Welsh ‘humbled’ to serve as Air Force chief of staff

Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley swears in Gen. Mark A. Welsh III as the 20th Air Force chief of staff, assisted by Welsh's wife, Betty, during a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Aug. 10, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)

Welsh ‘humbled’ to serve as Air Force chief of staff

Flights from the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard pass in review for Gen. Norton Schwartz and new Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III during a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Aug. 10, 2012. Schwartz served in the Air Force for 39 years, the last four years as the Air Force’s senior uniformed leader. Prior to becoming the Air Force chief of staff, Welsh commanded U.S. Air Forces in Europe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Brownlow)

Welsh ‘humbled’ to serve as Air Force chief of staff

(Right to left) Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, current Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy arrive during the Air Force Chief of Staff Retirement and Appointment ceremonies at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Aug. 10, 2012. Schwartz served in the Air Force for 39 years, the last four years as the Air Force’s senior uniformed leader. Prior to becoming the Air Force chief of staff, Welsh commanded U.S. Air Forces in Europe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo)

Welsh ‘humbled’ to serve as Air Force chief of staff

Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley passes the chief of staff flag to Gen. Mark A. Welsh III during a ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Aug. 10, 2012. Prior to his new position, Welsh was the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo)

Vibrant Response 13

Col. (Dr.) Robert Todaro, Air Forces Northern Command Surgeon, briefs members of the expeditionary medical support team during Vibrant Response 13. (Photo by Daizy Labee).

Vibrant Response 13

Col. (Dr.) Robert Todaro, Air Forces Northern Command Surgeon, with a moulaged "patient" at the Vibrant Response 13 exercise. The exercise, held primarily at Camp Atterbury, Ind., is meant to test the response capability of the Department of Defense chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) response force (DCRF). (Photo by Daizy Labee)

Vibrant Response 13

Medical Technicians Tech. Sgt. Robin Woodey and Senior Airman Jacob Watters iirrigate the wound of a roleplayer to try to attemp to remove radioactive particles from the patients arm. (DoD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Piper)

Vibrant Response 13

Army military policemen assigned to the 811th Engineer Company help simulated survivors evacuate a neighborhood involved in a simulated nuclear blast attack at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 26, 2012, during exercise Vibrant Response 13. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Terence Ewings)

Vibrant Response

U.S. Air Force medical personnel assigned to Expeditionary Medical Support escort simulated injured patients away from an Army HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter during a medical evacuation in support of exercise Vibrant Response 13 at Contingency Operating Location Nighthawk at Camp Atterbury, Ind., July 30, 2012. Vibrant Response is a U.S. Northern Command-sponsored field training exercise for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive consequence management forces designed to improve their ability to respond to catastrophic incidents. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tony Tolley/Released)

Exercise Vibrant Response 13

The simulated area of a flooded housing community during Exercise Vibrant Response at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Ind., July 29, 2012. Exercise Vibrant Response is a training event for the Defense Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Response Force. The exercise focuses on Department of Defense support of civil authorities in a consequence management role. The DCRF is part of DoD's scalable response capability to assist civilian responders in saving lives, relieving human suffering and provide critical support to enable community recovery following a catastrophic CBRN incident.

153rd Airlift Wing MAFFS

An Airman assigned to the 153rd Airlift Wing marshals a MAFFS-equipped C-130 on the flightline at the Wyoming Air National Guard base in Cheyenne, Wyo., July 3, 2012. MAFFS aircraft continue to operate in the Rocky Mountain region to assist with firefighting efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Nichole Grady)

Lt. Col. Nehrings talks about the 601st AOC mission during a virtual video tour

Lt. Col. Sharon Nehrings, a senior air defense officer at the 601st Air and Space Operations Center, talks about the AOC's mission during a virtual video tour on the operations floor. Virtual video tours like this one are a way for the 601st AOC to share its mission around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Steve Burke)

Wyoming Air Guard MAFFS activated to assist in Rocky Mountain area

Senior Master Sgt. Jack Goeken, loadmaster, 187th Airlift Squadron, Cheyenne, Wyo., prepares to load a U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Firefighting System II nozzle onto a Wyoming Air National Guard C-130, June 24, 2012. The Wyoming Air National Guard MAFFS unit has been activated to support the Rocky Mountain area fires, they will base out of Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natalie Stanley)

Wyoming Air Guard MAFFS activated to assist in Rocky Mountain area

Senior Master Sgt. Jack Goeken, loadmaster, 187th Airlift Squadron, Cheyenne, Wyo., prepares to load a U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Firefighting System II nozzle onto a Wyoming Air National Guard C-130, June 24, 2012. The Wyoming Air National Guard MAFFS unit has been activated to support the Rocky Mountain area fires, they will base out of Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natalie Stanley)

AFNORTH completes week-long hurricane relief exercise

(L to R) Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Short; Lt. Gen. Sid Clarke, Air Forces Northern (AFNORTH) commander; and Canadian Brig. Gen. Chris Coates, U.S. Continental North American Aerospace Defense Command (CONR) deputy commander, share a discussion during the Ardent Sentry 12 exercise. In his role as senior mentor during AFNORTH’s participation in the exercise, General Short observed and shared lessons he learned during his career in command positions with General Clarke and members of the staff.

AFNORTH continues hurricane exercise

Local television stations Channel 7 and Channel 13 interview Tom Pieknik, National Security Emergency Preparedness coordinator, while reporting on Air Force Northern’s participation in Ardent Sentry 12.

AFNORTH transfers authority of enlisted force to new command chief

Chief Master Sgt. Mitchell Brush (center), the former Air Forces Northern command chief, passes his command chief coin to Lt. Gen. Sid Clarke, AFNORTH commander, during a transfer of authority ceremony at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., March 23. Chief Brush passed responsibility of the command’s enlisted force to Chief Master Sgt. Jim Hotaling (right). (U.S. Air Force photo by Susan Trahan)

AFNORTH transfers authority of enlisted force to new command chief

Chief Master Sgt. Mitchell Brush (right), the former Air Forces Northern command chief, and Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Fredrickson, AFNORTH first sergeant, attend the command’s annual award banquet at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., March 21. Chief Brush passed responsibility of the command’s enlisted force to Chief Master Sgt. Jim Hotaling during a transfer of authority ceremony at Tyndall March 23. (U.S. Air Force photo by Susan Trahan)

AFNORTH pilot comes back down to earth with new airframe

Maj. Dawn Junk, Domestic Operations chief for Air Forces Northern, and Tech. Sgt. Mike DeWitt, a sensor operator from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., train on an MQ-1 Predator simulator at March Air Reserve Base, Calif. Major Junk is now certified to pilot the unmanned platform, which could potentially help the command save more lives and conduct operations more efficiently during disaster recovery efforts. (Courtesy photo)

National Guard, homeland defense officials visit Tyndall

Lt. Gen. Sid Clarke, Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region-1st Air Force (Air Forces Northern) commander, and Maj. Gen. Emmett R. Titshaw, Florida Adjutant General, greet Gen. Craig R. McKinley, Chief National Guard Bureau and Joint Chiefs of Staff member, upon his arrival at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Feb. 10, while Brig. Gen. John McMullen, 325th Fighter Wing commander, greets Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs Paul N. Stockton. McKinley accompanied Stockton to Tyndall for a familiarization tour of CONR-1st AF (AFNORTH). (U.S. Air Force photo by Angela Pope)

1AF commander visits CAP headquarters

Lt. Gen. Sid Clarke, 1st Air Force commander, views squadron patches in a historic display in the Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters’ lobby. Clarke visited CAP's National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., Jan. 30. (Civil Air Patrol photo by Susan Schneider)

1AF commander visits CAP headquarters

Civil Air Patrol Lt. Col. Chad Grondahl, director of operations for the Alabama Wing, conducts a safety briefing with Lt. Gen. Sid Clarke, 1st Air Force commander, before their flight during Clarke's visit to CAP's National Headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., Jan. 30. (Civil Air Patrol photo by Susan Schneider)

No ice, no problem! Canadian military hockey teams face off at Tyndall

Brig. Gen. Christopher Coates (in uniform), Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region deputy commander, watches the action during a street hockey game between teams from the Tyndall Air Force Base Canadian Detachment and the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 409 Squadron team Jan. 31. The 409 Squadron, which flies CF-18s, is at Tyndall to participate in Combat Archer training with the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group. Given the rarity of visits by other Canadian units to Tyndall, the base detachment jumped on the chance to play a friendly game of their national sport with fellow Canadians. (U.S. Air Force photo by Angela Pope)

No ice, no problem! Canadian military hockey teams face off at Tyndall

Tony Watson of the Tyndall Air Force Base Canadian Detachment team sets up for a shot against the goalie of the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 409 Squadron team during a game of street hockey Jan. 31. The 409 Squadron, which flies CF-18s, is at Tyndall to participate in Combat Archer training with the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group. Given the rarity of visits by other Canadian units to Tyndall, the base detachment jumped on the chance to play a friendly game of their national sport with fellow Canadians. (U.S. Air Force photo by Angela Pope)