The Air Force says the first increment in reducing the Total Force by some 40,000 positions over the next five years will strike about 8,000 officers in Fiscal 2007. The enlisted force numbers for 2007 are “on target,” but USAF...

The Air Force’s Fiscal 2007 officer drawdown plans (see above) target 313 twice-deferred-for-promotion lieutenant colonels or colonels who have four years in grade and are not already selected for promotion to general. If the service doesn’t get 313 volunteers, it...

Call it coincidental, but Tuesday’s edition of the Washington Post carried a timely article about a possible conflict of interest involving an independent review of the F-22 program—just in time to make the story a hot topic at Tuesday’s Senate...

North Dakota lawmakers and civic leaders descended upon the Pentagon July 25 to urge Air Force officials to enhance the nascent unmanned aerial vehicle mission planned for Grand Forks AFB, N.D. And, they want to get a lock on the...

The Defense Department is still actively involved in evacuating US citizens from Lebanon to Cyprus and points beyond, with the total number of evacuees standing at 12,870 as of July 25. Air Force and DOD charter flights have airlifted more...

The head of US Air Forces in Europe, Gen. Tom Hobbins, and the US Ambassador to Germany, William Timken Jr., heaped praise on USAFE airmen for their efforts to aid Americans fleeing the fighting in Lebanon. USAFE airmen at facilities...

A US Air Force C-17 aircrew about to embark on a routine five-stop mission in Southwest Asia got diverted on short notice to Cyprus to participate in the mass evacuation of US citizens from Lebanon. After a four-hour flight to...

As part of an effort to improve the nation of Fiji’s health care capabilities, airmen with Pacific Air Force’s International Health Affairs division visited Fiji recently for two weeks. The medical team trained the Fijian military in combat lifesaving skills...

Airmen have come to Alaska from seven nations and NATO to participate in Cooperative Cope Thunder 06-3—soon to be dubbed a Red Flag-Alaska—which officials call the largest multi-lateral air combat exercise in the Pacific. All total there are some 1,300...

Some people in the northernmost of six districts in the Afghanistan’s Panjshir Province walked six miles and waited for up to eight hours to be seen by the US Air Force medical personnel who are part of the Panjshir Provincial...

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research recently hosted a forum to discuss the advance of micro air vehicles—extremely small unmanned aerial vehicles. Current MAV technology runs to vehicles about six inches long, but researchers are looking toward the not...

DOD has certified four more Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Teams, bringing the current total to 40 out of the 55 teams authorized by Congress. The latest WMD-CST that were deemed ready to assist civil authorities in responding to domestic...

July 25, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 14 9 23 CAS/Armed Recon 44 26 70 Airlift 160 160 Air refueling 34 34 Total 58 35 194 287 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance