Ascension Auxiliary Airfield, a small base belonging to a detachment of Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing here, is constantly facing invasion.
But the invaders aren't foreign soldiers coming to claim the island for their own. Instead, they are green, scaly creatures from the sea. And, every year, thousands of these creatures storm the island's beaches.
And, every year, the small base welcomes them with open arms.
"We love our sea turtles," said Frances Dixon, head of environmental engineering on the base. "This is one of the few places they come ashore in the whole world."
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This edition of "Today's Air Force" highlights how U.S. aircraft were put on display in Paris and Southwest Asia, how Airmen are training around the world in both joint and combined environments, and how several fitness tips can help Airmen stay healthy this summer.
Showcasing Air Force aircraft around the world allows civilians and servicemembers from around the world the opportunity to see our capabilities.
A few aircraft were put on display during the Paris Air Show, while 379th Air Expeditionary Wing officials put on a "Flightline Fest" on the base's flightline in Southwest Asia to give all servicemembers an up close look at flightline operations.
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"With your basket and with my basket, together we will feed everyone."
This traditional New Zealand saying, translated into English from the Maori language, was referenced by New Zealand Air Commodore Gavin Howse during the opening seminar of the Pacific Rim Airpower Symposium and Senior Enlisted Leadership Conference here June 24.
Air Commodore Howse, the Joint Forces New Zealand air component commander, used it to illustrate how each of the representatives from 19 nations attending the events June 23 through 27 would share knowledge with one another. The conference also served as an example of why New Zealand is an appropriate venue for the events.
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American forces stationed in Honduras were not involved in the military coup June 28 and remain safe, a Pentagon official said here June 29.
Some 50 miles northwest of the capital city of Tegucigalpa, where President Manuel Zelaya was apparently ousted, the situation is calm at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras -- home to a 600-strong U.S. contingent, Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters June 29.
"The U.S. military is not involved in any of the activities down there and the situation is calm where those forces are located," he said.
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The withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from all Iraqi cities and towns was completed over the weekend and ahead of the June 30 deadline, a Pentagon spokesman said on a cable TV news show June 29.
"Overall, the security situation is stable enough for Iraqi security forces to take on this added responsibility," Geoff Morrell said on CNN's "Newsroom."
"It's one that they want, and it's one that the commanders on the ground feel they are capable of taking on," he said. "It has to be OK because there's a legal agreement, which forces us to abide by these timelines."
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Air Force officials confirmed June 25 that the first case of the H1N1 virus was diagnosed at Goodfellow Air Force Base.
The affected person is a dependent of a military couple stationed at Goodfellow AFB, and the patient is being treated by the 17th Medical Group pediatric staff.
Base personnel have been notified and were reminded to take all precautionary measures to avoid spreading the virus.
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Vandenberg Air Force Base officials launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile configured with a National Nuclear Security Administration test assembly from North Vandenberg at 3:01 a.m. PDT June 29.
The launch was an operational test to verify the weapon system's reliability and accuracy.
The missile carried three unarmed re-entry vehicles approximately 4,190 miles at speeds in excess of 24,000 mph to their predetermined targets near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
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Airmen from six U.S. Air Forces in Europe bases competed in the 2009 USAFE Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Challenge June 22 through 26 here.
The full-spectrum threat response strike teams were tested in six scenarios based on real-world hazardous material events in a rodeo-style competition.
The response teams came from Aviano Air Base, Italy; Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England; Ramstein and Spangdahlem air bases in Germany, along with a combined team from Incirlik AB, Turkey, and Lajes Field, Azores.
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Air Force officials are transitioning their combat search and rescue motto to an over-arching name that encompasses all rescue assets under the same umbrella mindset with a more current operational focus.
Personnel recovery fulfills a promise to never leave an American behind and the new slogan comprises not only combat search and rescue operations but also civil search and rescue and shuttle recovery support.
An Air Force decision in September 2008 to adopt personnel recovery as one of its 12 core functions signifies that these activities are now viewed on the same level with other core Air Force functions such as nuclear deterrence, air/space/cyberspace superiority, agile combat support and rapid global mobility, among others.
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Nine deployed Airmen from the 525th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit spent their off-duty time assisting three teachers with 60 students in the Machananao Elementary School summer program here June 19.
The Airmen deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, are from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, to support U.S. Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence in the Asia-Pacific Region.
During their visit to the elementary school, the Airmen spent their time reading with the children in kindergarten through fourth grade.
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