The 70-member House of Representative Air Force Caucus this week announced its leadership for the 114th Congress, and it includes a group of representatives who are no strangers to the service. The co-chairs for this session are Reps. Michael Turner, R-Ohio; Sam Johnson, R-Texas, Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam; and Niki Tsongas, D-Massachusetts. The caucus “seeks to educate other members of Congress on the Air Force’s role in national defense and raise pertinent issues related to Air Force manpower, capabilities and missions,” the group said in a statement. Throughout the year, the group has meeting with Air Force leaders and works…
Browsing: Leadership
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh has unveiled his annual reading list — 12 titles mostly recommended by you. More than 1,700 airmen wrote in over 10 days recommending favorite books and movies, enough, Welsh wrote in his opening message, to “fill a library … with amazing fictional, historical, and biographical works, along with fascinating ideas about personal and organizational values, growth, and success.” Topping this year’s book list is the 2012 “Air Commanders” by John Andreas Olsen. Part-military biography and part-operational analysis, the book tells the stories of 12 airmen who “shaped the central air campaigns in American history,”…
Republican Martha McSally beat incumbent Ron Barber on Wednesday after a recount to take over Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District. McSally, a retired Air Force colonel who flew A-10s over Iraq and Kuwait, picked up six more votes to give her a 167 votes victory, according to RollCall. McSally joins the coalition of congressional members — which include Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. — rallying to preserve the A-10. McSally criticized Barber during the race saying he “was asleep at the switch while the obvious threat of the A-10 retirement grew on his watch,” according to the Arizona Daily…
Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh is reminding airmen this holiday season in a somber – but realistic – message that Air Force casualties affect everyone, and the need to take care of one another has never been greater. In his latest “Airman to Airman” video, Welsh emphasizes the need to stay safe this holiday season by showing a rolodex – one of four on his desk – that holds the names of every airman who’s died since he became chief. “I’ve been the chief for 820 days now, and there are about 818 names in these boxes, so we…
The next head of Air Combat Command, Gen. Hawk Carlisle, will officially take over on Nov. 4, the Air Force announced this week. Carlisle, who previously was the head of Pacific Air Forces, will take over for retiring ACC commander Gen. Mike Hostage. Carlisle is a command pilot with 3,600 flying hours in several aircraft. Prior to PACAF, he served as the deputy chief of staff for operations, plans and requirements at Headquarters Air Force in Washington. Hostage will retire after more than 37 years of service, including more than 4,000 flying hours in fighter aircraft, including more than 600…
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James will take your questions on Twitter next week. The Air Force announced she will be available at 2:30 p.m. next Monday to talk about “top life and leadership lessons.” Get your questions ready, this is the first chat with James and the first for a current Air Force secretary.
A military base in Poland could soon be repurposed to support NATO in its mission to reassure eastern European allies of its oversight amid the Ukraine-Russia conflict. NATO’s top commander in Europe, Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, told a briefing in Naples this week that he plans to recommend “having capability in the forward area — preposition supplies, preposition capabilities, and a basing area ready to rapidly accept follow on forces.” “How we man that in a rotational, or non-permanent, basis is what are we looking at now to propose in NATO, and we will be working on that with…
Well color us jealous. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh and wife, Betty, met the virtuoso of late night TV yesterday, and Jimmy Fallon and crew seem like they all had a good time. “@BettyWelsh20 and I had a great time at the Tonight Show w/ @jimmyfallon…What a gracious & hilarious host!” Welsh tweeted from his official twitter page. They also met Dolly Parton, Fallon’s guest star of the night. “Pretty cool to thank @DollyParton for a lifetime of giving & watch her rock the stage. My fav…’The Sweetest Gift’,” Welsh later tweeted. Welsh is in New York…
When it comes to boosting morale, Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh goes all out. This is a man who donned a Captain America mask last year as part of his “Captain Airpower” persona. Some smirked, but Welsh didn’t care. He loves airmen and he is passionate about airpower. If you don’t get it, you don’t get it. Most recently, Welsh has declared that this Mustache March will be one for the ages. The Major Commands are competing for the honors of top mustache. Welsh is in the game too. His wife Betty recently posted pictures on Facebook showing her…