January 15th, 2013 at 6:12 pm » Comments (3)

I served in the Navy for 10 years and I never once considered becoming an RDC. The Air Force this month will begin handpicking technical sergeants and master sergeants for mandatory duty as military training instructors at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, where the service’s training program for new recruits has been rocked by a widening sex scandal. The nonvoluntary selection process is aimed at boosting military training instructor numbers and filling those slots with more experienced and mature airmen, Air Force officials said in a Friday news release. The
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December 17th, 2012 at 8:32 am » Comments (35)

That is what I am thinking after reading this article: YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Stepping outside for a quick smoke is taking on new meaning at Air Force bases around the world. According to Air Force regulations to take effect next year, those jonesing for a cigarette will need to find a “designated tobacco area” before lighting up. The areas will be at least 50 feet from sidewalks, parking lots or building entrance ways. The no-smoke zone — which includes all tobacco products, including snuff and chewing tobacco —
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May 11th, 2012 at 3:04 am » Comments (28)

The US Air Force’s investment in the F-22 Raptor is coming under increased scrutiny due to all the hypoxia incidents: Air Force officials said Wednesday they still have not found the cause of the hypoxia-like symptoms that have affected F-22 Raptor pilots and maintainers, nor are they sure why a short-term cough that can result from breathing high concentrations of oxygen is more common in F-22 pilots than in F-15 and F-16 pilots. “The flight envelope of the F-22 is significantly different than the other fighters, and this may contribute
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February 20th, 2012 at 11:26 pm » Comments (52)

Here is the latest episode in the culture war in regards to religion in the military: Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronnie Hawkins, the new head of the Defense Information Systems Agency, is under fire for a commander’s call Wednesday that included references to God. But Hawkins, who just took over the directorship of DISA in January, said his presentation has been taken out of context. As part of an all-hands meeting with DISA employees, Hawkins apparently showed a power point presentation that contained two slides titled “Ronnie’s Rules” that outline
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February 7th, 2012 at 4:19 pm » Comments (16)

The US Air Force is about to have its first female four star General:  Air Force Lt. Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger would become the highest-ranking woman officer ever to serve in the Air Force if a nomination forwarded Monday by President Barack Obama is approved by the Senate. Wolfenbarger would lead Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and become the first female four-star general in the Air Force. The command focuses on development and sustainment of weapons systems. With a yearly budget of $60 billion, it’s
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December 10th, 2011 at 11:20 pm » Comments (8)

I doubt that when the families signed papers to dispose of any additional remains of their loved ones in a dignified and respectful manner that throwing the remains in a landfill is what they had in mind: The Air Force dumped the incinerated partial remains of at least 274 American troops in a Virginia landfill, far more than the military had acknowledged, before halting the secretive practice three years ago, records show. The landfill dumping was concealed from families who had authorized the military to dispose of the remains in
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November 5th, 2011 at 7:02 am » Comments (5)

The Air Force is in the midst of executing a large cut of government employees and its effects will likely hit Osan and Kunsan Air Force Bases in South Korea: The Air Force said Friday it is cutting 858 civilian jobs in the Pacific as part of a major restructuring announced earlier this week. Details of the job cuts were being rolled out Friday, with 601 positions being eliminated at the air wing level and below, as well as 251 headquarters positions, according to officials at Pacific Air Forces and
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March 18th, 2011 at 6:32 pm » Comments (0)

In the case of Misawa AB, I  thought evacuations would be already under way.  From Stars and Stripes- Many families in Japan found themselves packed but with no place to go Friday as military commands waited for orders from higher commands that would begin a planned voluntary evacuation. With uncertainty over when the military-assisted flights would begin, some families on their own began leaving behind the aftershocks and looming fears of radiation that have plagued Japan since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck on March 11. If I was a service member
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November 2nd, 2010 at 3:01 am » Comments (33)

Here is an update courtesy of the Stars & Stripes on the odd case of Jill Metzger: Air Force Maj. Jill Metzger has returned to active duty, more than four years after she mysteriously went missing from a base in Kyrgyzstan. The former Air Force marathon champion returned to duty on Oct. 12, as the chief of community programs for the Air Force District of Washington at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., according to Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ann Stefanek. Metzger became a controversial figure in September of 2006
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April 30th, 2010 at 3:59 pm » Comments (2)

It looks like Osan Air Base will face an uphill battle in it’s attempt to replace their old runway. A group of South Koreans filed an administrative suit Thursday against the Korean defense minister, demanding the cancellation of approval for the construction of a second runway at the U.S. air base in Osan, south of Seoul. In the suit filed with the Seoul Administrative Court, the plaintiffs — a group of 200 residents of Pyeongtaek who live near Osan Air Base — accused the Korean government of approving the U.S. air base’s
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