Vehicle maintenance airmen in Iraq have designed a new Humvee turret that they believe will provide more safety that they hope will prevent deaths such as that of A1C LeeBernard Chavis who was killed while on Humvee patrol in Baghdad....

Air Mobility Command officials have chosen Dover AFB, Del., as one of three Air Force’s sites that will perform isochronal inspections for the service’s C-5 strategic airlifter fleet. To be named are one Air National Guard and one Air Force...

Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told airmen at Incirlik AB, Turkey on a visit there last week that the idea behind the Air Force’s upcoming personnel cuts is not to work the remaining personnel harder but smarter. Talking specifically about...

The head of US Pacific Air Forces, Gen. Paul Hester, traveled to Houston to talk with a business/civic group as part of the Air Force’s strategic outreach program, dubbed the “Air Force Road Show.” Hester provided a view of the...

Robert Gates will become the 22nd Secretary of Defense on Dec. 18, replacing Donald Rumsfeld, for whom the Pentagon plans a Dec. 15 farewell. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters that Gates and Rumsfeld will continue their meetings this week...

A voice vote in the House secured passage of a bill designed to prevent unauthorized personnel from wearing military medals. Initiated by Sen. Kent Conrad (R-N.D., the Stolen Valor Act, which passed unanimously in the Senate in September, is now...

The number of Air Force personnel who committed suicide jumped some 14 percent over a 10-year average, states a service news release. The 2006 rate—based on the number of deaths per 100,000 airmen—was 11.4, up from 7.8 in 2005. However,...

The Air Force has its new Airman Battle Uniform in production and plans to provide them to airmen deploying to Southwest Asia in the spring. A USAF news release states that Battlefield Airmen will each get four sets of the...

A statement from US Forces Korea says the recently concluded talks on the funding needed to sustain maintenance and transformation of US forces in South Korea puts Seoul’s 2007-2008 contribution at $789 million and “represents less than 15 percent of total annual US expenditures.” It noted that the 2007 level will “meet less than 41 percent of USFK non-personnel stationing costs.” According to the statement, USFK commander, Army Gen. B.B. Bell believes the 2007 funding level “does not meet the expectations of the United States on equitable burden sharing, not US Forces Korea requirements.” He plans to present recommendations to the Administration as how to best “adjust to this funding shortfall.”

Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, spokesman for Multi-National Forces-Iraq, explained last week to Iraqi journalists curious about the import of the Iraq Study Group report that President Bush decides US policy in Iraq, not the ISG authors, or...

The Air Force has agreed to pay Boeing $14 million over five years to provide communications and network systems expertise for unmanned aerial vehicles, according to a company statement. The support includes developing crew training requirements, coordinating communications, establishing air...

The Government Accountability Office reported recently that Veterans Affairs had not allocated all $100 million earmarked in Fiscal 2005 for mental health initiatives for returning Southwest Asia troops, and VA appeared to be headed toward the same problem with its...

The Pentagon’s Inspector General has been keeping close watch on the progress of a Congressionally mandated Mental Health Task Force, states an IG release. The task force, comprising seven DOD members and seven non-DOD members, has been charged to scrutinize...

The Qalat Provincial Reconstruction Team hosted the first ever PRT vendor fair in Qalat, Afghanistan, reports Capt. Kevin Tuttle with the PRT. More than 40 contractors attended the fair, whose primary purpose was to reach new contractors in Zabul. The...

Dec. 7, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 12 9 21 CAS/Armed Recon 32 44 76 Airlift 140 140 Air refueling 36 36 Total 44 53 176 273 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance