Aviano News

  • The hillside and valley at Piancavallo, Italy, July 23, 2020. Piancavallo is 4,199 feet above sea level, and at the foot of Monte Cavallo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kevin Sommer)

    History of Friuli Venezia Giulia region

    Travelers can visit many different historical sites and experience a mixture of traditions, languages and religions within the diverse Friuli Venezia Giulia region, a region that borders Austria, Croatia and Slovenia.
  • Tech. Sgt. Robert Perricone, 31st Civil Engineer Squadron assistant chief of health and safety (left), Salvatore Brunno, Volunteer Association of Aviano president (middle), and Fabrizio La Marca, 31st Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter (right), hold a check while posing for a photo in Aviano, Italy, Nov. 29, 2019. The Aviano Firefighter Association sold custom shirts and hoodies to raise money for breast cancer awareness. (Courtesy photo)

    AFA raises money for breast cancer awareness

    Last October, the Aviano Firefighters Association sold their annual custom-made breast cancer awareness shirts and hoodies to raise money for breast cancer awareness month.
  • U.S. Airmen participate in group discussions during Unity In Diversity Day at Aviano Air Base, Italy, July 17, 2020. The day consisted of group discussions and activities aimed at discovering and recognizing personal bias within the participants. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kelsey Tucker)

    Investing in the bank of trust

    Nearly two weeks after the 31st Fighter Wing held its first Unity in Diversity Day, Airmen are still hard at work compiling surveys, gathering data, and planning a way forward. Unity in Diversity Day was never intended to be a one-off event, but the first step towards bigger, meaningful change.
  • Airman 1st Class Katie Rivera, 606th Air Control Squadron radar systems technician at Aviano Air Base, Italy, poses for a picture with her friends. (Courtesy Photo)

    Wyverns connect to make friends and build families

    As the old saying goes, ‘we choose our friends, not our family.’ The personal and positive nature of friendship is voluntary and may often be the best of occurrences.
  • The 56th Helicopter Maintenance Unit built a new kitchen at Aviano Air Base, Italy, July 14, 2020. The 56th HMU opened a new support section, crew chief and specialist office, productions office, kitchen, full bathroom, and a locker room with showers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka A. Woolever)

    56th HMU sets roots in Aviano

    From Naval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, to Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, the 56th Helicopter Maintenance Unit has finally finished setting down roots at Aviano Air Base, Italy.
  • Senior Airman Mary Graham (left), Airman 1st Class Jordan Grant (middle), and Senior Airman Tiarra Chavis (right), resolve troubleshooting tickets at Aviano Air Base, Italy, July 9, 2020. The Airmen are 31st Communications Squadron client systems technicians who overcame unique challenges to support the 31st Fighter Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Heidi Goodsell)

    31st CS keeps Wyvern Nation connected during COVID-19

    The 31st Communications Squadron kept the 31st Fighter Wing virtually connected during COVID-19 operations.
  • Airmen from the 31st Fighter Wing Equal Opportunity office pose for a photo at Aviano Air Base, Italy, June 12, 2019. Air Force EO strives to accomplish its mission by promoting an environment free from personal, social or institutional barriers that could prevent Air Force members from rising to their highest potential. (Photo by 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office)

    Wyvern Nation is listening

    The 31st Fighter Wing Equal Opportunity office among other trained facilitators and helping agencies hosted a series of group discussions for Wyvern Nations.
  • The 31st Force Support Squadron held an Independence Day event, July 4, 2020, at Aviano AB. The event was held outside at Freedom Park and included food, movies and a fireworks show.

    31st FSS hosts Fourth of July celebration for Wyvern Nation

    The 31st Force Support Squadron held an Independence Day event, July 4, 2020, at Aviano AB. The event was held outside at Freedom Park and included food, movies and a fireworks show.
  • U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Declan Ward, 31st Security Force Squadron monitoring facility operator hides in the grass during Operation Porcupine, June 30, 2020 at Osoppo, Italy. The 31st SFS maintains installation force protection during peacetime and wartime operations within eight separate base areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka A. Woolever)

    31st FW conducts Operation Porcupine 2020

    Multiple squadrons from the 31st Fighter Wing worked closely during Exercise Operation Porcupine, June 30, 2020, at Aviano Air Base.
  • Basala is not only a pilot for the 510th FS, but he is also the 31st Operations Support Squadron aircrew flight equipment flight commander, overseeing operations that provide critical support to the aviators of the 56th Rescue Squadron, 57th RQS, 555th FS and 510th FS.

    A Day in the Life: Pilot on the Ground

    Over the years, the U.S. Air Force has employed some of the most advanced aircraft in the world, its pilots utilizing extraordinary skill and precision to command the skies. While mission success is paramount, a pilot’s role as an officer and leader is just as important, and often overlooked.

  • Aviano releases the 2019 drinking water report

    The 31st Aerospace Medicine Squadron Bioenvironmental Engineering flight recently released the 2019 Drinking Water Consumer Confidence Report.
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    USAFE-AFAFRICA opens enrollment for commercial fitness app

    Beginning June, 25, 2020, as part of a phased roll-out, uniformed Total Force Airmen assigned to U.S. Air Force in Europe and Air Forces Africa can enroll in a commercial fitness application free of charge on their personal cell phones.
  • U.S. Air Force Capt. James Gregory, 510th Fighter Squadron pilot and Maj. Matthew Robins, 555th Fighter Squadron pilot, use their radios during an exercise at Rivolto Air Base, Italy, June 10, 2020. The pilots were undergoing a simulated Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) training in which they had to survive and make contact with the proper sources after landing in enemy territory. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Thomas S. Keisler IV)

    31st Fighter Wing Trains with ITAF at Rivolto Air Base

    Aviano Air Base participated in a two day joint exercise with Italian Air Force members at Rivolto Air Base, Italy on June 10 and 11.
  • A photo of U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ericka. A. Woolever as a child and her father Ivan Martinez sits on a desk, June 19, 2020 at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Martinez made a difference and a genuine impact in Woolever’s life. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka. A Woolever)

    Black 1999 Ford Ranger

    It's crazy how a certain smell, sound, or even an image can take you back to a moment in time.
  • Members of the 724th Air Mobility Squadron participate in a memorial run at Aviano Air Base, Italy, June 18, 2020.

    724 AMS remembers fallen ‘Port Dawgs’

    Members of the 724th Air Mobility Squadron held a Port Dawg memorial run, June 18, 2020 at Aviano Air Base, Italy.
  • U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Quintana, 57th Rescue Squadron Parachute NCOIC, poses with a parachute he packed May 27, 2020, at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Quintana has been a rigger for ten years. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Caleb House)

    Airman earns save at Aviano

    In preparation for the Joint Airborne Air Transportability training quickly approaching, Tech. Sgt. Robert, a pararescue team leader from the 57th Rescue Squadron, performed jump training to stay current on his training.
  • A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 510th Fighter Squadron soars above Aviano Air Base, Italy, March 16, 2020. The 31st Fighter Wing is dedicated to remaining lethal and rapidly ready while operating within the confines of the decrees set by the Italian government. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka A. Woolever)

    Apart, together; Buzzards weather COVID-19 storm

    Normally a place full of energy and motion, lately the 510th Fighter Squadron building has been abnormally quiet and nearly empty. The squadron spent several months split into fourths with different reporting times and locations to help slow the spread of COVID-19; they may have been separated but the Buzzards were far from divided in strength.
  • U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Daniel T. Lasica, relinquished command of the 31st Fighter Wing to U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bailey, Aviano Air Base, Italy, June 5, 2020.

    31st Fighter Wing welcomes new commander

    Brig. Gen. Jason E. Bailey took command of the 31st Fighter Wing from Brig. Gen. Daniel T. Lasica during a change of command ceremony, June 5, 2020 at Aviano Air Base, Italy.
  • A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 555th Fighter Squadron takes flight during an Elephant Walk and COVID-19 flyover at Aviano Air Base, Italy, June 1, 2020. The Elephant Walk was intended to showcase the continued combat power of Aviano AB and give thanks to first responders, doctors, and all personnel engaged in the battle against COVID-19. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka A. Woolever).

