The bad news is that in more than 2,000 tests administered in the month of July, our failure rate is approximately 23 percent. The good news is that a significant number of Airmen failing the test are falling short in areas that can easily be fixed.

I must admit I was surprised to find that more Airmen are failing in the categories of pushups and situps than in running and waist measurement. But as I have suggested, those areas are relatively easy to fix. During my fitness test in 2009, my Physical Training Leader did not give me credit for all my pushups and situps.

Before my most recent test in June 2010, I asked one of our trained professionals in the newly established Fitness Assessment Cell to watch me do some pushups and situps to ensure I was doing them correctly. He told me where and how my “form” was breaking down as fatigue set in. We also talked about the typical mistakes people make that leads to pushups and situps that are “non-counters.” In the pushups, either individuals position their hands too close or too far away from their bodies, neither of which allows optimal use of arm strength and reduces the number of pushups an individual can complete during the specified time. Other tendencies are not aligning the back, allowing the hips to be too high in an effort to relieve stress on the arms. But perhaps the most frequent cause of non-counters in pushups is simply not lowering the body enough to get the elbows at the 90 degree angle required to count the pushup. In situps, tendencies include not touching the shoulder blades to the floor as fatigue sets in, or attempting to gain momentum by bouncing the shoulders off the mat. Both will result in a “non-counter.”

Obviously, good performance in all categories of the test is important for success, but I believe improvement can be achieved in less time in the pushup and situp categories than in either running or waist circumference. We wear our utility uniforms to work four days per week, and we can knock out a few situps or pushups almost anywhere, including in our work areas and office locations.

Before you take your next fitness test, I strongly encourage you to drop by the fitness center or HAWC and get feedback from our fitness professionals on your form doing situps and pushups. Then, ensure you practice them correctly. As an old coach is quoted as saying, “practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.”

Our fitness and health are important. Continue to make running, a good diet, situps, pushups and other physical activity part of your normal routine. And, make your workouts a “wingman event” whenever possible, particularly if you are having difficulty achieving the Air Force standard. During my last fitness test, I took a young officer who works with me as my “pace car” on the run. That is not just admissible, it is good advice and an appropriate way for Airmen to assist each other. Let’s pledge to be more fit, individually and as an Air Force, and let’s do it together.

– Gen. Roger A. Brady
U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander

What I’ve realized is that planes are awesome but more than that, people are awesome.

There are over 70 American personnel who have been diligently working at the air show, all with the common goal of building interoperability.

While this word, ‘interoperability’, is thrown out a lot by (usually) senior leadership and many of us may not really think they know the definition, it is a word we actually understand in practice, especially with the help of this air show.

The Farnborough International Air Show brings over 1300 exhibitors, 165 static aircraft and 285,000 visitors into one area for a massive global iconic aviation event.  There are over 30 countries participating and represented here and billions of dollars of business transactions taking place every moment.

The majority of the crew and support personnel (with the exception of Maintenance and SFS personnel who worked different hours), normally met a bit before 8 a.m. to ride the bus to the air show and then left around 6 p.m. every night.  Traffic most days weren’t too busy but there were a few days it gruelling. 

During the actual air show, Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) hosted the U.S. forces, providing us with a work center, catered lunches, drinks and snacks, computers and a quiet place to take a break when needed. 

But most of the air crews’ hours were spent in the gruelling sun, intermixed with your normal England spring showers where the pilots stood among 7 of our corralled aircraft static displays, talking and touring visitors, DV’s, businessmen about their aircraft’s capabilities and equipment. 

Other than a small break to eat lunch, these guys were outside speaking and escorting the public, showing off their aircraft pretty much all day.

The reason we participated in the air show was to build INTEROPERABILITY. We are here to work with other countries not because we want to show off but because we realize that we have phenomenal partners and countries out there and if we work together, we can really accomplish a lot…and perhaps achieve world peace or at least make our best attempt at it.

Interoperability means you can’t do things on your own- a country that relies only on its own assets, people and management will never succeed.  This mutual interdependence means capitalizing on the strengths of each team member, while showing resolve and support through a cooperative effort. And while we’re working with these other countries, we learn and grow together as, not just a country, but as an international community.

All the commanders, pilots, air crew, and support personnel I’ve met here have honestly been so impressive and inspirational to me.  The PA team here was responsible for highlighting everyone’s hard work and as such, we’ve had the great opportunity to meet some really awesome people while also learning more about what they do.

The passion, professionalism and downright good nature of our U.S. team here became abundantly clear to me with each passing day.  Everyone here truly loves what they do and they’re proud of it- there’s no hiding it. Everyone thinks they’re job is the best and they love talking about it.

I’ve had the privilege of working with a simply fascinating, fun and hard working Public Affairs team while here. The team was made up of 4 people- Capt Amy Cooper, who is a Reserve PA stationed at RAF Mildenhall who is a media and journalist guru, SSgt Heather Norris- photographer, comedian and now professional journalist who came over from Spangdahlem AFB in Germany to help, and last but not least, the only man of the group, SSgt Jerry Fleshman, photographer, budding journalist and the ‘anchor’ of the group also from just up the road- RAF Mildenhall.

The PA team, along with all the rest of the U.S. Farnborough team, truly had a blast working together and meeting each other while also meeting with several other countries along the way.  This blog doesn’t even begin to describe what an experience this place has been but hopefully it gives you just a glimpse of the magic we were a part of.

- Capt. Naomi Evangelista, Farnborough International Air Show Joint Information Bureau

  What started out as a chance to once again visit the United Kingdom, ended up being an incredible adventure full of flashes of light and recorders, high speed rides and learning what it means to network.

  I am on temporary duty at the Farnborough International Air Show in the UK doing Public Affairs with a team of four.

  I have already seen over 100,000 people, personally shaken hands and talked with probably over 300, stood within 10 feet (and even shook hands) with five pretty noteworthy people including Buzz Aldrin and the U.S. under secretary of defense, and received 27 business cards … and it’s only day 2 of the air show.

  The U.S. has 7 aircraft on display for visitors to peruse in the coral with an aircraft specialist to talk with and ask questions, and 5 aircraft that performs their magic stunts in the sky for bystanders to oooh and ahhh at. My job as PA, along with the 3 other PA specialists here, is to coordinate with media, who are interested in covering why the U.S. is here, as well as to write some stories ourselves and take some pictures.

  The thing I have found the most fascinating about the air show is that there are people from all around the world who are conducting business meetings and transactions in this high-speed avionics industry age. Now, while the U.S. is not here to directly promote the sales of our weapons systems, we are here because we support the sale of our systems overseas when these sales encourage our nation’s national-security interests.

  When I think about all the ‘high-rollers’ that are floating around this massive area, impressive businessmen who are signing contracts and meeting future and current business partners, the energy fills your senses like none other.

  Despite the relentless traffic that accompanies such a global iconic aviation event and the long days our PA team has already put in, the air show is far beyond what I could have imagined. My time here has been highlighted by the people- fellow Americans and military members but I’ve especially enjoyed my time interfacing with the local British people and other nationalities represented here.

  This evening, actually, following a ‘lovely’ (as the Brits like to say) dinner to a delicious Thai restaurant, upon returning to my hotel room, I received a call from the front desk saying that a friend was in the lobby wishing to speak with me. Little did I know, it was an elderly British couple I had met just a couple of months back when they were visiting my home station of Lajes Field in the Azores, Portugal. The visit was just fascinating to me because it made me realize the Air Force has always given me access to a constantly moving, connecting network of people who inspire, motivate and somehow, just by their very presence, bring cheer and happiness at least momentarily to our lives.

– Capt. Naomi Evangelista, 65^th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Many of those same players now find themselves battling it out in the Europe-Middle East-Africa Region tournament in hopes of making it to the Junior Baseball League World Series.

So far the juniors have looked good with the bat, tallying 46 runs in three games to beat Netherlands, Belarus and Bulgaria and now will face an undefeated Lithuania.

The juniors aren’t the only KMC team still in the hunt. The Big League boys will face the Netherlands today, after an extra inning battle against Moldova to make the final. A win sends them to the World Series to represent the EMEA.

With so many of last year’s Little League team either moving up in age or moving out of the KMC area due to a parents PCS no one could be sure what the KMC could bring to the field this year, but they have earned their bid to the regional as well. They will start their run for the regional championship July 27 in Kutno, Poland.

I find it fascinating that these young Americans have done so well over the years in the international tournament. Over the years they have represented Europe a number of times, and now could end up representing Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

You really have to give a lot of credit to the parents of these young men. In many cases in the states you have full time coaches working with the players, and huge community efforts to raise money to support the team. For our KMC players it’s the parents who provide the coaching, mentoring and most of the money to manage these teams. They do this while working full time jobs, balancing TDY/TDA, training and deployments.

Good luck today.

But when you get right down to it, little has changed. The rules established for Internet use at work are no different than before the Air Force opened social media sites.

The guidance provided in the recently updated Air Force Guidance Memorandum, Responsible and Effective Use of Internet Based Capabilities, which replaces Air Force Instructions 33-100 paragraph 6.2.2.2 and 33-129 paragraph 2.1, is just as true for visiting commercial Web sites for personal use on government computers as for using Internet-based services to access social media on those same computers.

What you can or can’t say hasn’t really changed, either. Guidance found in the 35-series AFIs still offers the primary guidance for public release of information and covers official Web management policy.

Though little has changed in the rules, the tools have come a long way from the early days of government commercial Internet use. In the earliest days of the Internet, forums and bulletin boards were popular ways of sharing information, but they took time to connect, download and upload. Use was limited to people who understood computers.

Today’s social networking has arguably become the fastest way to disseminate and share a variety of information. According to Econsultancy.com, the Internet took four years to reach 50 million people, yet in nine months Facebook has added 100 million users. The exchange of information is nearly instantaneous. Its accessibility and speed allows us to fire and forget without much thought as to what we say or do.

From a personal standpoint, you may say something that upsets someone or post personal information you may not have really wanted to share. From a professional and official standpoint, this can be dangerous and could cause problems for people far removed from the initial post.

There are more than a few common sense tips to remember that can help keep people out of trouble in the social networking world, and at the same time help tell the Air Force story while communicating with family and friends.

Most importantly, think about what you say before you say it. Your words live forever on the Net.

Everything that applies to other forms of communication applies to the Internet social networking atmosphere as well. Simply think of all the annual briefings you get about operations security, political activity, privacy act and other topics. Ask, “Is this allowed in other forms of communication?” If you aren’t sure, it’s a good bet you should get additional guidance before posting to a social networking site.

We’re proud of our profession and want everyone to know that we’re part of the Air Force, but putting your rank and your name in your profile on a social networking site has some unintended implications.

A Facebook page with the user name “Chief Master Sgt. J. Suchnsuch” is likely to be viewed as an official site. The same page with the username of “J. Suchnsuch,” and profile information that includes rank and position is much less likely to be viewed by the public as official.

Using social networking sites wisely comes down to common sense, responsibility and accountability.

Before you post anything to social networking sites ask these simple questions:
1. Am I violating any rules?
2. Is it a responsible comment to make?
3. Am I willing to be accountable for the comment?

If you answered, no, yes, yes it is likely you are on the right track. If you weren’t sure when answering, you need to become familiar with the social media “rules of the road.”

What can I do on these sites?
- DO use the sites to help demonstrate the mission: we don’t know the best application yet — MAKE IT!
- DO be creative: use this forum as a way to build relationships and new ways to operate
- DO get engaged online: the enemy is living here already; it’s time for us to show our side of the story
- DO use your best judgment: in the end you’re responsible for what you say and the image you present
- DO communicate: the whole goal is to improve operations by sharing what we know
- Do THINK OPSEC
- DO give firsthand accounts: go with what you know and share, but not second hand information
- DO correct folks if they misrepresent the Air Force: respectfully and factually, but make it right, or redirect them to factual information via links
- DO correct yourself if you make a mistake: it’s the right thing to do, CREDIBILITY IS CRITICAL
- DO acknowledge that your views are your own and not the official position of the Air Force or Department of Defense
- DO act professionally: you are our best interface to the public: be proud and act appropriately
- DO remember the UCMJ still applies: just because it’s in a virtual setting doesn’t make something that would be illegal any more lawful or appropriate
- DO ask for help if you aren’t sure about posting something (local PA is a great place to start)

What CAN’T I do on these sites?
- DON’T spill the beans on operations, privacy info, contractually sensitive or classified data. THINK OPSEC
- DON’T think this is your home computer: FarmVille, Mafia Wars, Ebay, day trading, apps and widgets need to be done elsewhere
- DON’T be rude (your mother’s watching): no obscene, abusive, hateful, or racially, ethnically or other offensive posting/viewing
- DON’T use other people’s info: copyrights, trademarks, logos, writings, etc., must be honored
- DON’T tread on others rights: respect everyone’s right to privacy and personal freedom
- DON’T be fake: no forging data about yourself or others or misrepresenting who you are–be real
- DON’T pass on second/third hand info; just because your buddy told you doesn’t mean it’s true, firsthand only please
- DON’T spend half your day tweeting, blogging, etc: chatting with friends on lunch is OK, but don’t go crazy

by Master Sgt. Keith Houin
U.S. Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs

Yesterday was just a typical morning at the HQ Public Affairs office until the Director asked a very simple question. Who is monitoring exercise BRILLIANT ARDENT coverage? No one else was around so I found out a bit about it so when our division chief got back he would have the details he needed to determine a course of action.

It turned out BRILLIANT ARDENT falls into two of COMUSAFE’s key mission areas. It also turned out there was an equally important exercise going on elsewhere in the theater that fell into those same categories – FRISIAN FLAG.

We needed to get coverage. This may not seem very difficult to some. You write a few paragraphs, throw in a few photos and you’re done. But getting a story together and getting it the appropriate level of coverage is not always as easy as it seems — especially, when the events are occurring in six countries, or I should say high above them in fighter and tanker aircraft.

PublicAffairs doesn’t have an aircraft to quickly fly up to the action and get the story.

After a short discussion we made the calls to the involved wings public affairs shops, sent out a few emails and hoped we could at least get a few photos to accompany what we had started. The initial answer from one wing was a bit disheartening – “What’s BRILLIANT ARDENT?”

It didn’t deter the effort though. Each wing understood we needed their help and they got on with the business of providing information to us to ensure COMUSAFE’s message about Building Partnerships and Providing Forces for Global Operations.

The challenge was on the wings now. 2Lt Polesnak at Spangdhalem was the first to get back to us. She had coordinated with Maj Chisam at 22^nd Fighter Squadron there to find out who was participating from the German bases.

A few hours later we had Staff Sgt May’s photos from onboard a 100^th Air Refueling Wing tanker during a refueling mission with a French Mirage.

Shortly after that Capt. Harvey from the 48^th  Fighter Wing had a story and accompanying photos from  1Lt Ageton (who was a few countries away),  posted up to the web.

By the end of the day the stories and photos were on the appropriate Air Force websites, the EUCOM website, had been submitted to the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Office, and were making their way across Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Smugmug and other social media sites.

Now before anyone asks why PA is tooting the PA horn, this isn’t really about public affairs Airmen.

Sure a few PA Airmen were involved in getting the story out, but they were really only a small part. 1Lt Ageton is in the intel field, but her photos were essential to the coverage.

There was also Dan Stanley who handled all the flight doc appointments for the media going onboard the tankers. Maj. Saettel took care of all the paperwork and approvals through the commander. Security forces NCO, SSgt Stover took care of the base access letters for the media. There were also all the aircraft and aircrew schedulers; TSgt Rodriquez, Capt. Zervos, Capt Berge, Capt. Wolf.

You can’t forget the aircrew that had to work around people who aren’t normally a concern — Capt. Berge, Lt. Patterson, TSgt Scheuer, Capt. Pacione, Lt Williams, SrA Patras.

There are quite a few others who helped along the way whose names I don’t even know. The Dutch and US intelligence officers who made sure the area was cleared of any sensitive information for the photo. And so many more who were somehow involved in the line of communication.

And I have to stop there. If I go into all the things it took to actually make those exercises happen so PA had a story to tell, I would have to write a book and not a blog.

KABUL T-11 Days Ken and I are about to embark on one of the greatest challenge of our lives. We’re going out on a 30-day mission throughout Afghanistan and I’m personally not sure how it’s going to pan out. At first, the idea was great, go out there and talk with Afghans and the soldiers and find out how this counter insurgency is going. I wanted to get some questions answered, such as how the pending troop build up around the country will be affecting the everyday service members on the ground, and how Gen. McChrystal’s counter-insurgency strategy has changed the playing field since it went into effect into July. Now that our plan has been approved, with surprising enthusiasm, the weight of this is on our shoulders. The basic idea is for Ken and I to race around every regional command in Afghanistan in 30 days. At first, this may seem pretty easy. Afghanistan is just a little bit smaller than Texas, and I’ve driven across Texas in less than a day. It won’t be that simple here, especially during the winter. Between each RC we will be taking helicopters or maybe some fixed wing aircraft. We will face delays and many nights waiting for space available flights that may or may not pick us up. From the main forward operating bases we’ll be taking convoys out to the areas we want to cover. While this mode of transportation is less affected by weather, the risks of improvised explosive devices and ambushes are far greater. Read more of 30 Days Through Afghanistan at http://30days.isaf.nato.int

Chief Derrow brought her “A Team” of professional military education leaders with her, to include Chief Master Sgt. David Lawrence, the Kisling NCO Academy commandant, and both an NCO Academy instructor and a former Airman Leadership School commandant.

We were welcomed to Warsaw, Poland’s capital, by about six inches of snow, and it was COLD! Despite the cold, Warsaw is a beautiful, modern city with impressive architecture, a plethora of international cuisine, and Western-style shopping malls.

So far, the trip is going very well. Chief Master Sgt. Grzegorz Janczak, Poland’s Chief Master Sgt of the Air Force, is the host for our visit, and has made us feel very welcome. We’ve met with Polish air force leadership, who seem to be very interested in continuing to develop their enlisted corps, and are receptive to the idea of sending their noncommissioned officers to attend US Air Force professional military education courses. They also expressed an interest in exchanging PME instructors, and would like for us to send mobile training teams to assist them in their development efforts. In general, their military leadership has been very supportive of our efforts here.

Next up on our agenda is a trip to a Polish air force base where professional military education and technical training is conducted.

So far, our brothers in arms have been wonderful hosts, and seem to be genuinely excited to have us here. We’re looking forward to another great day of collaboration and exchange of ideas.

MSgt Gino Mattorano
USAFE Public Affairs

During our conversation, this officer told us that all the Bulge reenactors spent the night in the woods. I complimented the officer on how realistic the camp was to include the foxholes. He replied the foxholes came with the territory. “Excuse me?” I asked. The officer reiterated, “…these are the original foxholes dug 65 years ago by the soldiers defending Bastogne.” The officer continued by saying he slept in the foxhole during the previous night and did nothing to disturb it. “This is sacred ground,” he said. As my friend, son and I paused to appreciate the significance of this discovery, we gained a tremendous appreciation for the Bulge veterans and their personal sacrifice during this pivotal battle of WW II. How fortunate we were to see this original equipment dug into the earth that kept the soldiers safe during extremely difficult times.

Later on we came across the closing ceremony at the Boggess Bunker which was the site where in the evening of 26 Dec 44, the 4th Armored Division of General Patton’s 3rd Army met with the 101st Airborne Division thus breaking the encirclement of Bastogne. Luckily for us, there were about a half dozen Battle of the Bulge veterans in attendance at this ceremony. Two of the Bulge veterans laid a wreath at the bunker in remembrance of all the sacrifices made by the veterans of the Battle of the Bulge. Along with the Bulge veterans at this ceremony were the airmen of the 52d Fighter Wing Honor Guard from Spangdahlem Air Base who presented the colors during the ceremony. They proudly represented the Air Force and Department of Defense to our allies and friends.

How fortunate we were to see and experience the 65th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. It was an extremely special day for all of us. We are grateful for the Battle of the Bulge veterans and thank them for their sacrifice and service.

LtCol L. Alan Estes
USAFE Deputy Director of Staff
Ramstein AB, Germany