldiers” are more than 150 airmen of the 732nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron support the Army’s 181st...

BAE Systems has “successfully completed” the first phase of developmental flight-testing on the F-22A’s digital electronic warfare system. Future production F-22s will get the new EW system, which provide newer technology that offers “cost, power, and weight savings,” say company...

Two veterans groups have sent a letter to President Bush, criticizing the Administration for its plans to reinstate mandatory anthrax shots for military personnel. The move came shortly after the FDA issued its final rule, saying the vaccine will prevent...

The Labor Department has issued rules clarifying re-employment rights for reservists—the first time since passage of the Uniformed Services employment and Re-employment Act in 1994, according to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. The law is designed to protect employees from discrimination...

USAFE Comes to Romania: US Air Forces in Europe recently sent a 30-member survey team to Romania’s Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base to survey the airfield’s condition to host joint operations with the Romanian Air Force. The US and Romania signed...

The Air Force has identified initial skill pairings—complementary jobs outside a primary field—for each officer career field as part of the service’s force development program. The goal, says Lt. Col. Harold Huguley, chief of force development at the Air Force...

The Air Force honored four airmen with the 2005 Lance P. Sijan Air Force Leadership Award. They are: Lt. Col. Gerald J. Ven Dange, Capt. William M. Dains, MSgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez, and SrA. Grailin M. Blamer. The award, which is...

The Pentagon will eliminate geographic rate protection for the basic housing allowance come January. From that point forward, BAH will fluctuate based on regional housing cost estimates collected by military housing offices. The services will adjust the rates annually. But,...

Five USAF teams have received Chief of Staff Team Excellence Awards, while six teams earned Best Practice Certificates. The teams, according to USAF officials, used “a systematic approach to enhance mission capability, improve operational performance, and create sustained results.” The...

December 16-18, 2005 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 28 11 – 39 CAS/Armed Recon 99 42 – 141 Airlift – – 350 350 Air refueling – – 67 67 Total 127 53 417 597 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation...