Lockheed Triumphs in GPS III Contest

Lockheed Martin has navigated its way ahead of Boeing to win the Air Force’s Global Positioning System Block III satellite contest, securing an initial $1.46 billion contract for the first increment of the next-generation satellites, DOD announced May 15. “Lockheed...

House Panel Adds C-17s

The House Armed Services Committee added $3.9 billion for the Air Force to procure an additional 15 C-17s in its mark-up of the Pentagon’s Fiscal 2009 spending plan May 14. It also added $523 million for the advance procurement of...

No, Yet Again, to Tricare Fee Hikes

The House Armed Services Committee has rebuffed the Bush Administration’s latest attempt to raise Tricare fees for military retirees, as did its Senate counterpart, when marking up the Fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill. (See coverage on weapons system markups above.)...

B-1B Bomber Lost in April 4 Incident

The B-1B bomber involved in the ground accident April 4 after landing at an air base in Southwest Asia was damaged so severely that the airframe is considered a loss, the Daily Report has learned. USAF has not released information...

Wear and Tear

The Air Force’s F-16 Block 40/42 aircraft are experiencing cracked bulkheads that require repair or eventual replacement. While not a safety-of-flight concern, this issue, like the F-15 longeron saga, epitomizes the challenges of operating platforms for longer than their intended...

C-130 Relief Flights Continue Into Burma

A total of eight Air Force C-130 transports operating of out Thailand had delivered nearly 100 tons of supplies to Burma as of May 14 to aid the survivors of Tropical Cyclone Nargis, according to US defense officials. The most...

The Burma Air Road

The first of three planned Air Force C-130 flights with supplies to aid the Burmese survivors of Tropical Cyclone Nagris arrived at Yangon International Airport in Rangoon May 12. The aircraft, which flew in from Utapao Thai Royal Navy Air...

Recruiting Still Strong

The Air Force met its recruiting goals for April, matching its plan to attract 2,435 new accessions, according to figures that the Department of Defense released May 12. In fact, all of the services met or exceeded their goals for...

Feel the Beat

The Air Force is implementing changes to its global air and space expeditionary force construct to provide more predictability in tour length and tempo for airmen, especially those in stressed career fields such as security forces and battlefield airmen who...

Gaining Acceptance

The New York Air National Guard’s 107th Airlift Wing and Air Force Reserve Command’s 914th Airlift Wing accepted the first two C-130H2 transport aircraft that they will operate together during a ceremony May 2 at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station....

Proper Dignity and Respect

Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne has directed changes in the cremation process for the remains of fallen warfighters from Afghanistan and Iraq that come through the mortuary at Dover AFB, Del., the US military’s single point for repatriating...

Dayton Needs You

The Air Force Research Lab, over the next few years, is facing the challenge of filling about 1,200 highly specialized personnel slots at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, outside of Dayton, so it can establish centers of excellence for human performance and...

Fallen Airman Receives Bronze Star

SrA. Jonathan A.V. Yelner, who was killed April 29 when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near Bagram AB, Afghanistan, was awarded a Bronze Star medal posthumously May 8 during a memorial service at Ellsworth AFB, S.D. He was...

An Ounce of Prevention

Several new initiatives to spur military health care beneficiaries to seek out preventive health measures have surfaced in the House Armed Services Committees markup of the Fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill. Among them is a demonstration project for self-reported health...

The Best in Weather

The Air Force selected SrA. Leon Keochangthanivong at Scott AFB, Ill., as the 2007 Air Force Weather Airman of the year. He serves with the 15th Operational Weather Squadron, routinely preparing 24-hour forecasts for five active duty locations including the...

Twenty-five Years Later

The housing boom has arrived at Schriever AFB, Colo., as officials gathered May 16 to break ground for the base’s first housing development. It was just 25 years earlier that the Air Force first began construction at then-Falcon Air Force...

Veterans Affairs Notes

The VA has awarded $1.8 million to improve the veterans’ home in Boulder City, Nev. The grant, announced by VA Secretary James Peake in a May 13 release, covers about 65 percent of the nearly $2.8 million projected for new...

AFA Member Benefits Programs

. . . . . OF INTEREST . . . . .

AFA Member Benefit Programs: AFA members are eligible for a variety of programs through the AFA Veteran Benefits Association. Programs will be highlighted in this spot every week—so be sure to review it every week for a new program highlight.

Bank Checks

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