TAN TAN, Morocco — High-ranking military officials from the U.S. and its top African allies watched intently as dust and flames shot up from pieces of the Sahara Desert hit by tank and artillery fire. They looked up as pilots flew F-16s into formation. And they listened intently as Moroccan and American personnel explained how they would set up beachheads to defend the Atlantic coastline in the event of a potential invasion. The practice scenario was among those discussed during African Lion, the United States’ largest annual joint military exercise on the continent, which concluded Frida ..read more

A Florida Panhandle sheriff on Friday fired a deputy who fatally shot an airman at his home while holding a handgun pointed to the ground, saying the deputy’s life was never in danger and he should not have fired his weapon. Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden fired Deputy Eddie Duran, who fatally shot Senior Airman Roger Fortson on May 3 after responding to a domestic violence call and being directed to Fortson’s apartment. Bodycam footage shows deputy shot airman seconds after opening door Duran shot Fortson, 23, multiple times two seconds after he opened his door. Fortson was h ..read more

Thinking about reenlisting? Eligible airmen in critical jobs can now nab bonuses of up to $180,000, up from $100,000 in previous years, for agreeing to stay in the service. Seventy-three career fields are eligible for selective retention bonuses in fiscal year 2024, up from 51 the previous year, the Air Force said in a recent release. The new list adds airmen like air traffic controllers, cyber defense superintendents and aerospace physiologists, and is retroactively effective as of Oct. 1, 2023. Fewer airmen could receive bonuses for tough jobs in 2025 How much money someone can receive depen ..read more

A Massachusetts Air National Guard unit will resume its intelligence mission that was suspended after one of its airmen leaked highly classified military documents last year, the Air Force said Friday. The 102nd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group will again provide analysis to combatant commands worldwide on June 1, following approval by the head of Air Combat Command, which oversees intelligence units, according to Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek. Military prosecutors seek court-martial for Discord leaker The group’s mission was reassigned to other organizations within th ..read more

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough will appear before House lawmakers on June 4 to testify on improper benefits awarded to dozens of senior department officials last year as congressional concerns mount regarding the unfolding scandal. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee officials had requested that Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal and Under Secretary for Benefits Joshua Jacobs — two officials at the center of the bonus issues — testify on their roles in the mistakes. Instead, McDonough will field questions from lawmakers on the errors and steps taken to correct them. Earlier t ..read more

The U.S. Central Command says the military has not airdropped humanitarian aid into Gaza since May 9, with a Pentagon spokesperson blaming weather and Israel’s offensive in the southern city of Rafah. The lack of U.S. airdrops comes as a U.S.-built pier to deliver aid by sea broke apart in strong winds and heavy seas just over a week after it became operational. US-built pier will be removed from Gaza coast, repaired after damage “The solution is to open the land routes,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Thursday. “We need to see those land routes open. We need ..read more

President Joe Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, underscored that the U.S. policy calling on Ukraine not to use American-provide long-range missiles and other munitions to strike inside Russia offensively has not changed. The move comes as Ukrainian officials have stepped up calls on the U.S. administration to allow its forces to defend itself against attacks originating ..read more

When the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Class of 2024 arrived on the Colorado Springs campus in 2020, the ordinary freshmen faced an extraordinary challenge: navigating the first full school year at the service’s four-year university as the coronavirus pandemic raged around the globe. Parents were unable to give their cadet a “proper goodbye” at dropoff, Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clark said. Air Force special operations boss tapped to run service academy “They basically had to kick you out of the door and keep driving,” Clark said, recalling the uncertainty of the pandemic’s ..read more

The Justice Department is suing Oklahoma City Public Schools on behalf of an Air Force reservist, alleging the school system barred him from resuming his job as a teacher after he returned from deployment. By refusing to reinstate Senior Airman Michael McCullough to a teaching position, DOJ officials alleged in a legal complaint Wednesday, the school district is in violation of federal law — the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. USERRA requires employers to promptly reemploy anyone returning from more than 90 days of military service to their same position or a ..read more

The fatal shooting of Roger Fortson by a Florida sheriff’s deputy when the Air Force senior airman opened his door armed with a handgun pointed down happened almost a month ago, but the information released so far hasn’t clarified why the officer was directed to his apartment. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has released the deputy’s body camera video of the May 3 shooting and redacted 911 calls and reports, but not the deputy’s name. The agency also has not said if the deputy has made any statement to investigators. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating, but since it ..read more