    Aviano Elephant Walk

    The 31st Fighter Wing completed the first Elephant Walk in Aviano history, June 1, 2020 at Aviano Air Base, Italy. Launching 23 F-16s one right after the other, with six minutes of uninterrupted after burner—a stirring sight and an important first.
  • Various items are displayed on top of a time capsule at Aviano Air Base, Italy, May 15, 2020. The 31st Logistics Readiness Squadron found the time capsules constructed by the class of 99-A Aviano Airman Leadership School. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ericka A. Woolever)

    Time capsule from ALS class 1999-A found at Aviano

    When 2nd Lt. Connor Heneghan, 31st Logistics Readiness Squadron ground transportation officer in command, was walking by an old storage container one morning, he unknowingly stumbled upon a long-forgotten piece of Aviano history, 21 years in the making.
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Around the Air Force

  • SecAF speaks with Airman.

    SecAF visits Nellis AFB, Airmen innovation showcased

    Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett visited Nellis Air Force Base Aug. 10-12 to see firsthand how Nellis AFB Airmen are driving innovation for the future.

  • New Medical Provider Trends Dashboard Available for Members

    Airmen and Space Professionals relocating on a permanent change of station with dependents are now
  • Senior Airman Dylan Crosby, 374th Security Forces Squadron NCO in charge of customs immigration and security team program manager, briefs Koku-Jieitai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) members before starting a training scenario during the bilateral aircraft security training at Yokota Air Base, Japan, August 7, 2020.

    374th SFS strengthens bilateral ties with Koku-Jieitai

    The 374th Security Forces Squadron performed a flightline-intrusion scenario to test the comprehension and ability of Koku-Jieitai members to react quickly under pressure.

  • OSI duo takes action on interstate

    Special Agent Robert Davis and Lieve Cuypers were traveling eastbound on I-64 near Quinton when they approached a single-vehicle accident. A red sedan had flipped over into a ditch and was smoking. Davis ran to the vehicle.
  • Acceptance Day 2020

    Academy cadets celebrate Acceptance Day

    Despite strict parameters to mitigate the coronavirus, including spatial distancing, mandatory wear of facemasks and a very limited audience, Acceptance Day held all the tradition one would expect at an event usually attended by thousands of friends and relatives.
  • An F-35A Lightning II pilot assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron climbs into a cockpit during RED FLAG-Alaska 20-3 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Aug. 4 2020. This iteration of RF-A was the first to feature F-35s, the newest generation of fighter aircraft in the Air Force inventory. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Annalou Huerta)

    F-35A joins Red Flag-Alaska, soars to new heights

    The 356th Fighter Squadron and 388th Fighter Wing’s F-35A Lightning IIs are the first F-35s to participate in the U.S. Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise.
  • Senior Airman Kristapher Guillen, 436th Operations Support Squadron Radar Approach Control air traffic controller, answers questions from Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets during a tour of the RAPCON facility and control tower July 23, 2019, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Cadets who attended the AFJROTC Summer Flight Academy at Delaware State University spent half of the day touring aviation-related facilities and aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik)

    Air Force announces second set of new scholarships for HBCU students

    The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps coordinated with leadership within Junior ROTC and its aviation program, the AFJROTC Flight Academy, to find rising college freshmen that had demonstrated leadership ability, aviation competencies, a propensity to serve in the U.S. military and an interest in attending an HBCU.
  • Load crew members, assigned to the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, 37th Aircraft Maintenance Unit use a munitions lift truck, to load a GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition into a B-1B Lancer, ahead of a 16-hour Bomber Task Force mission to Australia from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Aug. 5, 2020. Bomber Task Force maintainers ensure the bombers, equipment, and munitions are ready – anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Christina Bennett)

    B-1 crew trains with Japan, USS Ronald Reagan in Indo-Pacific

    The continual interoperability training is designed to promote stability, security and seamless integration throughout the Indo-Pacific for the U.S. Air Force and joint and partner forces.

  • AF AI Accelerator brings future faster

    Mankind has often dreamed of what the future may hold. Every advancement in technology opens minds to dream bigger and better. Imagination is the only final frontier as the human race ventures deeper into what were previously only lightly treaded territories.
  • Jolly Green II begins aerial refueling tests

    Jolly Green II continues tests, completes first aerial refueling

    The connection marked the start of two weeks of developmental testing of the aircraft’s aerial refueling abilities by 413th Flight Test Squadron testers and their mission partners.
  • Col. Brian S. Greenroad

    AF Security Forces Center commander looks back on legacy of change

    Air Force Security Forces Center's mission is to execute the organizing, training and equipping of more than 38,000 security forces members in the active and air reserve components with its four directorates and three geographically separated detachments, the Desert Defender Readiness Training Center at Fort Bliss, Texas and two corrections facilities located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

  • Air Force update for COVID-19

    In an effort to minimize the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 and to prioritize the health and safety of Department of the Air Force personnel, the following modifications have been made:
  • Software development experts from Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Detachment 12, Kessel Run, discuss their path to production for digital applications during a virtual Ask Me Anything July 30. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Kessel Run is an Air Force software development unit known for its agile processes. (U.S. Air Force photo by K. Houston Waters)

    Kessel Run panel talks path to production

    Kessel Run experts detail their path to production for digital applications during a virtual question and answer July 30.
  • Reality hit when then Airman First Class Brittany Johnson of the 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron left the hospital in September 2010 after a week-long stay for sexual and physical assault. “I didn’t feel like myself,” recalls Johnson, now a Technical Sergeant with the 36th Civil Engineering Squadron. “I couldn’t find joy in activities anymore.”

    Survivor harnesses resilience to overcome invisible wounds

    Reality hit when then Airman First Class Brittany Johnson of the 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron left the hospital in September 2010 after a week-long stay for sexual and physical assault. “I didn’t feel like myself,” recalls Johnson, now a technical sergeant with the 36th Civil Engineering Squadron. “I couldn’t find joy in activities anymore.”

  • Air University teaches space as a warfighting domain

    In all levels of professional military education and select professional continuing education curricula, the university will now be presenting space curriculum that is focused on developing joint-minded graduates who are prepared for joint, all-domain conflict, where the space domain is likely to be contested, degraded and operationally limited.

  • Space Force awards National Security Space Launch Phase 2 launch service contracts to ULA, SpaceX

    The Space and Missile Systems Center, in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office, competitively awarded two Firm-Fixed-Price, Indefinite Delivery Requirement contracts for National Security Space launch services to United Launch Alliance LLC and SpaceX Aug. 7.
  • U.S. Air Force Airmen load humanitarian aid supplies onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Aug. 6, 2020, bound for Beirut, Lebanon. U.S. Central Command is coordinating with the Lebanese Armed Forces and U.S. Embassy-Beirut to transport critical supplies as quickly as possible to support the needs of the Lebanese people. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Justin Parsons)

    US delivers humanitarian aid to Beirut

    Personnel from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Air Mobility Command’s 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility Squadron and 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron on Al Udeid Air Base, and the Area Support Group-Qatar from Camp As Sayliyah worked to palletize food, water and medical supplies delivered to Beirut later that day.
  • Exercise "Enduring Lightning II" strikes again

    AF Week in Photos

    This week's photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

  • MacDill AFB beats the heat with innovation

    Aiming to allow military members to work hard in a more comfortable environment, the Personal Cooling System, or PCS, provided by Florida-based RINI Technologies keeps Airmen at a cool 72-degrees while being compact enough to wear beneath protective gear and clothing.

  • New Acquisition Guidance Leverages Diverse Talent Pool for Competitive Edge

    The Department of the Air Force issued a new guidance memorandum Aug. 4 that implements policy and standards for establishing anthropometric — or body size — design specifications for all acquisitions programs using current male and female recruitment population data.
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