Latest Air force News
10 years after ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ cadets see progress
NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — Kelli Normoyle was nervous as she arrived at the Coast Guard Academy campus in Connecticut in 2008. She had come out as a lesbian to a few friends near the end of high school, but she faced a military environment where “don’t ask, don’t tell” was still the...
China sends 24 fighter jets toward Taiwan in show of force
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China sent 24 fighter jets toward Taiwan in a large display of force Thursday, after the self-governing island announced its intention to join an 11-nation Pacific trade group that China has also applied to join. China's People's Liberation Army...
Defense chief orders new review of mistaken US drone strike
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a senior-level review of the investigation that found that 10 Afghan civilians, including seven children, were killed in an Aug. 29 U.S. drone strike in Kabul that the Pentagon initially said had killed an Islamic State fighter....
Report: Iran appoints new air force commander
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's top leader has appointed a pilot of Russian fighter jets to command the nation's air force, state television reported Sunday. It said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's choice is Air Force Brig. Gen. Hamid Vahedi. ...
Alaska air base declares public health emergency amid COVID
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Military leaders on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson have declared a public health emergency and encouraged all personnel to avoid places that do not require masks or social distancing in response to increasing COVID-19 cases in Alaska,...
Study: Pentagon reliance on contractors hurt US in 9/11 wars
Up to half of the $14 trillion spent by the Pentagon since 9/11 went to for-profit defense contractors, a study released Monday found. It's the latest work to argue the U.S. reliance on private corporations for war-zone duties that used to be done by troops contributed to mission failure in...
Report: Air Force women, minorities face harassment and bias
WASHINGTON (AP) — About a third of the female service members in the Air Force and Space Force say they've experienced sexual harassment and many can describe accounts of sexism and a stigma associated with pregnancy and maternity leave, a study released Thursday has found. ...
Greece creates climate crisis ministry after huge wildfires
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s center-right government has created a new ministry to address the impact of climate change and named former European Union commissioner Christos Stylianides as minister. Stylianides, 63, who served as commissioner for humanitarian aid...
Over 24 hours in Kabul, brutality, trauma, moments of grace
Bone-tired like everyone else in Kabul, Taliban fighters spent the last moments of the 20-year Afghanistan war watching the night skies for the flares that would signal the United States was gone. From afar, U.S. generals watched video screens with the same anticipation. ...
'It looked apocalyptic': Crew describes Afghan departure
WASHINGTON (AP) — It looked like a zombie apocalypse. For the U.S. military pilots and aircrew about to make their final takeoffs out of Afghanistan, the sky was lit up with fireworks and sporadic gunfire and the airfield littered with battered shells of airplanes and...
