The Air Force and the Navy have added attack air assets to support increased operations in Iraq since President Bush announced there would be a ground force surge. Charles Hanley of Associated Press reports (via USA Today) that the Air...

The Air Force and Lockheed Martin reconfigured the on-orbit Milstar constellation—altering the relative positions of the five communications satellites to each other to provide better coverage. A Lockheed release says a combined team of company engineers and airmen of the...

A combined Canadian and US Air Force investigation board reviewing the strafing incident that resulted in the death of Canadian Pvt. Mark A. Graham and injury to 36 other Canadian soldiers on Sept. 4, 2006, in Afghanistan, has determined that a USAF A-10 pilot "misidentified a friendly position while engaged in close air support operations," according to the board summary provided by US Central Command Air Forces. The A-10 and the Canadian forces were engaged in NATO's Operation Medusa at the time. A separate Board of Inquiry conducted by Canadian Expeditionary Force Command, with assistance from a USAF A-10 pilot advisor, came to the same conclusion. The BOI, which has placed much of its report and related statements online, says in its executive summary that the incident "was preventable." The incident pilot "lost his situational awareness. He mistook a garbage fire at the Canadian location for his target without verifying the target through his targeting pod and heads-up display." The BOI noted that the garbage fire lit by the Canadian forces was a "contributing factor," as was the changing light conditions as night transitioned to day. BOI head and CEFCOM Lt. Gen. Michel Gauthier, in a separate statement, commented that although the recommended improvements to planning and coordination of air support operations would help, "the associated risk cannot be reduced to zero." He also noted, "Close air support is credited with saving numerous lives in Afghanistan, including the lives of Canadian soldiers, and has been a critical success factor in many combat engagements."

Boeing has issued a statement declaring its intent to pursue the contract for the first eight next generation Global Positioning System satellites. These first GPS III sats are considered Block A and would be followed by increments B and C...

Missileers at Malmstrom AFB, Mont., have begun the deactivation process that will remove 50 Minuteman ICBMs from the arsenal of the 341st Space Wing. The wing received formal word last month to begin the process. Once the deactivation job is...

The Environmental Protection Agency “is ordering the Air Force to study contamination at its base [McGuire AFB, N.J.] and take steps to clean it up,” per an EPA release. EPA has given USAF a timetable that includes working with the...

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has jumped on the tanker bandwagon, saying—in a Boeing release—that St. Louis-based Boeing “is ready and able to deliver the US Air Force’s next-generation tanker.” Boeing reveals that the state of Illinois would see about $140...

The Senate on July 13 confirmed Pete Geren to become the next Secretary of the Army. President Bush nominated Geren, who has been serving as acting Army Secretary since Francis Harvey got the boot earlier this year over the wounded...

An Air Mobility Command Phoenix Raven team deployed to Southwest Asia provided security for a C-17 airlifter dispatched to a remote airstrip in Afghanistan with an Afghan Presidential entourage they picked up earlier in Kabul. Capt. Teresa Sullivan reports that...

July 12-13, 2007 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 32 20 52 CAS/Armed Recon 116 82 198 Airlift 312 312 Air refueling 95 95 Total 148 102 407 657 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance Airlift includes Horn...