May 2, 2025 Air Force Warfare Center hosts DLE final planning conference Over 500 planners from the Department of the Air Force and the Joint force converged on the U.S. Air Force’s Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base March 31-April 4, to finalize critical elements of the Department-Level Exercise series scheduled throughout the Indo-Pacific theater.
April 11, 2025 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.
April 8, 2025 98-year-old pilot sees Skyraider legacy live on in AFSOC’s OA-1K Skyraider II Joined by his family and members of AFSOC, retired Lt. Col. Bill Buice watched as the first missionized OA-1K Skyraider II arrived at Hurlburt Field. That moment brought back a wave of memories during his time piloting the Skyraider in the Vietnam War 60 years ago.
April 4, 2025 Air Force Special Operations Command accepts the first missionized OA-1K Skyraider II The Skyraider II officially joins the Air Force Special Operations Command fleet with the delivery of the first missionized aircraft on April 3, 2025.
March 7, 2025 Around the Air Force: Skyraider II, Training Wing F-35 Transition, ACE Field Training In this week’s look Around the Air Force, AFSOC has a new airframe, the Skyraider II, that can provide close air support and reconnaissance, the last F-16 training squadron at Luke AFB transitions to the F-35A Lightning II, and a professional development course for SNCOs in the Pacific runs its
Feb. 12, 2025 352nd SOW, Finnish Utti Jaeger Regiment strengthen NATO’s interoperability in austere weather environments The training included airdrop operations in cold weather conditions utilizing the 352nd SOW’s MC-130J Commando II.
Jan. 17, 2025 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.
Jan. 3, 2025 Around the Air Force Year in Review: Great Power Competition, Realignment for Readiness, and Housing Feedback System In this week’s look around the Air Force, we look back at three significant stories from 2024: SECAF highlights key accomplishments and emphasizes GPC, the Air Force realigns to maintain future competitiveness, and the DoD launches a new online housing feedback system to improve quality of life.
Dec. 13, 2024 Kirtland AFB to gain 306th Intelligence Squadron The Department of the Air Force selected Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, as the preferred location to host the 306th Intelligence Squadron.
Dec. 6, 2024 Around the Air Force: Remote Start System, Engine Cover Prototype, and Fuel Efficiency Technology In this week’s Around the Air Force, a new remote start system for the KC-46A Pegasus, new B-52 engine covers prevent icing and damage in extreme cold, and a program to reduce drag on aircraft increases aerodynamic efficiency and flexibility while reducing fuel costs.
Oct. 16, 2024 AFSOC activates 11th Air Task Force The 11th ATF was activated during a ceremony at Davis-Monthan AFB. The 11th ATF will serve as one of six of the Air Force’s units of action available to meet global combatant command requirements.
Oct. 9, 2024 A-29 Super Tucano joins Air Force Test Pilot School fleet Three A-29 Super Tucanos joined the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB modernizing and expanding TPS curriculum to accelerate the fielding of combat capability for the U.S. Air Force.
Sept. 20, 2024 Around the Air Force: Great Power Competition, Realignment for Readiness, and Housing Feedback System In this week’s look around the Air Force, SecAF Frank Kendall highlights accomplishments and emphasizes Reoptimization, AF realigns structure to maintain competitiveness, and DoD launches an online housing feedback system.
Sept. 17, 2024 AFSOC commander addresses balancing current, future requirements at AFA Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, commander Air Force Special Operations Command, shared his outlook on balancing current operational success and future requirements in the face of Great Power Competition during the Air and Space Force Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference panel.
Sept. 12, 2024 Cannon AFB first to test new AFSOC Combat Readiness Inspection The CRI is a new AFSOC assessment method designed to better evaluate a wing’s combat readiness for high-end operations.
Sept. 9, 2024 Air Force realigns to ensure readiness, future competitiveness As part of the GPC initiative, the DAF is organizing its major commands into Institutional Commands and Service Component Commands.
Aug. 22, 2024 Cannon AFB hosts 15th annual Medic Rodeo The four-day exercise involved 18 teams from across the Air Force competing against each other to test their practical combat casualty care training.
Aug. 9, 2024 CSAF, CMSAF visit Cannon AFB Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Flosi visited Cannon Air Force Base Aug. 7.
