Pope reservists go 'airplane mode'

by Sameria Zavala
440th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs

1/21/2015 - POPE ARMY AIRFIELD, N.C. -- Air Force personnel from the 440th Airlift Wing here participated in an orientation flight, Jan. 9.

The  flight gave personnel an opportunity to see how their duties contribute to the wing and to observe the aircrew during a training mission.

"As an airlift wing, it is critical for every member of our team - civilian, traditional reserve, air reserve technician and active-duty Airman - to understand how their hard work pays off.  We are all connected through our Air Force Specialty Codes and ultimately generating C-130H2 combat capability to support national security," said Col. Sharon Johnson, 440th Maintenance Group commander.

Participants were given a standard safety brief by Lt. Col. John Gorse, Operations Group commander, to ensure a safe flight. "Make sure to put your phone on 'airplane mode' and by all means, please have fun today," he said.

The route traveled over areas of Lumberton, Pinehurst, Rockingham and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. While on the flight, participants witnessed a 2,600-pound heavy equipment drop onto Nijmegen Drop Zone at Fort Bragg.

After the flight, participants talked about their firsthand experience of the mission.

"It was nice and enjoyable! It was actually my first time in a C-130. It definitely was an adventure and I look forward to going back up again," said Senior Airman Kenton Waring, a personnel technician for the 440th Force Support Squadron.

"No matter what job you have in the wing - it is important and we want everyone to know and experience a flight in our fleet of aircraft.  When things get tough or we get a bit frustrated with our careers, it helps to know that what we do is important and is connected," said Johnson.

The orientation flight took advantage of routine training by allowing military members and civilians on a training mission that was also a check ride for Maj. Kristie Piotrowicz, a navigator for the 95th Airlift Squadron.

Over the last year, five orientation flights were available to personnel in July, August, and October.

AFMC promotes awareness of heart attack warning signs

Air Force Materiel Command Wellness Support Center

1/22/2015 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- February is American Heart Month. The National Institutes of Health reports that more than one million people in the United States have a heart attack each year. Of the people who die from heart attacks, about half die within an hour of their first symptoms and before they reach the hospital. When a heart attack happens, delay in treatment can be deadly. It is important to learn the warning signs and symptoms of a heart attack and know the single most important thing you can do to save a life: call 911 immediately for emergency medical care.

According to the American Heart Association, warning signs of a heart attack may include:

· Chest discomfort that feels like pressure, fullness or a squeezing pain in the center of the chest
· Upper body discomfort that extends beyond the chest to one or both arms, back, shoulders, neck and jaw
· Unexplained shortness of breath, with or without chest discomfort
· Other symptoms include: feeling of extreme fatigue, cold sweats, light-headedness or sudden dizziness, nausea and vomiting

Chest pain and discomfort are the most common heart attack symptoms for both men and women. But women may experience other common symptoms. These include shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and back and jaw pain.

Quick action can save a life. If you or someone you are with experiences chest discomfort or other heart attack symptoms, call 911 immediately. Do not wait more than five minutes to make the call. Contacting Emergency Medical Services as soon as possible will allow for the administration of clot-busting and artery-opening medications that can help stop a heart attack.

During the month of February, Civilian Health Promotion Services will be conducting educational briefings on heart disease prevention and the warning signs of a heart attack. For more information regarding CHPS activities for American Heart Month, visit www.AFMCwellness.com or contact your local CHPS team.

Airman pulls woman from burning vehicle

by Staff Sgt. Siuta B. Ika
99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

1/22/2015 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- For Tech. Sgt. Justin Mahana, 823rd Maintenance Squadron support section chief, life is about helping those in need.

When the 17-year veteran learned a coworker's truck had broken down two-and-a-half hours away in Lake Havasu, Arizona, he volunteered his truck, trailer and time to help the junior Airman get it back to his Las Vegas-area residence on Jan. 6.

However, the ride back home would not go as smooth or uneventful as the Iola, Texas, native originally planned.

