According to the knowledgeable Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, Army officials are concerned about the Pentagon’s plan to limit the buy of new C-17 airlifters to just 180 (or 187, if Congress approves USAF’s unfunded request). Thompson made this...

Since current wisdom believes the 180-cap put on C-17s is purely budget driven, one way to get additional dollars for the new airlifter—often described by USAF leaders as “worth its weight in gold”—would be to can the Joint Cargo Aircraft...

Regular “Daily Report” readers will recall Air Force Space Command’s recent announcement of a link between the Global Positioning System and the Internet that would let users access data on-demand. The GPS gurus at the 50th Space Wing, Schriever AFB,...

CMSAF Gerald Murray asks airmen in a new letter whether they are ready to go should they get the call to deploy. He writes that changing requirements mean many airmen must “perform duties in different organizations and environments than they’ve known before.” He goes on to note that “different times” call for airmen to “be adaptive.” Murray will be retiring this summer, after serving for 29 years. His successor is CMSgt. Rodney McKinley.

Shorter Hops Take Toll on Airmen, Too: Increased tactical missions not only have caused unplanned wear and tear on the C-17 airlifter, but also pose a greater burden on the aircraft’s aircrews. Crewmembers say that making more short hops in...

Qualifying First Iraqi Aircrew Leads to MacKay Trophy: Five hand-picked USAF airmen who trained and flew the initial qualifying flight with the first Iraqi Air Force on an operational mission will receive the MacKay Trophy for 2005. The US airmen...

With an Eye Toward Preserving Charleston: Local governments near Charleston AFB, S.C., are taking another look at the land around the base and the nearby Naval Weapons Station to make certain community plans for growth don’t lead to problems for...

US Special Operations Command officials formally opened a new 112-thousand square foot facility for the Center for Special Operations at the command’s home base at MacDill AFB, Fla. Gen. Bryan D. Brown, SOCOM commander, has deemed the center a “model...

Aggressor Squadron Enhances Red Flag Ops: Air Force officials say the airmen of the 64th Aggressor Squadron, from Nellis AFB, Nev., performed up to expectations in their first engagement at the newly renamed Cope Thunder, now called Red Flag–Alaska. The...

Andrews Radio Airmen Assist Globally: Air Force pilots landing at Yokota AB, Japan, set their radios to communicate with the ground operators on approach—who are actually halfway across the world at Andrews AFB, Md. Operators with the 789th Communications Squadron...

The Air Force Research Laboratory has reactivated its 56-year-old wind tunnel and plans to cut the ribbon next week on the refurbished facility, marking the culmination of a $2.8 million upgrade project. AFRL and Wyle Laboratories personnel helped complete the...

A US Air Force C-17 flew 110 Iraqi children and 97 parents and guardians from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad, Iraq, to support Operation Smile—an international non-governmental organization that helps provide corrective surgery for cleft palate and cleft lip birth defects....

Speaking to Pentagon reporters on May 2, Air Force Gen. Lance Smith, the commander of US Joint Forces Command, said the Norfolk, Va.-based command is hard at work supporting current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it also is planning...

Ret. Maj. Gen. Perry M. Hoisington II, a veteran of World War II and the first commander of the Atomic Test Center at Kirtland AFB, N.M., died April 8 in Washington, D.C., reports the May 3 Washington Post. Hoisington, who...

May 2, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 13 6 17 CAS/Armed Recon 50 22 72 Airlift 150 150 Air refueling 32 32 Total 63 28 182 273 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance