Orlando, Fla.—Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said he’s not sure yet whether the recommendation of the congressionally established Air Force structure commission is valid that the Active Duty component should make up no less than 58 percent of the...
Orlando, Fla.—The views of the two-star generals from the Active Duty and reserve components who comprise the Air Force’s Total Force Task Force have “crystallized” around the right way ahead for Total Force Integration, said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark...
Orlando, Fla.—Before deciding whether to adopt recommendations of the Air Force structure commission, senior service officials said here on Friday they want to know more about how the commission reached its conclusions. Speaking during the panel on major command priorities...
Orlando, Fla.—Changes to the enlisted performance review will also reflect an emphasis on feedback and relationships between supervisors and subordinates, said CMSAF James Cody. Speaking to reporters here at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium on Friday, Cody said the process is...
Orlando, Fla.—The Air Force will more clearly define performance-assessment and promotion-recommendation processes in the upcoming changes to the enlisted performance review, said CMSAF James Cody here on Friday. Briefing reporters at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium, Cody said the two “are...
Walter Ehlers, the last living Medal of Honor recipient to storm Omaha Beach on D-Day, died Thursday at age 92, reported NBC News. Born on May 7, 1921, in Junction City, Kan., Ehlers joined the Army in 1940. He received...
Orlando, Fla. The Air Force is expected to reduce its end strength by up to 25,000 personnel by Fiscal 2019, but the plan is to take the “bulk of the cuts up front,” then normalize the force structure over the...
Orlando, Fla. The Air Force’s cyber warriors must normalize cyber capabilities in the same way USAF has other weapons systems in other domains, Air Force Space Command boss Gen. William Shelton said Friday during AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here. As...
Orlando, Fla. As counter space programs proliferate among near peer space actors, Air Force Space Command boss Gen. William Shelton said his No. 1 priority is defending critical assets on orbit through improved space situational awareness tools. Speaking at AFA’s...
Orlando, Fla.—There is a “misperception” that there is no future for missileers in the service, but Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson said that’s just not true. Speaking at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here Thursday, Wilson...
Orlando, Fla. After visiting numerous missile bases and talking with many airmen in the wake of a widespread cheating scandal at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said she is convinced the overall nuclear enterprise is “safe...
Orlando, Fla.—Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has some simple marching orders from Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and the Senate, she told attendees at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here Friday. Hagel told James he wants her to “make those tough...
Orlando, Fla. The upcoming Fiscal 2015 Air Force budget will see “a greater reliance” on the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, service Secretary Deborah Lee James told attendees at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here Friday. James could not...
Orlando, Fla. The KC-46A tanker has a new name—Pegasus, announced Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh on Thursday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here. Welsh said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James approved the recommendation from Air Mobility...
Orlando, Fla.—The Air Staff is working on a comprehensive Air Force strategy document, said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh. “We’ve needed one for a while, and it will be done by June,” he told attendees of AFA’s Air Warfare...
Orlando, Fla.—It’s time the Air Force gave clear guidance on educational requirements for enlisted airmen and officers, said Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh in his address at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here on Thursday. This would give airmen time...
The Air Force and its industry partners on Thursday launched the fifth GPS IIF navigation satellite into space from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla. A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket carried the Boeing-built satellite into orbit, lifting off from Space...
The Air Force will declare initial operational capability with the C-5M Super Galaxy on Friday, according to senior service officials. The declaration means there are sufficient aircraft, training of flight and ground crews, as well as spares on hand both...
Orlando, Fla.—Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson said he hopes to brief Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh on the findings of a command-directed investigation into alleged cheating at...
Orlando, Fla. Lt. Gen. JJ Jackson, commander of Air Force Reserve Command, said disbanding or eliminating AFRC and the organizational structure below it, including the total integration of Reserve squadrons, wings, groups, and numbered air forces into the Active Duty...
Orlando, Fla. The Air Force will have a better understanding of the cost of recapitalizing its ICBM force when the Ground Based Strategic Deterrence analysis of alternatives is complete this June, Air Force Global Strike Command boss Lt. Gen. Stephen...
Orlando, Fla.—Air Education and Training Command officials are developing new course work to be incorporated into Basic Military Training that is focused on reinforcing Air Force core values. Newly minted airmen will complete the program, which has been dubbed “transition...
Orlando, Fla. Small countries can punch above their weight by following through on commitments and knowing what capabilities and missions to focus on, said Air Vice Marshal Graham Lintott, New Zealand’s air attaché in the United States. Speaking here on...
Orlando, Fla. Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs Heidi Grant and the air attaches joining her here at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium on Thursday emphasized two themes: the US Air Force will shrink in size, but retain...
Orlando, Fla.—An initiative at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., nicknamed “the Tunnel” is helping to improve airmen’s resiliency and their ability to make “a difference for each other” by sharing personal stories of challenge, said CMSAF James Cody on Thursday. The...
Orlando, Fla.—The Air Force will soon unveil a new way of doing business with commercial air freight carriers who participate in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, or CRAF, according to service leaders. Participation in CRAF allows the Air Force to...
Orlando, Fla.—Technology could soon make combat aircraft considerably less costly for friend and foe alike. Remotely piloted aircraft will likely cost “one-third to one-half” as much as manned aircraft in the near future, said Northrop Grumman executive Christopher Bowie. That’s...
Orlando, Fla. The U-2 remains a high-demand asset in combatant commands around the world because of its flexibility and survivability, Lockheed Martin U-2 Director Melani Austin told reporters Thursday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here. Austin touted U-2 mission success...