Alan Shepard Becomes the First American in Space

May 5, 1961

Cmdr. Alan B. Shepard Jr. becomes the first Project Mercury astronaut to cross the space frontier. His flight in Freedom 7 lasts 15 minutes, 28 seconds, reaches an altitude of 116.5 miles, and ends 303.8 miles downrange.

New Commanders Tapped for Air Force Sustainment Center, 16th Air Force

May 25, 2022

A pair of Air Force generals are set to receive third stars and take over new commands. The Pentagon announced a new slate of nominations May 25. President Joe Biden nominated Maj. Gen. Stacey T. Hawkins to become a lieutenant general and the new commander of the Air Force Sustainment…

Austin Warns Academy Grads of Adversary Tests; Kendall Says Transformational Change Is Coming

May 25, 2022

Blue skies graced Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., where 973 Air Force Academy cadets graduated May 25 and began careers facing unprecedented challenges and technological advances. There, commencement speaker Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III warned that adversaries are testing America’s values. “Today, America's adversaries are testing the very…

Air Force Medical Service Reviewing How Teams Can Be ‘Lighter, Leaner’ in Future Conflicts

May 25, 2022

As the Air Force presses forward with its concept of agile combat employment, relying on small teams of multi-capable Airmen to operate in austere locations and move quickly, the service’s surgeon general is considering ways the Air Force’s medical personnel can also become “increasingly modular, lighter, [and] leaner.”

INDOPACOM Condemns ‘Destabilizing’ North Korean Missile Test as Biden Returned From the Pacific

May 25, 2022

North Korea conducted it’s 17th round of ballistic missile tests of the year May 24, including a believed intercontinental ballistic missile, in the skies over the Pacific while President Joe Biden was returning to the United States from the region. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command reported that the tests did not pose…

Three Cadets Receive Degrees—But No Commissions—After COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal

May 25, 2022

A grand total of 973 Cadets graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy on May 25, with the vast majority commissioning into either the Air Force or the Space Force. But for three in particular, the day was destined to end with a degree but no immediate future in military…

Guam Would Get Command Center With Integrated Air Picture in Missile Defense Agency Budget

May 25, 2022

The strategically important U.S. territory of Guam would get 360-degree sensor coverage, missile defenses, and a command center in a plan put forth in the Missile Defense Agency's fiscal 2023 budget request. MDA director Vice Adm. Jon A. Hill made the case for the array of new defensive systems after…

General Electric—A Reliable Partner from the Very Beginning

May 25, 2022

In 1941, Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold of the then-U.S. Army Air Corps, personally reviewed a jet engine patented by Sir Frank Whittle flying on a Gloster E.28/39 aircraft. Impressed by its design, Arnold arranged for a Whittle engine to be brought back to the U.S. and tasked General Electric…

Space Force Unveils Uniform Tweaks, OKs Neck Tattoos and More

May 24, 2022

The Space Force released updates to its appearance and uniform policies, detailing more permissive regulations governing tattoos, facial hair, and makeup. Among the various changes the Space Force is making from the Air Force’s policies, the new Guidance Memorandum allows Guardians to have a single neck tattoo—as long as it…

Air Force E-7 Promotion Rate Hits Lowest Point in Years

May 24, 2022

The Air Force Personnel Center announced that just 14.8 percent of eligible tech sergeants were selected for promotion to master sergeant in the 22E7 promotion cycle, marking the service’s lowest E-7 promotion rate since at least 2010. All told, 4,040 technical sergeants were selected to become master sergeants out of…

Alan Shepard Becomes the First American in Space

Related Content