Joint Effort Pounds Al Qaeda Stronghold

USAF B-1B bombers and Navy and Marine Corps F-18 fighters unleashed 34,500 pounds of bombs, striking 40 targets during a round of precision strikes that targeted an al Qaeda “defensive belt” around Arab Jabour, Iraq, according to Army Col. Terry...

Western Base May Be Less Robust

Ongoing money woes have forced Air Force Special Operations Command to scale back its buildup at Cannon AFB, N.M. When it first unveiled its plan to take over Cannon and establish a long-cherished western special ops facility, AFSOC expected to...

Approaching a Tanker Decision

The Defense Acquisition Board has set Feb. 13 as the date to review the Air Force’s decision on the KC-X tanker replacement program, reports Flight International. Announcement of the winner would come within 10 days afterward, industry sources tell FI....

Getting a JSF Training Nod

Texas lawmakers seemingly are not at all dismayed that Sheppard Air Force Base was not singled out in the Air Force’s recent basing roadmap for future systems like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Wichita Falls Times Record reports that...

It Boils Down To Rules of Engagement

Simply put, the effectiveness of NATO forces in Afghanistan is limited by the commander’s freedom of action, Dell Dailey, the State Department’s coordinator for counterterrorism, said yesterday. “It has got nothing to do with capabilities,” Dailey, a retired Army lieutenant...

Seemingly Stable

Dell Dailey, the principal advisor to the Secretary of State on counterterrorism matters, said Tuesday he has seen no indication that the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons has been placed in jeopardy since the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Dec....

Hahn Receives Posthumous Airman’s Medal

SSgt. Timothy Hahn died last summer when he tried to save a member of his hiking group caught in a flash flood in Sabino Canyon in Arizona. Last week, the Air Force awarded Hahn, who was a member of the...

Advancing the A-10 Wings:

Boeing now has a $14.9 million contract to provide systems engineering and modeling services for USAF’s A-10 wing replacement program. Last summer, the company received a $2 billion contract to manufacture the 242 wing sets needed to replace “thin-skin” winged...

Misawa Airmen Receive Bronzes:

The Air Force has awarded Bronze Star medals to three Security Forces airmen at Misawa AB, Japan, for their actions in the war on terrorism. Maj. Scott Sanford deployed to Bagram AB, Afghanistan, where he commanded the 455th Expeditionary Security...

Fit Tests for New Coat Begin:

Some 150 airmen in the San Antonio area are participating in a fit test of the Air Force’s new service coat, dubbed the Heritage Coat. The test will run from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1 at Brooks City-Base, Lackland Air...

From Air to Ground via Drone:

An unmanned QF-4 full-scale aerial target drone launched an air-to-ground missile earlier this month during a first-of-its-kind test with an FSAT. Airmen of Det. 1 of the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron at Holloman AFB, N.M., conducted the test, operating the...

Air Sorties in the Global War on Terrorism

Jan. 21 2008 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 21 8 29 CAS/Armed Recon 60 41 101 Airlift 140 140 Air refueling 45 45 Total 81 49 185 315 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance Airlift includes Horn...