Military working dogs have come a long way since the days of ancient Persia and Assyria, where they donned armor, spiked collars and warned of impending attack or charged on the enemy's cavalry.
Modern battlefield and customs conditions bring forth complex and ever-changing challenges, and as such, Department of Defense officials have created a clear standard operating procedure used by all kennels to ensure excess military working dogs have a chance to go to deserving adoptive homes.
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About a year ago, a course instructor at the Air Command and Staff College asked my classmates and me a question: "Where will you leave your legacy?"
The question was asked in the context of a class regarding leadership in command. Although none of us were slated to command immediately following school, each person in the seminar had the opportunity to provide a response to the instructor's question.
Comments from my classmates varied quite a bit, but my response was definitely the one that came out of left field. My reply was simple, "I don't intend to leave a legacy with my command. If I'm going to leave any legacy, it will be with my family."
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The past five years have been "the most exciting, dynamic and rewarding" of Brad Sams' professional career, not because of his success as an attorney, but because of the military opportunities his employer has enabled him to pursue, the Air National Guard major said.
"They create a culture that celebrates my involvement and service to this nation, its ideals, its dreams for a better world," Major Sams said of his employer, the Marks, O'Neil, O'Brien and Courtney law firm in Wilmington, Del.
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Workers from the 566th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron here will begin work next month on the first of the Navy's E-6B Mercury aircraft scheduled for a service life extension program refit.
The refit will involve inspecting and replacing up to 15,000 fasteners on the aircraft's wings. Fastener holes will also be widened and strengthened, extending the lifespan of the aircraft for another 20 years.
"That's the extent of the program, but it's very labor intensive," said Bill Cain, the deputy director of the 566th AMXS. "It will require an incredible amount of hand work to replace virtually all the wing skin fasteners."
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Lt. Gen. Mike Hostage, the new U.S. Air Forces Central Command commander, and AFCENT Command Chief Master Sgt. Scott Dearduff visited Joint Balad Base Aug. 25 to survey various missions and address some of the Airmen he now commands.
During his visit, General Hostage met with Army officials from the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), received a mission brief about the MC-12 aircraft, toured the Air Force Theater Hospital and hosted an Airmen's call.
He told Airmen in the briefing that they need to remain vigilant, despite recent decreases in violence in the region.
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Earlier this month, the United States Attorney and Dynamics Research Corporation, known as DRC, corporate officials reached a settlement agreement in a False Claims Act suit filed by government officials recently.
DRC, an advisory and assistance services government contractor supporting the Air Force's Electronic Systems Center, agreed to pay $15 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that two of its former corporate officers ran a kickback scheme that resulted in false payments to themselves for computer equipment and services. The corporation that employed the officers, and which settled the suit, said it was unaware of the former officers' misconduct.
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Desch, one of the world's most powerful supercomputers, will be dedicated during a ceremony here Aug. 31.
The Desch is a custom-designed SGI Altix ICE 8200 supercomputer that has been optimized and will be dedicated exclusively to support real-time translation of synthetic aperture radar data into high-resolution 3-dimensional video images from the Gotcha radar system being developed by Air Force Research Laboratory engineers here.
"The goal is to provide an extremely high-fidelity, all-weather intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance, or ISR, capability that can observe activity over an entire city," said Dr. Dave Jerome, director of the AFRL's Sensors Directorate at Wright-Patterson.
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Eight Airmen from Misawa AB saved the life of a Japanese citizen Aug. 15 when they pulled him away from a house and car that were engulfed in flames.
The Airmen and their families were on a bus returning from a night of celebrating a child's birthday and bidding farewell to a fellow Airman.
Approximately 15 minutes into their return trip, they noticed a car buried in a house and the wreckage aflame. Through the inferno they saw a motionless body was seen lying next to the burning car. Not willing to leave a person in such a state, the Airmen took action.
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Coalition airpower integrated with ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Aug. 27 according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
In Afghanistan, Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft provided armed overwatch at Asmar. Friendly forces identified and confirmed an enemy position on a ridgeline as point-of-origin for small arms fire. The F-15E aircraft engaged the position with precision-guided munitions, eliminating the position and ending the small-arms fire. Then, to deter further enemy action, the aircraft performed a show of force.
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Dr. Tim Rudolph, the Electronic Systems Center's chief technology officer, has been named the Defense Department's lead architect for a federal initiative known as the Next Generation Air Transportation System.
The center's 653rd Electronic Systems Wing here, which has a lot of experience with NextGen, will join Doctor Rudolph to help propel this effort. The 653rd ESW will provide the direct support and much of the programmatic expertise needed to assist Doctor Rudolph.
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