Going into the Quadrennial Defense Review, the Air Force will bring no preconceived notions or non-negotiable positions, to include the continued existence of an independent Air Force, said Maj. Gen. Steven Kwast, the service’s QDR director, Wednesday. Speaking with the...

The Air Force is well aware that the Quadrennial Defense Review could devolve into a budgetary knife fight among the services, Maj. Gen. Steven Kwast, the Air Force’s QDR director, told the Daily Report on Wednesday. Kwast said he heard...

The Quadrennial Defense Review will take a “holistic approach” to addressing the ongoing debate over the proper Total Force mix, said Maj. Gen. Steven Kwast, the Air Force’s QDR director, on Wednesday. This will include marrying the recommendations of the...

President Obama has nominated Lt. Gen. John Hyten for assignment as 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) commander at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., announced the Pentagon on Wednesday. He has been Air Force Space Command’s vice commander at Peterson AFB, Colo.,...

A propeller malfunction on an MQ-1 Predator remotely piloted aircraft, coupled with operator error, led to the platform's crash last October in Afghanistan, announced Air Combat Command officials. The Predator was about 10 hours into a surveillance mission out of Jalalabad Air Base on Oct. 26, 2012, when it developed a problem with its variable pitch propeller, according to ACC's March 19 release that cites the newly released findings of the command's abbreviated accident investigation board report. The remote pilot controlling the MQ-1 from Creech AFB, Nev., attempted to resolve the problem by adjusting the propeller's pitch, but this led to the loss of aircraft thrust, preventing its return to base, so the pilot had to bring it down in a non-residential area, states the release. "The cause of the mishap was a combination of mechanical failure of the propeller motor and unnecessary movements of the propeller pitch control lever by the mishap pilot," states the release. The loss of the Predator and the one Hellfire air-to-ground missile it was carrying is valued at some $4.6 million, states the release. (AIB report; caution, large-sized file.)

The Pentagon’s Operationally Responsive Space office now falls under the oversight of the Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., announced center officials. “We are excited to integrate the ORS office into our team as we continue...

The Air Force First Sergeant Academy at Maxwell AFB, Ala., has transformed its course curriculum from a traditional education experience to one combining facilitated distance learning—akin to online instruction—and in-residence classroom time, according to a base release. The academy’s course,...

The Air Force has launched a pilot campaign called “Better Foods, Better Bodies” to motivate airmen and their families to eat healthier. “We want airmen and their families to live long, healthy lives and we know a lot of that...