The Japanese Force at the Front

June 30, 2006

The Japanese Force at the Front: An airlift wing from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force is working alongside other coalition members in Southwest Asia. The first group of about 200 Japanese airmen deployed to SWA in December 2003, and since then, say US Air Force officials, they have flown more than 325 sorties and hauled some 460 tons of cargo. They fly C-130 airlifters. (Read more here.)

Related Content

Extending Human Performance Through Technology: The Promise of JADC2

Dec. 1, 2020
The Air Force’s vision for the seamless, networked warfighting concept known as Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or JADC2, is all about using information to dominate the battlespace: By interconnecting systems across every domain, U.S. forces would seek to increase the operational decision space for all U.S. commanders, overwhelming adversary…

Snapshot: DOD and COVID-19

Dec. 1, 2020
Here's a look at how the Defense Department is being impacted by and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

5th AF Boss on Maintaining Readiness in Japan During the Pandemic

Dec. 1, 2020
The lack of training ranges and airspace in Japan are making it difficult for U.S. aircrews to maintain readiness during the pandemic, the head of U.S. forces in Japan said. U.S. and Japanese aircraft and personnel need to leave the country for high-end training, often traveling to major exercise such…

Air Force Mulling New Career Fields for Coders, Data Analysts

Dec. 1, 2020
The Department of the Air Force is working to create new career fields in areas like software development, data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, hoping to attract digital experts away from private-sector technology jobs and bring the service into the 21st century. Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, the Air…

Walter Reed Says It’s Ready for a Holiday COVID-19 Surge

Dec. 1, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the country, the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center—which recently treated President Donald J. Trump after he contracted the new coronavirus disease—told Air Force Magazine it is poised to handle the surge predicted to grip the nation this holiday season. The Bethesda, Md.-based…

Production of First T-7A Sims Begins at St. Louis

Dec. 1, 2020
The first simulators for the T-7A advanced jet trainer are taking shape at Boeing's St. Louis, Mo., facilities, the company announced Dec. 1. The devices will match the environment, as well as visual and physical cues of the actual aircraft, in almost every way, the company said. The sims will…

CSAF, CSO Give 2 Enlisted Members Surprise of a Lifetime

Dec. 1, 2020
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr and Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. Jay Raymond each selected s deserving enlisted member to directly commission through the Senior Leader Enlisted Commissioning Program. Brown selected Senior Airman Chris Chavez with Robins Air Force Base’s 12th Airborne Command…

Air Force Retention Soars Amid COVID-19 Uncertainty

Dec. 1, 2020
More people are opting to stay in the Air Force than at nearly any other time in the past 20 years, choosing to stay put amid pandemic-era economic uncertainty. In the past two decades, the only time retention outpaced the current rate was after the 9/11 terror attacks, according to…

Air Force to Lead US, Australia Push for Hypersonic Technology

Nov. 30, 2020
Australia’s military will help the Pentagon pursue so-called “air-breathing” hypersonic weapons and more under the U.S.-run Allied Prototyping Initiative, the U.S. Defense Department said Nov. 30. The Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE) initiative “will be essential to the future of hypersonic research and development, ensuring the U.S. and…