Category: US Air Force

Source: United States Air Force

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) —  

The Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development activated the Air Force’s Warrant Officer Training School in a ceremony on Maxwell Air Force Base, June 28.

The U.S. Air Force dissolved its Warrant Officer Corps in 1958 following the creation of the senior master sergeant and chief master sergeant ranks, who assumed the duties previously filled by warrant officers. These SNCOs took on specific technical duties but were never relieved of their institutional requirements.

The new Warrant Officer Corps career path aims to address critical operational needs while maintaining highly perishable skills and leveraging the deep expertise and technical capabilities of warrant officers. The newest addition to the Air Force’s professional warfighters will serve as a corps of technical integrators and credible advisors, leading teams in our joint force who execute critical missions across our national security enterprise.

Within the Holm Center, WOTS will train warrant officers on the foundational principles which complement their technical prowess and enable them to successfully perform their role in an era of Great Power Competition.

“The reintroduction of warrant officers to the Air Force is another example of the force adapting personnel policies to best compete in emerging security landscapes.” said Brig. Gen. Houston R. Cantwell, Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development commander. “The warrant officer will serve on the virtual frontlines, allowing us to stay ahead of rapidly advancing threats while safeguarding national security interests in both the information technology and cyber career fields.”

The decision to introduce two cyber and information technology focused warrant officer AFSCs, signified a pivotal moment for the Air Force, representing a strategic shift towards bolstering technical proficiency and operational effectiveness. These technical experts will remain actively engaged in and abreast of advancements in their career field to remain at the forefront of change.

As part of the WOTS program, trainees will be introduced to service expectations through program learning outcomes which include physical training, team-building and academics related to leadership and communication skills necessary for those serving in the warrant officer corps. The curriculum will concentrate on the five Warrant Officer Foundational Principles; communicate, advise, influence, innovate and integrate.

“We are in the business of producing Airmen,” said Maj. Nathaniel Roesler, WOTS commandant. “These specialists come to us with technical expertise, and our mission is to develop them to be better warfighters, advisors, and integrators, ready to fly, fight and win during Great Power Competition. We will answer that call.”

The inaugural class, comprised of approximately 30 candidates, will train active-duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard personnel across an eight-week course located at Maxwell AFB. They are scheduled to start training in October 2024 and graduate in December 2024, where they will earn the designation of warrant officer during a WOTS graduation ceremony. The first class of WOTS graduates are scheduled to report to their duty locations no later than January 2025. The second WOTS class, also comprised of approximately 30 candidates, is scheduled for early 2025.

Upon graduation from WOTS, the newly minted warrant officers will be assigned to a range of Air Force units supporting both Air Force and joint force operational requirements. Their assignments will align with operational requirements and member preferences to optimize mission effectiveness and enhance technical readiness. Additional WOTS classes will be announced annually through Air Force’s Personnel Center’s Personnel Services Delivery Memorandum system.

Source: United States Air Force

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) —  

More than 300 Airmen from the 302nd Airlift Wing participated in exercise Falcon Thunder during a field training scenario from June 20-23 at Peterson Space Force Base.

The exercise tested the wing’s readiness to deploy as an expeditionary air base to an unfamiliar location and operate with minimal leadership oversight. They simulated an environment with limited communications capabilities during disaster and humanitarian relief operations.

“Exercise Falcon Thunder was a chance to prove to the wing commander, 22nd Air Force and Air Force Reserve Command that the 302nd AW is ready and certified to deploy and that we’re ready to go,” said Col. Brett Schumer, 302nd AW deputy commander.

Participants weren’t told in advance what to expect during the exercise. They were presented with surprise scenarios such as defending the installation from assaults, caring for injured and wounded civilians roleplayed by members of the development and training flight, responding to chemical attacks and more.

The exercise kicked off with a deployment processing line and participants were transported to an area of the installation established in advance as a training area, dubbed Camp Bogey. 302nd Logistics Readiness Squadron drivers drove storage containers out to the field containing equipment necessary for Airmen to operate as agile combat support units.

“Wherever we go, we’re not going to be sure what facilities we’ll have at our disposal,” Schumer said. “Our previous structure of going to built-up bases we’ve used for a decade or more is becoming outdated. Now we’re training to go to more austere environments where we’re bringing everything that we need with us. Where we can set up is based on the space available and then we fix problems as we go.”

Airmen from different wing squadrons worked together assembling tents for operations while 302nd Civil Engineer Squadron crews routed power to enable mission-essential capabilities. A 302nd Communications Flight team set up network capabilities the first day using one of their Starlink kits and 302nd Security Forces Squadron defenders identified entry control points and fortified positions to manage access to the camp. 302nd Force Support Squadron specialists also set up a single-pallet expeditionary kitchen to ensure everyone was fed on site and ready to train.

Crews worked together to accomplish tasks throughout the exercise. During a mass casualty scenario 302nd SFS defenders arrived on scene and secured the area while administering tactical combat casualty care to wounded role-players. Once the area was safe, the defenders escorted 302nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron medics and patients to nearby tents. The medics treated, stabilized and prepared the wounded for elevated stages of care.

At one point during the exercise, the camp was hit with a simulated attack. Airmen helped each other don protective gear before hunkering down and waiting for the all-clear. Afterward, they sent out teams to inspect the surrounding area for unexploded ordnance and evidence of chemical agents.

Scenarios were reported up and down the chain of command throughout the event. Airmen coordinated information through a unit control center at Camp Bogey monitored by commanders and key leaders at a nearby command post. Senior subject matter experts from each section monitored operations and inserted different training objectives to test the response and effectiveness of their teams.

“Overall, we did well,” said Master Sgt. Carlos Gonzalez, 302nd AW exercise coordinator. “It was a good opportunity to see everyone test their mission essential tasks and work together with each other to solve problems establishing an air base.”

At the airfield nearby, 302nd Maintenance Group maintainers ensured the continued operations of C-130H Hercules involved in the exercise. During the chemical strike, maintenance teams practiced aircraft decontamination procedures while 302nd Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment Airmen processed flight crews through a personnel decontamination line.

Airmen from the 39th Aerial Port Squadron also practiced loading an R-11 fuel truck into the cargo bay of a C-130 aircraft under the guidance of loadmasters. At a separate aircraft nearby, 34th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight paramedics trained 302nd ASTS teams on how to properly load litter patients into the bay of a C-130 outfitted for patient care.

Source: United States Air Force

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) —  

In this week’s look around the Air Force, Junior ROTC members take to the skies with the flight academy program, Air Force Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. John Healy testifies on Capitol Hill about 2025 budget, and the Air Force aligns medical services with readiness priorities. (Hosted by Senior Airman Saomy Sabournin)

Watch on DVIDS | Watch on YouTube

For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.

Source: United States Air Force

More than 1,000 joint and total force military and civilian personnel participated in this year’s iteration, demonstrating a collective commitment to patient care. This included representatives from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Defense Health Agency.

“What was unique about this UC is it started in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Guam [and continued with] Travis [AFB], Denver, Reno, Washington, D.C. and Pearl Harbor, Hickam,” said Col. Christopher Backus, USTRANSCOM command surgeon. “This has been a bigger UC than most, and I feel like this has paved some new ground. We’ve definitely made steps forward on items that we want, and we are looking forward to making further steps.”

UC24 allowed global military patient movement stakeholders to train with a unity of effort and an understanding of each other’s roles to provide safe, reliable and scalable global patient movement for the DoD.

As the DoD’s single manager for global patient movement, USTRANSCOM provides the world’s only long-range, large-capacity aeromedical evacuation capability, enabling en route health care management to patients from locations around the globe to their point of definitive medical care.

Source: United States Air Force

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) —  

More than 200 college interns learned about Air Force and Space Force culture, mission, and future opportunities in civilian service at the 2024 Premier College Intern Program Symposium in Dayton, June 4-6.

The PCIP initiative began in 2017 as an Air Force-wide training and recruitment initiative managed by the Air Force Personnel Center. The program gives college students a 10-to-12-week paid experience in a civil service profession, where they work alongside mentors in career fields related to their college major.

“I like putting the concepts I learned in college to work in real-world scenarios, and I like being a part of a mission I believe in,” said Kevin Albee, engineering program intern at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

The attendees have already started their internships at various locations across the country. Some interns live near an Air Force installation and were familiar with civil service prior to participation in the program, but many had no idea there was more to service than becoming a pilot.

The symposium allowed students to unite as a group, network and share their experiences while learning from experts and mentors.

The program’s goal is to encourage students to take the next step in the civilian career process after graduation. This could be participating in one of the fast-tracked recent graduate programs such as PALACE Acquire or Copper Cap or becoming permanent civilian employees.

According to Ed Bujan, AFPC Strategic Outreach and Recruiting chief, the PCIP has been an enormous success.

“Students like what they see – stability, work-life balance, opportunity,” he said. “Eighty-two percent transition into civilian positions post-graduation.”

PCIP targets students seeking careers in STEM fields. Seventy-five percent of the interns at the symposium are studying engineering, math, and cyber security, but the PCIP also includes individuals interested in pursuing work in contracting and acquisition and other career fields.

Yanka Mihaylovski is interning at McDill AFB, Florida.

“I am an accountant,” she said, “But I’m working in logistics, which will broaden my opportunities tremendously. I learn something new every day.”

Selection is prestigious. The PCIP received more than 1,500 applications this year, but only 500 individuals were chosen to participate.

“I’m a testament to the opportunities available in the Federal workforce,” said Brenna Cyr, PCIP program manager, who was herself a PCIP intern and later a PALACE Acquire program participant, as she welcomed the group.

The interns heard from guest speakers from finance, security, diversity, and other areas who discussed the Air Force and Space Force structure and culture.

They then had a chance to break into groups where they spoke with current civil service employees about career field-specific information and participated in mentor-focused activities.

While in Dayton, the interns also visited the National Museum of the United States Air Force and other Wright-Patterson AFB areas engaged in modern technologies.

They learned from historians about the Air Force’s heritage. They also spoke with current active-duty and civilian Airmen, who explained their roles and where the interns might fit in in continuing the legacy.

Announcements for future Premier College Intern Program vacancies can be found on the USAJOBs website at www.usajobs.gov. Current students and recent graduates may also visit www.afintern.com to learn more about internships and other career development programs available to them.

Source: United States Air Force

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) —  

The Air Force Materiel Command released an updated Energy Assurance Campaign Plan, providing a foundation for collaboration, cooperation and innovation in all energy-related fields across the organization.

“Energy and water are essential mission resources we depend on every day,” said Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, AFMC commander, in the foreword. “Events of recent years demonstrate an upward trend in environmental, physical and cyber threats to our nation’s supply systems … we need to ensure installation energy systems can provide a mission-appropriate level of energy assurance.”

The EACP consists of five lines of effort in support of operationally agile and mission-protective energy systems. The LOEs are:

• Optimized Systems and Processes
• Cyber-resilient Control Systems
• Mission Matched Capabilities
• Reliable and Managed Infrastructure
• System Performance Assurance

The LOEs align to five components of resilience, which are identified as robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness, response and recovery. The campaign plan adopts Department of the Air Force standards and metrics, sets unity in approach, organizes response and heightens awareness that without a sustained investment in vital energy resources and infrastructure, missions are increasingly at risk.

“Energy assurance is mission assurance,” said Capt. Timothy DeJong, Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, Detachment 6 operations program manager. “Energy plays a vital role in everything that we do, and managing the energy portfolio appropriately, in alignment with DAF guidance, is of the utmost importance.”