"After loading the truck up on the trailer, we were on our way back and stopped at a gas station to get air in our tires and make sure everything was good to go," Mahana said. "While we were at the gas station, which was literally around the corner from where we loaded up the truck, I heard a loud crack, so I turned to see what happened and I saw a big cloud of dust. I stepped out to look a little closer and saw a black SUV across the intersection that looked like it had hit the median and was immobilized."

After observing the vehicle for about 30 to 45 seconds, Mahana noticed nobody had exited the vehicle.

"That's the first thing that kind of triggered me something wasn't right," he said. "Nobody else stopped or anything and the car was by itself, so I told [Airman 1st Class Morgan Roberts (Mahana's coworker with the inoperable truck)] I'm going to run across the street and see if they need any help."

As he made his way across the intersection, Mahana could hear the vehicle's engine revs reverberating off the cool desert floor, so he hollered back to Roberts to call 911.

"It sounded like the accelerator was stuck, so I kind of picked up my pace a little bit to see if whoever was inside was okay and I could see a lady in the driver seat kind of moving around," Mahana said. "Her windows were up so I was motioning to her to cut off the vehicle, but she wasn't responding to me. About the time I started around the back of the vehicle, the engine rpms were way high, it was just against the rev limiter and then finally the engine let go."

An avid mechanic and car enthusiast, Mahana said he picked up on what was going on with the vehicle, so when the engine blew, he knew it would crack the engine block and released oil would drench the ground below.

"That's when the fire started; like two big puffs of black smoke and then just flames came out from underneath the car," Mahana said. "It didn't engulf in flames or anything, but it was still smoldering underneath. I ran around the car, opened the driver's door, asked her if she was okay, but she didn't want to get out of the car -- she was holding on to the steering wheel with a death grip."

As the flames grew more intense with each failed attempt to coax the shocked woman out of the car with words, Mahana knew they were running out of time, so he took a different course of action.

"I checked the passenger and back seats to see if there was anybody else in the car -- there wasn't -- so I finally just hooked my arm around her and pretty much just yanked her out and got her away from the car," Mahana said. "I don't think she would've gotten out of the car on her own because she was in shock and just didn't know what was going on."

As the first responders arrived on scene, the fire grew worse, but Mahana was only focused on consoling the middle-aged woman he had just pulled from the burning vehicle.

"I was trying to keep her from going further into shock," Mahana said. "There was tons of smoke and the smell of burning plastic was bad."

After being thanked by the first responders, Mahana was back on the road.

"I'm not surprised at all that Sergeant Mahana was able to carry out those necessary actions, because it's part of his mantra to put others before himself in everything he does," said Master Sgt. Heather Gray, 823rd MXS maintenance flight chief. "And you can ask anybody around here and they'll tell you the same thing."

Seventeen years ago, Mahana entered the Air Force because he wanted to make a difference in the lives of others.

While his everyday job ensures he gets to do that -- the 823rd MXS is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of HH-60G Pave Hawks that are utilized by pararescuemen when conducting combat search and rescue missions as well as humanitarian relief operations -- it's his actions away from the job that shows exactly what kind of man Mahana is.

"I help out wherever I can, it's just the way I was raised," Mahana said. "I don't do anything for the recognition, it's just because it's the right thing to do. Whatever is written up about this whole thing is going to be more than I expected and really more than I wanted."

Rescue reservists secure Eastern Range for total force rocket launch

by 920th Rescue Wing Public Affairs

1/21/2015 - PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 920th Rescue Wing successfully cleared and secured a portion of the Eastern Range for the Air Force's 45th Space Wing successful launch the U.S. Navy's third Mobile User Objective System satellite at 8:04 p.m. from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The 20-story-tall rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 41 after Airmen patrolled approximately 100 square miles beneath the launch hazard area in two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters to secure the area.

The Navy satellite will provide cellular technology to vehicles, ships, submarines, aircraft and troops. The mission is part of a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

The range starts at the launch pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and John F. Kennedy Space Center and extends eastward over the Atlantic Ocean to 90 degrees East longitude in the Indian Ocean, where it meets the Western Range.

The United Launch Alliance-built Atlas V rocket flew in the 5-5-1 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, five solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage.

