U.S. Air Forces in Europe

Breedlove may get the ‘force structure pause’ he’s been asking for all along

By Oriana Pawlyk on September 17, 2014 Defense Department, U.S. Air Forces in Europe

Pentagon leaders may not go through with downsizing U.S. military forces in Europe given the continuous problem of Russia’s behavior in the east, Gen. Philip Breedlove, commander, U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander, told reporters during a Pentagon news conference Sept. 16. “I have talked to leadership here about a function to re-address those decisions,” Breedlove said days after NATO leaders met in Wales to discuss the alliance’s response to the crisis in Ukraine. “Because those sequester decisions were clearly made before Russia-Crimea, I see this building now moving towards a review of those decisions.” In an interview with Air Force Times…

F-16 rotation and personnel head to Poland, Czech Republic

By Oriana Pawlyk on September 4, 2014 Air Force, U.S. Air Forces in Europe

Six F-16 fighter jets and 120 personnel from the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, will begin a joint training operation Thursday at Lask Air Base, Poland, through Oct. 8, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren announced Sept. 3. In addition to Air Force units headed to the Baltics, members from the 31st FW will also participate in Ample Strike, a NATO-led exercise with 11 other nations in the Czech Republic. Farther east, Rapid Trident — the first exercise to include 200 U.S. ground troops since the Kiev government began fighting pro-Russian separatists — will take place Sept. 15 to Sept.…

NATO considers another base location closer to eastern Europe

By Oriana Pawlyk on July 25, 2014 Leadership, U.S. Air Forces in Europe

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…

Two year tours at Incirlik start Jan. 1

By Oriana Pawlyk on January 3, 2014 Air Force, U.S. Air Forces in Europe

Sixty-six assignments at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, will be 24-month tours, regardless of accompanied status, according to an Air Force Personnel Center release. The change applies to anyone selected for those positions after Jan. 1 or later. The positions include those held by airmen first class through lieutenant colonels who “directly support the priority level one mission” there, said Bill Warner, AFPC’s assignment programs and procedures branch chief, in the release. “The purpose of the tour extension is to provide a level of continuity at Incirlik Air Base that is currently constrained due to the tour lengths that are now…

How to get a fast promotion — this week's Air Force Times

By Jeff Schogol on August 19, 2013 Air Force, Airframes, Promotions, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Uncategorized

If you are looking to move into a career field with a better chance for advancing, be sure to read this week’s Air Force Times. We look at six years of promotion data to determine which airmen selected to advance had the lowest average time-in-grades in the Air Force. Also this week: Before you take off for your next vacation outside the U.S., make sure you are allowed to travel to your destination. You can read the five things you need to know so that you don’t accidentally buy a ticket to a restricted area. In other news, a military…

How to get a fast promotion — this week’s Air Force Times

By Jeff Schogol on August 19, 2013 Air Force, Airframes, Promotions, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Uncategorized

PHOTOS: Sesame Street touring with USO

By Oriana Pawlyk on August 13, 2013 Air Force, Photos, Royal Air Force, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, USO

Sesame Street’s Elmo walks into the crowd during the Sesame Street/USO Experience at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, Aug. 10, 2013. The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families is the USO’s longest-running, free-traveling tour based on Sesame Street’s military family initiative. The tour is traveling to 42 installations in eight countries in the European and Pacific regions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Dana J. Butler/Released) Check out more photos from the event here.

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