The Air Force formally has awarded Boeing a contract valued at $2 billion to produce 10 additional C-17 strategic transports—carrying through with a Congressional mandate written into the Fiscal 2007 defense bill. Boeing spokesperson Kerry Gildea said the additional aircraft...

The Pentagon has bowed to service wisdom when it comes to consolidating medical operations, issuing a statement Tuesday that says it has decided on a “new approach for governance and management of the military health system” and adding that the...

The Air Force has given Boeing the go-ahead to begin testing the Small Diameter Bomb with the F-16 Block 30 and Block 40/50 and the F-22A and to enter full-rate production for SDB I. This fall, the Air Force declared...

Paul Airey, the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, received a memorable birthday present when Tyndall AFB, Fla., officials renamed the NCO Academy there in his honor. The dedication ceremony also marked the beginning of the academy’s 50th...

Arriving first on the scene to begin rescue operations on Mt. Hood in Oregon were nine pararescuemen and three combat rescue officers from Air Force Reserve Command’s 304th Rescue Squadron at Portland, Ore., according to a Pentagon release. They conducted...

Northrop Grumman on Dec. 19 delivered the center fuselage for the first Marine Corps variant of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and began work on the center fuselage for the Navy’s carrier version. A company release noted that...

The Air Force has declared the newest Global Positioning System satellite to be fully operational, according to a Dec. 19 statement from prime contractor Lockheed Martin. Air Force Space Command operators shepherded launch of the GPS IIR-16M satellite from Cape...

The latest DOD quarterly assessment of the situation in Iraq—released Dec. 18—notes that violence from August to November increased by 22 percent. Insurgents have directed the majority of attacks against coalition forces, yet there have been more casualties among Iraqis....

US military members will get an average 3.5 percent increase in their basic allowance for housing pay, reports American Forces Information Service. The increase, which starts Jan. 1, will provide, on average, $44 more per month for servicemembers with families....

The board investigating the non-fatal crash of an F-16 from Spangdahlem AB, Germany, on Sept. 14 found that the pilot experienced a “momentary lapse of attention,” on final turn, reports Stars and Stripes. Calling the crash pilot error, the board...

There is more flying to be done by the Arizona Air National Guard’s 161st Air Refueling Wing than its frequent training facility at Williams Gateway Airport, in Mesa, Ariz., can accommodate. Or so state Guard officials told Serco, the company...

Several Serbia Air Force airmen visited Aviano AB, Italy, recently to experience USAF F-16 operations up close and personal. They were returning the visit by several Aviano Triple Nickel airmen to Serbia earlier this year. Air Force journalist TSgt. Jerome...

House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has announced more committee assignments for the 110th Congress, this time detailing new members. For the House Armed Services Committee, new Democratic members will be: •Nancy Boyda (Kan.) •Joe Courtney (Conn.) •Brad Ellsworth (Ind.) •Gabby...

Barely a week after the Senate passed a huge veterans bill that included new initiatives for rural health care services, Veterans Affairs announced plans to open a new outreach clinic to serve some 4,000 veterans in the Yuma/Burlington/Goodland region of...

Dec. 18, 2006 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 15 13 28 CAS/Armed Recon 38 44 82 Airlift 140 140 Air refueling 33 33 Total 53 57 173 283 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance