Air Force Link News

Camp Gulfport opens doors for ROM operations

Jessica L. Kendziorek — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 13:00:00 GMT

With preventing the spread of COVID-19 being a top priority, Headquarters Air Force had to develop a new process to ensure the safety of the service members before deployment into the U.S. Central, Africa and European Commands’ areas of responsibility.

Air Force update for COVID-19

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 17:00:00 GMT

Below are current coronavirus disease 2019 statistics for Department of Air Force personnel:

Department of the Air Force moves Physical Fitness Assessments to April 2021, removes waist measurement from composite score permanently

DoD News — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 16:50:00 GMT

To ensure social distancing practices remain in place during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and to give Airmen and Space Professionals time to prepare, testing was delayed from October to January and is now further delayed to April.

Air Force gives family fresh start after COVID-19 crushes private business

Master Sgt. Chance Babin — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 13:42:00 GMT

After years of working various jobs in the transportation industry, Richard Jimenez finally got the nerve to start his own trucking business in 2019. He thought 2020 was going to be an amazing year for his family. After the crushing loss of his business during the pandemic, Jimenez, his wife and their son all found their hopes and dreams shifting to something bigger — service in the Air Force.

Patriot Express travel at BWI, SEATAC to require on-site, rapid COVID-19 testing

Air Mobility Command Public Affairs — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 13:57:00 GMT

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to meet long-standing commitments to U.S. allies and partners, the Department of Defense began rapid, on-site COVID-19 testing for passengers departing Baltimore Washington International Airport and Seattle Tacoma Airport aboard Patriot Express flights for official duty at overseas locations.

Vice Chief of Space Operations tests positive for COVID-19

DoD News — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 00:29:00 GMT

Space Force Gen. David D. Thompson, Vice Chief of Space Operations, tested positive Oct. 28 for COVID-19. He took the test after learning that a close family member, with whom he had contact, tested positive for the virus.

AFICC increases COVID-19 testing capabilities at 42 medical centers

Steve Warns — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 12:00:00 GMT

The contract, awarded Sept. 30 to BioDefense LLC of Salt Lake City, enables the firm to triple its manufacturing capacity of coronavirus tests and ensures timely delivery of test panels to meet the Air Force demand of 7,000 tests per week.

Air Force lab surpasses 130K COVID-19 tests in 6 months

Gina Marie Giardina — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 15:00:00 GMT

This number equates to about 17% of all samples of COVID-19 that have been tested across the Department of Defense. And as the demand fluctuated and continues, laboratory personnel remain agile.

Department of the Air Force pushes fitness testing to Jan. 1

DoD News — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 16:46:00 GMT

To continue minimizing close contact among personnel during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and ensure units and personnel are fully ready to resume, testing has been delayed from October to January, and testing in January will move forward without obtaining waist, height and weight measurements.

AFIMSC provides AF with innovative post-COVID workspace options

Joe Bela — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 15:30:00 GMT

The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center is providing the Air Force with innovative solutions for teleworking in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Virtual orientation prepares new leaders for success

Marisa Alia-Novobilski — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 12:00:00 GMT

The event, held for the first time ever in a completely online format, included briefings on AFMC and subordinate center missions, panel discussions, mentorship sessions and workshops on topics ranging from leadership expectations to information on legal, financial and support programs and resources and diversity.

Travis AFB conducts first Indo-Pacific aeromedical evacuation mission for COVID-19

2nd Lt. R. Michael Longoria — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 17:00:00 GMT

This aeromedical evacuation mission marks the first operational employment of the Transport Isolation System in support of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility. It is the 18th employment of the TIS since its first operational use for COVID-19 April 10.

DoD launches effort to collect 8,000 units of COVID-19 convalescent plasma

DoD News — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 14:30:00 GMT

The Air Force is participating in a Department of Defense-wide effort to further investigate the benefits of convalescent blood plasma.

Air Force surgeon general talks about COVID-19, innovation, leadership

Roland Balik — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 11:47:00 GMT

Lt. Gen. Dorothy Hogg, U.S. Air Force surgeon general, accompanied by Chief Master Sgt. Dawn Kolczynski, Air Force Surgeon General chief of medical operations, toured and learned about the Transport Isolation System aboard a C-17 Globemaster III, June 26.

NPC completes first operational patient movement

Air Mobility Command Public Affairs — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 11:00:00 GMT

The NPC is the latest isolated containment chamber developed to transport individuals with infectious diseases, like the novel coronavirus. This operation brings the total number of patients retrieved by the mobility Air Force using an isolation containment chamber to more than 100 across 18 missions since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Negatively pressurized conexes ready to save lives

Air Mobility Command — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 14:00:00 GMT

Air Mobility Command and Air Force Materiel Command leaders joined forces early April to invite creative materiel and non-materiel solutions to address a joint urgent operational need to move large numbers of COVID-19 patients should the need for that capability arise.

CSAF visits McChord AFB for COVID-19 update

Senior Airman Tryphena Mayhugh — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 15:50:00 GMT

At the beginning of Goldfein’s visit, Col. Erin Staine-Pyne, 62nd Airlift Wing commander, briefed him and other McChord AFB leaders about how COVID-19 has affected McChord Field.

AFRL machine learning and AI experts develop models for COVID-19 decision-making

Gina Marie Giardina — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 12:56:00 GMT

Experts in the Air Force Research Laboratory are applying explainable machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches to develop thousands of models that could help federal, state and local decision-makers as they make re-opening decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Special tactics wing, AFRL develop smartphone app to mitigate COVID-19 risk

1st Lt. Alejandra Fontalvo — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 17:00:00 GMT

Medical and Preservation of the force and family team members of the 24th Special Operations Wing, headquartered at Hurlburt Field teamed up with the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a way to monitor special tactics operators’ health status during the pandemic straight from their smartphones.

Altus AFB innovation team design shared across service

Staff Sgt. Cody Dowell — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 14:30:00 GMT

Due to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid response actions were required to mitigate the spread of the virus to ensure safe mission contributions. AFWERX, a community of Air Force innovators who strive to connect Airmen to solutions, requested Spark Cell centers across the Air Force to assist in virus mitigation efforts with personal protective equipment innovations.