To read the full AFMC Energy Assurance Campaign Plan, visit here.

To learn more about DAF Energy, click here.

Source: United States Air Force

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) —  

The Curtis E. LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education and Air Mobility Command collaborated on significant revisions to the recently released Air Force Doctrine Publication 3-36, Air Mobility Operations, reflecting the service’s renewed commitment to maneuverability and lethality.

The publication’s first major revision in five years also reflects the evolving strategic environment and re-emphasizes the importance of the joint functions of maneuver, sustainment and command and control. “These principles are critical to preparing the mobility air forces to effectively position the joint force for advantage and deliver lethal effects at the tempo required for victory,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, AMC commander.

Highlighting the publication’s release, Minihan stressed, “Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics, the victors study maneuver.” Remarking on the efforts to update the doctrine he added, “This version of AFDP 3-36 pushes the envelope in recognizing what the mobility air forces bring to the fight and how we elevate the lethality of the joint team. It includes new sections on command and control, maneuver, the key role air mobility plays in deterrence operations, and critical lessons learned from Operation Allies Refuge, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and recent operations in Israel. Our future challenge demands close reading of this document and thinking about how to fight.”

AFDP 3-36 underscores that air mobility operations are a fundamental extension of airpower — the capability to project military power through control and exploitation in, from and through the air. This updated doctrine aligns with the realities of Great Power Competition and is the first in a series of major service doctrine updates designed to prepare the Air Force for future conflicts.

The LeMay Center is responsible for the development, dissemination and implementation of Air Force doctrine. It is conducting a full doctrine review in support of the Air Force re-optimization for Great Power Competition.

Source: United States Air Force

WASHINGTON (AFNS) —  

Two U.S. Air Force installations were announced among the winners of the Presidential Federal Sustainability Awards, June 25: Edwards Air Force Base, California; and Tyndall AFB, Florida.

The Presidential Federal Sustainability Awards recognize federal agencies and employees who have made transformational efforts to advance sustainability and climate resilience and lead by example to deliver on President Biden’s goal to slash emissions from federal operations.

Edwards AFB’s Sanborn Solar Storage Project won in the Advancing Carbon-Free Electricity category. Its solar array became one of the world’s largest solar and battery storage projects, spanning more than 4,000 acres of public and private lands. This record-setting project marks the largest private-public partnership in Department of Defense history and reflects DoD’s commitment to a more resilient, clean energy future.

Tyndall AFB won an award in the Advancing Climate Adaptation and Resilience category. In 2018, Tyndall AFB sustained a direct hit from Hurricane Michael, which destroyed almost 500 buildings on the base. The DoD used the reconstruction of Tyndall AFB as an opportunity to redevelop the base into a resilient, sustainable “Installation of the Future.” This includes pioneering the use of nature-based coastal resilience solutions into the rebuild plan, serving as a model for other coastal federal facilities that need to adapt to the changing climate.

The awards were presented at the White House on June 25. Awardees were selected from a pool of over 140 nominations and represent domestic and international facilities or projects spanning 10 federal agencies.

To learn more about the Presidential Federal Sustainability Award winners, read here.

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

The Air Force and Space Force have completed the annual review of special duty assignment pay for enlisted members and established new guidelines to support a quadrennial SDAP board process.

The SDAP board has transitioned to having a board every four years, rather than annually. The change is intended to stabilize the budget for Airmen and Guardians receiving the pay and for the Department of the Air Force when projecting for the annual budget. Additionally, this new process will also allow an annual out-of-cycle period to consider new and emerging functional communities.

While conducting the reviews, both Air Force and Space Force boards focused on identifying personnel in extremely demanding positions with unusually challenging responsibilities using a defendable scoring methodology and made decisions agnostic of budgetary funding constraints.

