In September, nearing the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Michael striking Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Airman sat down for an interview with Brig. Gen. Patrice A. Melancon, Tyndall Air Force Base Reconstruction Program Management Office executive director. More than 60% of Tyndall AFB’s facilities were significantly damaged in the hurricane and, at the direction of […]

Gen. Arnold W. Bunch Jr. is the commander of Air Force Materiel Command, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. He handles installation and mission support, discovery and development, test and evaluation, life cycle management services and sustainment of every major Air Force weapon system. The command employs approximately 80,000 people and manages $60 billion […]

As near-peer competitors project their power into the vast expanse of the Arctic, the U.S. Air Force is positioning the world’s only fifth-generation combat-ready fighter aircraft there – the F-22 Raptor at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and soon the F-35 Lightning II at Eielson AFB. The DoD’s Eielson AFB regional growth plan will bring […]

Lt. Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere is the commander, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, North American Aerospace Defense Command; commander, Alaskan Command, U.S. Northern Command; commander, Eleventh Air Force, Pacific Air Forces, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. He is the senior military officer in Alaska, responsible for the integration of all military activities in […]

According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Arctic sea ice extent has declined by 40% since 1979. The loss is transforming Alaska’s climate while also accelerating coastal erosion. “In a diminishing ice environment in the Arctic region, we’re seeing there’s more opportunity for industry, more opportunity for resource extraction, if done in a […]

In the spring of 2019, Airman interviewed John W. Henderson, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy, about the current state of Air Force installations and the path forward in recapitalization. He believes that mission requirements and infrastructure readiness are intrinsically linked. Listen to the podcast HERE. Henderson is responsible for […]

Air Force Aircraft maintenance addresses key areas to readiness recovery in building a more ready, lethal force After decades of readiness decline, the Air Force is working to accelerate its recovery, ensuring the service is prepared to combat rapidly evolving threats. Today, more than 75% of the Air Force’s core fighting units are combat ready. […]

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 […]

Air and land are valuable training tools when it comes to Air Force ranges. Both are finite resources that are also utilized by the rest of society. Unfortunately, the demand for air and land in civilian pursuits can have an impact on the Air Force and Total Force training and testing missions. Wind farms, oil […]

There is no set-in-stone future for Air Force ranges, but some pilots, range managers and planners have a vision for the way ahead. One potential future for Air Force ranges combines the capabilities of live, virtual and constructive elements to seamlessly create an immersive training experience. Live aircraft will fly in actual airspace boundaries while […]