The Air Force leadership is reaching out to all of its organizations beyond its headquarters elements in Washington D.C., to come up with the best ideas for eliminating excess overhead, says Erin Conaton, the service’s undersecretary. “One of the things...

Two, not four, F-22s are participating Monday and Tuesday in Invincible Spirit, a combined US-South Korean air and maritime readiness exercise in the Korean theater. “The participation of these fifth generation fighters underscores the US commitment to the alliance, which...

A bipartisan group of Virginia lawmakers led by Sen. Jim Webb (D) and Sen. Mark Warner (D) has called on the Air Force leadership to station an additional squadron of F-22 fighters at Langley Air Force Base. That would give the fighter base near Hampton Roads a total of three combat-ready F-22 squadrons. "We believe that Langley Air Force Base is the best-value alternative for the Air Force and the taxpayer," states the letter from the seven lawmakers. They said the base could easily incorporate the third squadron "with minimal cost and personnel." Langley will lose its final F-15 squadron by September, enabling the base to accommodate the F-22s "almost immediately," they wrote. The July 21 missive comes as the Air Force is reportedly close to deciding if it will relocate F-22s from Holloman AFB, N.M., to another F-22 base. (Webb release)

Keeping the National Guard strong is crucial as the nation grapples with modernizing the US military and sustaining global operations during a time of flattening budgets, says Gen. Craig McKinley, National Guard Bureau chief. "The nation must invest limited resources wisely to provide for the future security of Americans, and a wise, value-added choice is a ready, capable, and accessible National Guard," writes McKinley in a newly issued document, The National Guard: A Great Value for America. McKinley argues that the Guard's 460,000 members offer a unique blend of skills. They are able to carry out domestic support in times of crisis and participate in overseas missions—all cost-effectively. The Air National Guard, for example, requires only 7 percent of the Air Force budget in Fiscal 2010, yet it makes up 19 percent of total USAF personnel and maintains 30 percent to 40 percent of the service's fighter, tanker, and airlift capacity, he notes.

Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Ms.) isn’t convinced that the Air Force has enough C-17s. He tells the story of a recent conversation with the father of a Mississippi National Guardsman. The son’s unit is currently deployed to Afghanistan clearing mines. Taylor...

Work has commenced on the new headquarters building for the 502nd Air Base Wing at Fort Sam Houston, Tex. The 25,733-square-foot building will have a 5.5-acre footprint on the Army base, which is now part of JB San Antonio, along...

Members of the 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Grand Forks AFB, N.D., have conducted the final periodic isochronal inspection on a KC-135 tanker assigned to the base. KC-135s have operated out of Grand Forks since May 1960 as part of...

A team of airmen and sailors from the Defense Institute of Medical Operations based at Brooks City-Base, Tex., has instructed local government officials from Trinidad and Tobago on how to establish a plan to respond to disasters and mass casualty...

The hopes of officials in Dayton, Ohio, are still alive that the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base might land one of NASA’s space shuttles as a permanent display after the fleet stops flying....

Royal Australian Air Force F-111s are taking part in their final major training exercise before these venerable aircraft are retired at year’s end. Four F-111s from No. 6 Squadron at RAAF Amberley, are now participating in the three-week-long, multinational Pitch...

Air Sorties in Southwest Asia, July 16, 2010 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total YTD ISR 20 60 80 13,325 CAS/Armed Recon 20 52 72 18,692 Airlift 190 190 33,982 Air refueling 57 57 8,924 Rescue 33 33 4,081 Total...