In the Air Force, squadrons are the basic level of operations, its “beating heart” as Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David Goldfein calls them. To better understand how significant the squadron is to the Air Force, it’s also important to know what a squadron is. Within the Air Force, the squadron is […]

In one wing, there are 435. On the other, there are 100. Luckily, this isn’t referring to a severe weight imbalance detrimental to an aircraft’s flight. These are the number of appointed individuals responsible for making the nation’s laws on Capitol Hill and the people who some Air Force legislative liaisons and fellows engage with […]

John W. Henderson, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy, is responsible for the formulation, review and execution of plans, policies, programs and budgets to meet Air Force installations, energy, environment, safety and occupational health objectives. Henderson was commissioned in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in May 1994, upon graduation […]

Story by Dan Hawkins, Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs After listening to feedback from the field, a few changes to the Air Force Basic Military Training curriculum will transform trainees into more combat-ready Airmen. See more BMT photos on Flickr The changes, which began Sept. 4, 2018, are entirely focused on readiness and lethality, […]

At Altitude podcast of interview with Maj. Gen. Mark E. Smith, the Civil Air Patrol’s 24th national commander. Smith leads CAP’s more than 60,000 members across the United States in fulfilling the U.S. Air Force auxiliary’s Congressionally chartered missions of emergency services, cadet programs and aerospace education, in addition to the organization’s steadily increasing role […]

By Charles Pope, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Long before his star turn as the Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force and “enlisted Jesus,” Kaleth O. Wright found himself back home in Columbus, Ga., mired in doubt and failure. He had bombed out of college in less than a year. He had […]

Tech. Sgt. Alyssa C. Gibson Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Heather Wilson swore in as the 24th Secretary of the Air Force in May 2017 with a clear-eyed view on the task at hand. “When Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis asked me to serve as the Secretary of the Air Force I said, […]

The inaugural Airman Podcast for the At Altitude channel features a conversation with Dr. Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. As the Air Force’s Service Acquisition Executive, Dr. Roper is responsible for and oversees Air Force research, development and acquisition activities totaling an annual budget in excess […]

In his book, “The Spirit of St. Louis,” Charles Lindbergh admits that he wasn’t completely sold on the idea when contemplating his first parachute attempt, “The thought of crawling out onto the struts and wires hundreds of feet above the earth, and then giving up even that tenuous hold of safety and of substance, left […]

Airman Magazine: Can you recall a specific time when you failed or took a calculated risk which ultimately propelled you forward, either personally or on a specific mission? Brig. Gen. Leavitt: When I graduated from pilot training, the law had changed to allow women in combat, but the Department of Defense policy did not allow women […]