MUOS is the next generation narrowband military satellite communication system that supports a worldwide, multi-service population of users in the ultra-high frequency band. The system provides increased communications capabilities to smaller terminals while still supporting interoperability with legacy terminals. MUOS is designed to support users who require greater mobility, higher data rates and improved operational availability.

MUOS-1 was placed into operational use for legacy terminal users in November 2012. MUOS-2 was launched in July 2013, and the next MUOS launch is planned for August 2015, according to the Navy Communications Satellite Program Office.

The system will undergo Multiservice Operational Test and Evaluation in December 2015 and will achieve Full Operational Capability in 2017.

MUOS adapts a commercial third generation Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) cellular technology with geosynchronous satellites to provide a new and more capable UHF military SATCOM system.

The MUOS program includes a satellite constellation of four operational satellites (plus one on-orbit spare), a ground control and network management system, and the new WCDMA waveform for user terminals.

In addition, MUOS will provide greater than 10 times the communications bandwidth capacity over the current UHF constellation.

Col. Shawn Fairhurst, 45th Space Wing Vice Commander, served as the Launch Decision Authority for this vitally important mission.

"Congratulations to Team Patrick-Cape, our U.S. Navy partners, United Launch Alliance, Lockheed Martin and all our other mission partners for ensuring another successful mission, our No. 1 priority here at the 45th Space Wing," said Col. Fairhurst. "This was the second launch of approximately two dozen missions we have scheduled on the Eastern Range for 2015. The success of every mission is due to the teamwork of all involved."

"We are very proud of the team and mission partners we have here," he said, "who flawlessly deliver vital space capabilities for our Nation."

More information on the 920th Rescue Wing is available on the wing's official site: www.920rqw.afrc.af.mil and Facebook: 920th Rescue Wing (Government).

*Information for this article was taken from a 45th Space Wing online news story.

Nellis gears up for Red Flag 15-1

by 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

1/22/2015 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Red Flag 15-1 is scheduled to begin Jan. 26 and will conclude Feb. 13. Base officials want to remind southern Nevada residents that they may notice increased military aircraft activity during this time period.

Aircraft are scheduled to depart Nellis AFB twice a day and participate in the exercise for up to five hours. Flying times are scheduled to accommodate other flying missions at the base and provide Red Flag participants with valuable training in planning and executing a wide-variety of combat missions.

According to the official Red Flag 15-1 press release -- which can be viewed here: http://www.nellis.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123433350 -- this exercise will include aircraft from 21 different U.S. Air Force squadrons; C-130Js, P-3s from the Royal Australian Air Force; and Typhoons, F-15Cs and E-3Ds from the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force.

The 414th Combat Training Squadron assigned to the 57th Wing is responsible for executing Red Flag. The exercise is one out of a series of advanced training programs administered at Nellis AFB and on the Nevada Test and Training Range by organizations assigned to the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center.

Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air, space, and cyber forces of the United States and its allies.

The exercise is hosted north of Las Vegas on the NTTR -- the U.S. Air Force's premier military training area with more than 15,000 square miles of airspace and 2.9 million acres of land. With 1,900 possible targets, realistic threat systems and an opposing enemy force that cannot be replicated anywhere else in the world,

Nellis AFB and the NTTR are the home of a simulated battlefield, providing combat air forces with the ability to train to fight together in a peacetime environment to survive and win together.

Since 1975, Red Flag has provided training for more than 440,000 military personnel, including more than 145,000 aircrew members flying more than 385,000 sorties and logging more than 660,000 hours of flying time.

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Red Flag.

354th Bulldogs improve in-fligh sight

by Airman 1st Class Chris Massey
355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

1/22/2015 - DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- A-10C Thunderbolt II pilots of the 354th Fighter Squadron Bulldogs began flying with a new helmet mounted integrated targeting system.

The Scorpion Helmet Mounted Cueing System provides pilots with the ability to rapidly cue sensors or weapons and to designate targets with a high degree of accuracy by simply "looking at" the target or point of interest.

"It's an accuracy enhancement system that's worn by pilots to increase the situational awareness and weapons delivery," said Scott Smithers, 355th Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment contractor.

The HMIT generates a full-color image in the eye piece in front of the pilot's right eye, which provides information on potential targets, while in flight.

"It gives us a monocle that we're able to look through to rapidly engage, target and designate things that are on the ground," said Lt. Col. Aaron Redfern, 354th FS director of operations. "It's a great leap forward because it allows us, as close air support pilots, to keep our focus on the ground and support the people on the ground."

The addition of Scorpion to an airplane's weapons system reduces the time required to acquire, designate and engage targets. It also provides the ability to share real time battlefield information between aircraft and ground platforms.

"While you're looking outside on the ground, you can see what your targeting pod is seeing at the same location," Redfern said. "Beforehand, what we had to do was look inside the cockpit to try and interpret the scene, then look outside on the ground and then try and figure out where it was looking. Now we can look at a point on the ground, slave the targeting pod to that point."

Smither said that this new system is a big bonus for pilots as compared to legacy systems because it allows for them to transition from day to night and maintain the same system without any changes.

Technicians from the 355th OSS AFE flight have modified and refit each pilots' existing helmets to accommodate the new device.

Dempsey: Cyber Vulnerabilities Threaten National Security

By Lisa Ferdinando

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

BRUSSELS, Jan. 21, 2015 – Cyber vulnerabilities in the private sector pose a serious threat to national security, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

While military cyber defenses are formidable, civilian infrastructure and businesses often are targeted first and "present a significant vulnerability to our nation," Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said in an interview earlier this week in Rome, at the start of a two-nation European tour focused on threats to U.S. and European security.

Because of that, he said, the United States faces a "level playing field" against cyber threats.

"As the senior military officer of the most powerful military on the planet, I like to have the playing field tilted to my advantage,” he said. “I'd like the enemy to play uphill and us to play downhill." He ranks cybersecurity among his highest priorities, he added.

Legislation Needed for Information Sharing

Cyber legislation is needed to protect the nation and to allow information sharing between the government and the private sector while safeguarding civil liberties, he said. President Barack Obama has made cybersecurity a top agenda item and pressed for new cyber legislation in last night's State of the Union address.

"We haven't done enough -- that's just not internal to the military,” Dempsey said. “We haven’t done enough as a nation."

The U.S. military depends on commercial networks, so the strongest military cyber defense still could be threatened by a weak link elsewhere, Dempsey said. "We have authorities and capabilities that allow us to do a pretty good job of defending ourselves," he added. "But the vulnerability of the rest of America is a vulnerability of ours, and that's what we have to reconcile."

More than 20 countries now have military units dedicated to employing cyber in war, the chairman noted. He said he is worried adversaries will seek to exploit vulnerabilities in civilian critical infrastructure, viewing that as a "softer" target than the military itself.

Cyberattacks Are Becoming a Part of Conflict

Disruptive and destructive cyberattacks are becoming a part of conflict between states, within states and among nonstate actors, the general said.

"From the day I became chairman, I realized that on my term, cyber would become both a greater threat to our national interests, but also a more important component of military capability," he said.

While the U.S. dominates -- albeit with some constraints, whether air, space, land or sea -- the cyber domain is much different, Dempsey said, repeating that he doesn’t like that there are "actors out there who can compete with us on literally a level playing field."

The chairman noted the military two years ago stood up the U.S. Cyber Command, which committed resources and migrated capabilities to the combatant commander level.

Adversaries of the United States constantly seek to infiltrate networks and degrade capabilities, disrupt operations, or steal information, the chairman noted. "In cyber, we have competitors, and we have competitors who maybe aren’t as constrained by legal systems and freedoms as we are," he said. "It's going to be challenging to navigate this race."

Pentagon’s Top Policy Official Praises U.S.-Australia Alliance

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2015 – The long history of the U.S.-Australia alliance has been a linchpin of stability around the world, the Defense Department’s top policy official said here today.

Christine E. Wormuth, under secretary of defense for policy, discussed the importance of the U.S.-Australia alliance during remarks at the Brookings Institute.