• The Air Force approved 78 specialties to receive SDAP in Fiscal Year 2025. Of those approved, 10 were initial requests that were certified for the first time, 61 were recertified at their current rate, four increased rate and three decreased rate to maintain parity with specialties of similar duties, responsibilities and training.
   
• The Air Force eliminated eligibility for one functional community because it no longer met the criteria for SDAP and disapproved 18 new requests for the same reason. The changes will take effect Oct. 1, 2024.
   
• The Space Force recertified eligibility with no changes for nine of the 14 functional communities included in the Fiscal Year 2024 Table, made adjustments to the other five, and certified eligibility for eight additional functional communities.

All functional communities recertified and/or approved during the Fiscal Year 2025 board will maintain SDAP until September 30, 2028. During this timeframe, there will be no decreases, increases or eliminations.

Members currently serving in a functional community that was eliminated during the Fiscal Year 2025 board will continue to receive special duty assignment pay at a rate of one-half of their original SDAP effective October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025. Eliminated and disapproved functional communities will not be able to reapply for two fiscal years.

Personnel receiving an increase or decrease in SDAP will see it reflected beginning October 1, 2024.

For Airmen, visit here to view the full special duty assignment pay list and program updates.

For Guardians, visit here to view the full special duty assignment pay list and program updates.

Source: United States Air Force

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) —  

U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim Slife emphasized the continued importance of the U.S. and Royal Australian Air Forces tearing down roadblocks and increasing interoperability during the annual Air Senior National Representatives Forum at RAAF Base Williamtown, Newcastle, Australia.

ASNR is a bilateral U.S. Air Force – RAAF engagement established in 2000 with a mission to identify, promote and, where practical, exploit areas of mutual interest to develop interoperable and integrated airpower. Collaboration during ASNR represents a long-term and enduring commitment to the future.

“We have been training and fighting side-by-side for well over 100 years. It is more important now than ever to expand and deepen that relationship.” Gen. Jim Slife, U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff

The theme of this year’s forum was Achieving Compatibility through Change.

“The Department of the Air Force is working tirelessly to reoptimize for today’s security environment,” Slife said. “That environment demands we expand the framework of this forum to be more focused, measurable, and productive, as competition among great powers is the defining characteristic of today’s security environment. The alliance between Australia and the United States is a linchpin of security in the Indo-Pacific region and our air forces are committed to doing our part to ensure our alliance is as strong and integrated as possible.”

The forum provided bilateral discussions between the two nations to plan and expedite actives aimed at enhancing combined interoperability in an increasingly dynamic warfighting domain.

“Prioritising partnerships is a key priority of our National Defence Strategy, and a deep relationship with the United States is a key requirement for successful deterrence,” said Air Vice-Marshal Harvey Reynolds, the Royal Australian Deputy Chief of Air Force. “This week we have focused on how to leverage our competitive advantage through the service relationship we enjoy with the United States Air Force. This forum has laid the groundwork for us to move ahead with focus and urgency to remove barriers to interoperability to develop improved integrated long-range strike and airpower projection capacity, both from our northern bases and regionally.”

Combined efforts between the U.S. and RAAF air forces include integration between U.S. bomber and RAAF aircraft assets for recurring Bomber Task Force missions, and through combined exercises like Viper Walk in March 2024, which focused on expeditionary health as well as improving partnership and interoperability.

“The United States and Australia share many of the same values, interests, and concerns with challenges to the rules-based international order which has provided stability and economic prosperity for freedom-loving peoples around the world for eighty years. Now is the time for us to double-down on the foundational relationships which have made this possible, and our alliance with Australia is in the front rank of those relationships” Slife said. “The engagements our air forces did over the last week will chart the course of work ahead of us in the next year to remove obstacles to closer integration while enabling us to seize opportunities for enhanced warfighting effectiveness. The enhanced warfighting effectiveness we pursue together will be central to our goal of deterring conflict while also being prepared to prevail should conflict erupt.”