F. Clifton Berry Jr.


Recent stories by F. Clifton Berry Jr.

Pacific Refueling

AMC and PACAF say they have overcome fuel storage and aerial refueling concerns.

Romania Is a Model for Training Ukraine’s Pilots to Fly F-16s

The Ukrainian Air Force has withstood six months of war against a much larger and more sophisticated Russian force, but U.S. lawmakers worry Russia could gain air superiority as the war grinds on unless Ukrainian pilots are equipped and trained to fly modern Western aircraft, ...

DOD Denies Escalation With Iran-Backed Militants After Volley of Attacks

The Pentagon said Aug. 25 that a battle with Iran-affiliated militants in northeastern Syria was over and that U.S. Central Command had taken measures to avoid escalation. The exchange of attacks began when militants attempted one against U.S. facilities in Syria on Aug. 15 with ...

Biden Directs $2.98 Billion Ukraine Defense Package to Build Future Force

President Joe Biden is making a bet on Ukraine’s ability to withstand war and deter Russia for years to come, announcing on Ukraine Independence Day, Aug. 24, a $2.98 billion defense package that builds out a future force with high-end air defenses, radar, and counter-unmanned ...

Kendall: Australian Ghost Bat Drone Could Pair With NGAD

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall indicated that the Air Force could incorporate the Australian-made Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat drone into the Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems, according to media reports. Citing China’s technological superiority and aggressive acts in the region, Kendall also said ...

Troubled Sri Lanka Seeks to Strengthen Relationship With PACAF and Quad

The tiny Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka has an outsize geostrategic importance, and its military seeks deeper ties with Pacific Air Forces for maritime security and disaster relief while not roiling China, a senior Sri Lanka Air Force official told Air Force Magazine. Rocked ...

Brown Tours Pacific as U.S. and China Hold Dueling Exercises

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. had hardly left the Indo-Pacific theater before China flew a joint bomber and fighter mission with U.S. partner Thailand. In nearby Indonesia, the U.S. concluded exercise Garuda Shield alongside Australia, Japan, and Singapore. At each ...

644th Combat Comms Squadron Takes on an F-35 ACE Challenge

For 30 days in April and May, a group of expeditionary communications technicians got together at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, with one task: Find a way for the F-35 to transfer data on remote or contested Pacific islands.

Q&A: PACAF Readies for New Threats

Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Pacific Air Forces Commander, has delivered two decades of experience to lead the Air Force’s most geographically dispersed major command. Wilsbach sat down with Air Force Magazine at his office at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, in a building whose pockmarked ...

Biden Signs Ratification for Finland and Sweden to Join NATO

The mood was festive in the packed East Room of the White House as President Joe Biden signed the instruments of ratification for the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO. The two High North nations had up until months ago remained unaligned and fiercely ...

Langley Takes Over US Africa Command With Few Resources and Growing Threats

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III swore in Marine Corps Gen. Michael E. Langley to lead U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany. Langley's swearing-in comes as governments such as China's and Russia's increase their influence in Africa and terrorist groups expand in Somalia and from ...

KC-46 Boom Operators Learn to Live With RVS Pending 2.0 Upgrade

The KC-46 boom operators stopped talking and leaned in as Maryland Air National Guard F-16s approached on a refueling mission over upstate New York. The fighters were visible on a 1,080-pixel, black-and-white screen. The cockpit went quiet, too, and the pilot flipped to a visual ...

PACAF Ponders Inter-Pacific Academy for NCOs as Partner Recruitment Lags

When top Air Force leaders graced the stage at a senior noncommissioned officers' summit to urge attendees from 65 nations to collaborate with the United States, one region was noticeably underrepresented: the Indo-Pacific. Of the 39 partner nations that Pacific Air Forces identifies in the ...

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