Aug. 1, 2024 CV-22 accident investigation report released The aircraft, assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan, was participating in a joint inter-operability exercise when the mishap occurred.
July 2, 2024 Conley takes command of AFSOC Lt. Gen. Michael Conley assumed command of AFSOC from Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind during a change of command ceremony at Hurlburt Field.
March 22, 2024 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.
March 21, 2024 Emerald Warrior tests air commandos' mettle This U.S. Special Operations Command-supported exercise aligned with the Special Operations Command-Europe exercise Trojan Footprint under the large-scale global exercise construct.
March 15, 2024 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.
March 9, 2024 DAGGER ATHENA addresses barriers to readiness with AFSOC senior leaders The event gathered teams to rapidly identify lines of effort and proposed solutions for barriers to female Air Commando readiness.
Dec. 6, 2023 AFSOC commander directs CV-22 operational standdown The standdown will provide time and space for a thorough investigation to determine causal factors and recommendations to ensure the Air Force CV-22 fleet returns to flight operations.
Dec. 5, 2023 AFSOC Aircraft Mishap Releases After days of intensive, 24/7 search and rescue operations for eight Airmen following the CV-22 mishap off the shore of Yakushima Island, Japan, the U.S. military transitioned search and rescue operations to search and recovery operations.
Oct. 16, 2023 CMSAF underscores need for 137th SOW multi-capable Airmen Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass encouraged every service member she met to understand the “why” of the Air Force’s prioritization of learning multiple skill sets and becoming multi-capable Airmen.
Oct. 6, 2023 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.
Oct. 5, 2023 AFSOC embraces extended reality to enhance readiness Extended reality is revolutionizing the way Air Force Special Operations Command is approaching training and readiness.
Sept. 22, 2023 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.
Sept. 14, 2023 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year: Becoming tomorrow’s DAF ambassadors today The Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen for 2023 were recognized and honored during the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference Sept. 9-13.
Sept. 14, 2023 Ready to compete, fight, win: AMC, PACAF, AFSOC commanders address AFA attendees Three MAJCOM commanders participated in a panel titled, “Ready to Compete, Fight, and Win in the Indo-Pacific" Sept. 13 at AFA.
Aug. 2, 2023 Davis-Monthan AFB identified as AFSOC’s next power projection wing The 492nd Special Operations Wing is slated to become a power projection wing with all of AFSOC’s mission capabilities.
June 21, 2023 MQ-9 Reaper completes first mission using dirt landing zone Air commandos conducted the first MQ-9 landing on a dirt landing zone; providing a glimpse of what is possible as transformation continues throughout the remotely piloted aircraft enterprise.
May 19, 2023 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.
May 9, 2023 FY22 DAF Safety Awards released The FY22 Department of the Air Force Safety Awards Program provides organizations, teams, and individuals the opportunity to be recognized for their hard work, enhanced performance, accomplishments, and feats in safety.
May 5, 2023 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.
Feb. 18, 2023 Special warfare, Air Force recruiting teams develop programs, scour nation to attract candidates The capabilities that special warfare graduates provide are as needed today as ever before. That reality is the reason program leaders are working hard to attract a group of candidates who are broad, diverse and committed.
Jan. 26, 2023 Kendall, Jones visit Hurlburt Field to observe AFSOC's readiness for future operational environment During the visit, the senior leaders flew on AFSOC aircraft and attended demonstrations illustrating AFSOC's capabilities and adaptability to the future operational environment.
Jan. 23, 2023 24 SOW D-Cell, pioneers of the ACE concept, hone arctic skills in Alaska The team spent their time in Alaska operating out of Camp Mad Bull, a training area on JBER designed to provide realistic austere operating conditions to test unit capabilities.
Jan. 13, 2023 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.
Dec. 12, 2022 Bauernfeind new leader of air commandos Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind assumed command of Air Force Special Operations Command during a ceremony at Hurlburt Field Dec. 9.
Nov. 18, 2022 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.
Nov. 14, 2022 AFSOC conducts live-fire exercise with Rapid Dragon During SOCEUR exercise ATREUS 22-4, two MC-130J Commando IIs assigned to the 352nd Special Operations Wing flew the Rapid Dragon package to a Royal Norwegian Air Force training range and deployed it over the Atlantic Ocean.
