AF Week in Photos

A KC-135 Stratotanker disconnects from a C-17 Globemaster III after completing the refueling mission on Dec. 8, over Tampa, Fla. A refueling mission was done to showcase the 927th Air Refueling Wing’s mission to civilian employers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexis Suarez)

Santa Claus paid a special visit to McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tenn., to visit with Airmen and their families Dec. 2, 2018. A sleigh and reindeer were not available, so Santa, Mrs. Claus and their elves arrived via a KC-135 Stratotanker to the hangar where children were able to take photos and deliver their wish lists in person. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Young)

A KC-135 Stratotanker from the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 108th Wing sits on the flightline during sunrise at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Dec. 8, 2018. The KC-135 Stratotankers assigned to the 141st Air Refueling Squadron allow the wing to support Air Mobility Command with mid-air refueling and air bridge support to overseas contingency operations and homeland defense. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht)

Capt. Jason, a U-2 Dragon Lady pilot with the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron, waits in his pressure suit before his flight at Osan Air Base, South Korea, Dec. 11, 2018. The U-2 is a single-seat, single-engine, high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft that routinely flies eight to 11-hour missions. (Last name withheld for security purposes) (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sergio A. Gamboa)

An F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron takes off for a training sortie at RAF Lakenheath, U.K., Oct. 26, 2018. The 494th FS trains regularly to ensure RAF Lakenheath brings unique air combat capabilities to the fight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew)

Senior Airman Cullen Thomas, 824th Expeditionary Base Defense Squadron military working dog handler, and his military working dog Klepa perform a perimeter check at Nigérien Air Base 201, Niger, Dec. 9, 2018. The military working dog section plays a critical role in keeping service members safe and base assets secure. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel Asselta)

A father and child unload a low-cost low-altitude bundle of humanitarian supplies during Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 10, 2018, on Fais Island, Federated States of Micronesia. Although Fais has a small airstrip, the islanders rarely get visitors, mail, or supplies and look towards OCD each year for the resupply of clothing, fishing, educational and medical supplies. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Donald Hudson)

Maj. Christopher Sampson, left, a KC-10 Extender pilot, watches as Staff Sgt. Nicole Gansert, a KC-10 boom operator, both with the 78th Air Refueling Squadron, 514th Air Mobility Wing, refuels a C-17 Globemaster III crewed by Reserve Airmen with the 732nd Airlift Squadron, also with the 514th, during a training mission over the Atlantic coast Dec. 8, 2018. The 514th AMW is an Air Force Reserve Command unit located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen)

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket CRS-16 lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 Dec. 5, 2018, at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla. The CRS-16, a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, carried more than 5,600 pounds of supplies to the ISS, including 250 research and science projects. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zoe Thacker)

Military working dog Lezer undergoes a routine dental cleaning at the vet clinic on Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., Dec. 4, 2018. Staff Sgt. Samantha Champion, a MWD handler, attended to Lezer throughout the 1 1/2-hour-long procedure. The dogs and their handlers work together to ensure base security. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman John Ennis)

Airman 1st Class Matthew Pfeffer, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster from Yokota Air Base, Japan, prepares to release a low-cost, low-altitude bundle out of the back of a C-130J Super Hercules during Operation Christmas Drop 2018 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 6, 2018. Through the training of LCLA airdrops on unsurveyed drop zones alongside the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force, the U.S. Air Force is able to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Gilmore)

A B-1B Lancer, assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and a KC-135 Stratotanker, assigned to the 328th Air Refueling Squadron, 914th Air Refueling Wing, Niagara Falls, N.Y., conduct aerial refueling over the continental United States on Dec. 10, 2018. The Lancer serves as premier platform for America’s long-range bomber force, carrying the largest conventional payload of guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Williams)

U.S. Air Force Academy – Air Force’s Marshall Bowery shoots the puck while Mercyhurst’s Jonathan O'Hara attempts to deflect it during a hockey game Dec. 8, 2018, at the Cadet Ice Arena. Mercyhurst defeated Air Force 4-1. (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor Cokley)