The Congressionally directed Task Force on the Future of the Military Healthcare held its first public meeting Tuesday in Washington, D.C., and first on the agenda—Pentagon officials reprising last year’s arguments about adjusting Tricare fees. (Remember Congress only said “not...

In addition to pursuing an increase (see above) in Tricare fees—primarily directed at the under age 65 group of military retirees—the Pentagon wants more flexibility in managing the military healthcare system. David Chu, undersecretary for personnel and readiness, told Future...

“Officials familiar with the negotiations” tell the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register that the Air Force plans to use a “scoring system” that could ensure the Northrop Grumman-EADS team stays the course in the KC-X tanker replacement program. It could, that is,...

The Boeing KC-X Finishing Center will be located in Wichita if the company wins the tanker replacement program competition, according to Republicans Rep. Todd Tiahrt and Sen. Pat Roberts. In a joint statement, the two Kansas lawmakers noted that the...

The Air Force has sent a unit of F-15E Strike Eagles to supplement the combat force at Bagram AB, Afghanistan. More than 200 airmen and several fighters arrived at Bagram Jan. 14, deploying from Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. The fighter...

Attacks on US and coalition forces by Taliban and other militants crossing into Afghanistan from Pakistan have increased sharply since September, according to various news reports covering the visit to Afghanistan by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. US intelligence chief John...

Airmen, family, and friends of the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Fighter Wing said goodbye to the unit’s last four F-16 fighters Jan. 16—a day the state had declared “Happy Hooligans Day” in honor of the unit and its...

Airmen continue to add flying hours to the heavily tasked C-130 tactical airlift fleet operating in Iraq, not to mention side trips to Africa, to deliver supplies and passengers throughout the theater. Remember, the Air Force picked up this mission...

The six foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus those of Egypt and Jordan and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice issued a statement Tuesday saying they “welcomed” President Bush’s new Iraq strategy. They met in Kuwait to discuss preventing...

SrA. Nathan Fried, deployed to Bagram AB, Afghanistan, has trained Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team members to figure out dew point, wind speed, temperature, barometric pressure, cloud cover, and more. The PRT observers e-mail the data to Fried or another staff...

Fifteen Air and Army National Guard members of Kentucky’s 41st Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction) are conducting environmental tests in Brooks, Ky., following a train derailment there Jan. 16 in which the cargo of flammable liquid spilled out...

Meanwhile, the round of extreme winter weather in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas, brought out more than 600 Air and Army Guardsmen. They delivered generators to Missourians after 300,000 homes lost power, rescued stranded Texans and their vehicles from icy roads,...

Jan. 16, 2007 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 15 7 22 CAS/Armed Recon 32 19 51 Airlift 140 140 Air refueling 32 32 Total 47 26 172 245 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance