NOVEMBER 3,2014, WASHINGTON (AFNS) - Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan, the head of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter program office, said by the end of December he expects to have decided on a permanent solution for a design issue that caused an F-35A engine to fail in June at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The engine's manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney, has … [Read more...]

OCTOBER 30, 2014, WASHINGTON (AFNS) - The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will begin accepting applications by mail Nov. 3, for the Fry Scholarship under newly expanded eligibility criteria to include surviving spouses of service members who died on active duty. The expanded criteria for the Fry Scholarship is the latest in a series of VA actions to implement … [Read more...]

OCTOBER 30, 2014, WASHINGTON (AFNS) - A 21-day monitoring period for U.S. service members returning from areas affected by Ebola in West Africa provides a margin of safety that troops and their families wanted, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here Oct. 29. During an interview at the Washington Ideas Forum here, Hagel said the policy he signed this morning was "discussed … [Read more...]

October 30, 2014, Fort George G. Meade, Md. (AFNS) - Glamorized during the ‘80s movie ‘Top Gun,’ the concept of a wingman was to always keep the lead pilot safe, even at the cost of veering off to fight the enemy. For the past few years, “wingman” has become a pledge, promise and commitment between Airmen to take care of themselves and those … [Read more...]

OCTOBER 29, 2014, WASHINGTON (AFNS) - The Defense Department recently implemented two TDY policy changes impacting travel reimbursements for Airmen. The first change took effect Oct. 1, and made changes to the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), Reimbursable and Incidental Expense Policy. The second will be a change in long-term TDY per diem expenses and takes effect Nov. … [Read more...]