December 2018

Vol. 101, No. 12

USAF is pre-positioning base supplies and materiel throughout the European Theater.

Outstanding Airmen of the Year

Photos by USAF The Air Force Outstanding Airman program annually recognizes 12 enlisted members for superior leadership, job performance, community involvement, and personal achievements. The program debuted at the Air Force Asso­ciation’s 10th annual National Convention in 1956. The Chief...

Forward Deployed

SrA. Christopher Leslie, 44th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, loads an AIM-9 heat-seeking missile during Kadena AB, Japan’s annual weapons load competition. Photo: A1C Greg Erwin Kadena AFB, Japan— Looking out of the 360-degree windows in the air traffic control tower here,...

USAFE Holds First-Ever Combat Ammunition Production Exercise

Airmen load live munitions during the first-ever in-theater Combat Ammunition Production Exercise at RAF Lakenheath, UK. Photo: Amy McCullough/staff RAF Lakenheath, UK— One clear sign the Air Force is ramping up readiness in Europe: its first-ever in-theater Combat Ammunition Production...

Aperture

Boeing’s T-X trainer won the competition for USAF’s jet trainer with a $9.2 billion bid. Photo: Office of the Secretary of the Air Force Oct. 5, 2018— With a trio of recent big-ticket contract wins, Boeing is back in the...

Letters

FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF… With this issue I join the long and storied history of Air Force Magazine and the Air Force Association, succeeding Adam Hebert as editor in chief. I am grateful for the loyal readers and talented...

Verbatim

SCAMS AND NON-SCAMS “Since the 1990s, countries have reported 18 seizures of weapon-usable nuclear material in various quantities. This included several seizures of highly enriched uranium in Georgia and Moldova in the 2000s. On at least a couple of occasions,...

Air Force World

An HH-60 Pave Hawk crew trains to provide personnel recovery operations and support. A USAF Pave Hawk operating in Ukraine catastrophically crashed after the pilot misinterpreted navigation displays. Photo: SSgt. Keither James HELO STRUCK CABLE, CAUSING FATAL MARCH CRASH IN...

Wingman: Emerging Leaders

Elinor Otto, one of the original Rosie the Riveters, and Nathan Wages at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference in 2017. Courtesy photo NATHAN WAGESHome State: Georgia Chapter: David C. Jones Chapter (N.D.) Joined AFA: 2014 AFA Office: North Dakota...

Wingman: AFA’s Spencer Honored

Paul Severance (left) and John Sperling (right) of the Eisenhower School present Gen. Larry Spencer with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award at the Air Force Association’s 2018 Air, Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md. Photo: Mike Tsukamoto/staff Gen....