“I think we share the view that the United States and Australia are cooperating on a range of challenges that are truly global,” she said, “whether it’s fighting Ebola in West Africa or whether it’s working together to bring security and stability to faraway places like Afghanistan.”

“Australia is a very important member of the now over 60-nation international coalition that is fighting against [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] and radical extremism,” Wormuth said.

Long History of Cooperation

“The United States and Australia have a very long history of standing shoulder-to-shoulder in every major conflict really since World War I,” Wormuth said. “Our security cooperation really continues to be a linchpin of stability around the world.”

That cooperation is important, she said, noting examples such as a recent hostage crisis in Sydney, Australia, and the terrorist attacks in Paris two weeks ago.

“Those are really stark reminders that violent extremism -- which is just one challenge that we’re facing together -- it’s a truly global, not just regional threat,” Wormuth said.

“It’s something that we’ll only be successful in defeating if we join the fight together,” she added.

Partners in an International Coalition

Wormuth said the U.S. is leading an international coalition to degrade, and ultimately, defeat ISIL terrorists using a campaign across multiple lines of effort -- not just military force.

“We’re not going to be able to defeat ISIL … solely through military means,” she said. The coalition must disrupt ISIL’s sources of revenue, stop the flow of foreign fighters, and work together to provide humanitarian support in Iraq and Syria in the wake of the terrorist group’s “chaos,” Wormuth said.

“And Australia is, again, a key coalition partner in that effort,” she said. “Australia and U.S. military personnel are working side-by-side in Iraq, and our two nations are also cooperating on other non-military aspects of the counter-ISIL campaign.”

Wormuth noted Australia has committed to send about 200 special operations forces to Iraq to help with the advise-and-assist mission, and around 400 Australian air force personnel associated with the air campaign.

Additionally, she said, Australia has also provided essential humanitarian airlift capability and has filled a key part of the effort to re-supply the Kurdish peshmerga.

“The fight against ISIL is obviously going to be a long-term effort,” Wormuth said. “This is not something that’s going to end in six months.”

“But I think the international coalition that we put together is strong; it’s diverse,” she said. “I was encouraged by my visit to Iraq to see that ISIL, I believe, is truly more and more in a defensive posture.”

Partnership in Afghanistan

“I think another terrific example of the cooperation that we have with Australia, in terms of global security challenges, is, of course, our shared engagement in Afghanistan,” Wormuth said.

“Australia has been playing a key role for years with the United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan,” she said. “We’re just deeply grateful for the sacrifices that Australia has made to join us in working to bring stability to that region.”

Rotating U.S. Forces in Australia

A symbol of the close partnership with Australia, Wormuth said, is the deployment of U.S. Marines to Darwin.

“This year, about 1,150 Marines have come through Australia on a rotational basis,” she said, “and over the coming years, we are working with Australia to be able to rotationally deploy as many as 2,500 Marines on a yearly basis.”

“In addition to our Marine Corps deployments, we also have Air Force deployments in Australia,” Wormuth said.

“Between the two of those,” she said, “we think we’ll very much be able to maintain a very high level of interoperability with Australian defense forces and be able to enhance the joint ability that we have respond to crises, and again, to provide regional stability.”

Modernizing the Relationship

As strong as the relationship is, Wormuth said, the two nations need to press forward and continue to modernize it.

“One of the key things we need to do,” she said, “is continue to build on the hard-earned interoperability we’ve developed through what we’ve done together in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The two militaries have operated incredibly closely together, Wormuth said, picking up lessons learned and emerging from those two wars as a highly interoperable combat force.

Wormuth said she also thought it would be very important to continue to press forward in the areas of science and technology.

“Our cooperation there cuts across a number of rapidly evolving fields like electronic warfare, hypersonics and a variety of initiatives in the cyber domain,” she said.

Wormuth said as she thought about all that the two countries have done together and are doing now, she was struck by how closely and how well the alliance has worked.

“Because of that closeness,” she said, “I’m very confident that looking to the future we will be able to successfully adapt the alliance to whatever may be thrown at us.”