Gen. Duncan McNabb assumed command of US Transportation Command during a ceremony Sept. 5 at Scott AFB, Ill. Defense Secretary Robert Gates presided over the ceremony, which Adm. Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also attended. “There...

Beginning today, airmen are required to wear a combination of the Air Force's blue uniform on Mondays. The decision came out of the strategic summit Aug. 27 at Bolling AFB, D.C., the service said in a release Sept. 5. "We all agreed that part of our image, culture, and professionalism is instilled in our blues," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, in the memo that he circulated Sept. 4 to announce the change. The policy is mandatory for most career fields, but installation commanders retain the authority to adjust it as necessary for mission requirements. Prior to 9/11, most airmen wore blues as their primary duty uniform.

The Tennessee Air National Guard's 164th Airlift Wing opened its new $245 million facility at the southeast corner of Memphis International Airport on Sept. 6. Dignitaries including Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) and Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 118-acre, state-of-the-art facility, which Air Guard officials say is one of the largest ANG building projects ever. "What we are dedicating here today, simply put, is the most technically and physically advanced Air Guard Base in the United States of America," said Arnold Perl, chairman of the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Sept. 7. The facility will serve as home to the nine C-5A transports that the wing has been operating since late 2004. Among its features are 28 acres of 14-inch thick pavement to park the C-5As and three massive hangars that encompass 320,000 square feet, the wing said in a release earlier this month. The unit anticipates moving into the new complex in the coming weeks. Construction of the facility began in June 2006 in a collaborative effort among DOD, Tennessee ANG, Federal Express, and the airport authority. FedEx contributed $77 million to the project and will add the 164th AW's old 103-acre facility to its operation. Previously, the wing flew the smaller C-141 transports, which needed less hangar and ramp space.

The release of the request for proposal for the reopened KC-X tanker competition will not come until this week, if not later, reports The Hill, citing Pentagon sources. Pentagon acquisition officials had expected to issue the RFP last week. Boeing...

Starting next month, Air Force Reserve Command will begin a year-long trial of the new force support structure already instituted by active duty units. Reserve mission support squadrons and services squadrons will merge at seven locations throughout the United States...

Lt. Gen. Kevin Sullivan, the Air Staff’s top loggie, said there were two issues that drove the service leadership’s decision last month to cancel the restructure of aircraft maintenance units. There was consensus that maintenance personnel would be better able...

Boeing says it has completed the developmental stage of the C-130 avionics modernization program and is ready to move the project into low-rate initial production early next year. The company announced Sept. 5 that it had achieved the milestone following...

MSgt. David Larriva, an explosive ordnance division superintendent with the 95th Civil Engineering and Transportation Directorate at Edwards AFB, Calif., received his second Bronze Star medal during a ceremony at Edwards Aug. 27. Larriva served as chief of operations with...

Air Force investigators have determined that pilot mistakes caused the crash of an E-9 aircraft at the Tallahassee Regional Airport in Tallahassee, Fla., on May 1. “Checklist error and cognitive task oversaturation substantially contributed to the mishap,” Air Combat Command...

Airman’s Family Recognized: Capt. Alex Gazzaway of Air Force Space Command’s Manpower and Personnel Directorate, his wife Laura, and their children Cameron, Grace, Parker, and Zachary have been chosen as the National Military Family Association’s family of the year for...