Nov. 3, 2022 AFSOC receives final AC-130J Air Force Special Operations command received its final AC-130J Ghostrider, which completes the command's transition from its legacy AC-130 variants.
Oct. 26, 2022 MQ-9s demonstrate new capabilities in Emerald Flag Air Force Special Operations Command’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft enterprise participated in an Emerald Flag exercise at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Oct. 17-20.
Sept. 23, 2022 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.
Sept. 7, 2022 Airman accelerates change through persistence, develops tool for RPAs Master Sgt. Bridget Carroll reduced cargo taken on an MQ-1 Predator alert package with the creation of a “bird-in-a-box” later known as the Digital Aircraft Link Emulator, or DALE.
Aug. 26, 2022 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.
Aug. 19, 2022 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.
July 4, 2022 Historic highway landing advances Agile Combat Employment The Air National Guard, Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Force Reserves landed, took off and performed integrated combat turns on a closed 9,000-foot section of Michigan highway M-28 during exercise Northern Agility 22-1.
June 16, 2022 First in-air refueling between KC-46, AFSOC CV-22 The 20th Special Operations Squadron and 349th Air Refueling Squadron brought a CV-22 Osprey and KC-46 Pegasus together for in-air refueling training over Cannon AFB early June.
June 7, 2022 Joint, coalition warfighters test tactical expertise during Navy FST-J exercise FST-J exercises are U.S. Navy-sponsored, bringing together multiple units from around the globe to train together in a virtual environment.
May 23, 2022 Senior leader announcement: Week of May 23 Senior leader retirements, promotions and assignments: Week of May 23
May 21, 2022 AFSOC incorporates weapon systems cyber defense in Emerald Warrior 22.1 The exercise fused cyber effects into aircraft operations and employed two mission defense teams, with the cyber defense correlation cell and demonstrated how AFSOC will deploy MDTs to defend weapon systems from cyber-attacks.
May 13, 2022 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.
April 27, 2022 Emerald Warrior 22 prepares air commandos for strategic competition Air Force Special Operations Command is hosting the 15th annual Emerald Warrior exercise at multiple locations across the Southeast U.S.
April 22, 2022 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.
April 20, 2022 AFSOC, FWB Chamber of Commerce host final Doolittle Raiders ceremony, aerial review The Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Air Force Special Operations Command, hosted the final Doolittle Raiders Goblet Ceremony in Niceville, Fla., April 18.
April 5, 2022 CSAF visits Hurlburt Field The visit to Hurlburt Field and Air Force Special Operations Command familiarized Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., with AFSOC’s Force Generation Model.
Feb. 25, 2022 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.
Jan. 14, 2022 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.
Jan. 6, 2022 AFSOC History Office wins 2021 Air Force Excellence in Command History Program Award The award recognizes the best primary or field command history office for outstanding history and heritage programs leadership that provided exemplary historical services to improve organizational effectiveness, esprit de corps, and combat capability.
Dec. 28, 2021 Cyber commandos offer unique capability for joint force In today's technology saturated world, the warfighter relies on cyber professionals like those at the 919th Special Operations Communications Squadron to provide seamless communication and agile support in rapidly changing environments.
Dec. 23, 2021 Air Force operational C2 advisors provide more than just advice The Air Force’s senior advisors in the Operational Command Training Program had a busy 2021, connecting the strategic-level Joint All Domain Command and Control concept to operational-level command and control organizations.
Dec. 17, 2021 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.
Dec. 4, 2021 Special tactics Airmen compete together for Team USA bobsledding Maj. Chris Walsh, a special tactics officer, and Staff Sgt. Matt Beach, a combat controller, competed together at the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation North American Cup for a chance to represent Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Nov. 26, 2021 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.
Nov. 17, 2021 34th SOS validates U-28 SOFORGEN, ACE concepts SOFORGEN replaces the current Air Expeditionary Force construct with a 20-month cycle, comprised of four, five-month phases of readiness.
Oct. 28, 2021 Air Force supports historic Army Warfighter exercise Warfighter Exercise 22-1 was Victory Corps' final certifying exercise in becoming the U.S. Army's fourth corps headquarters and America's forward-deployed corps in Europe.
Oct. 22, 2021 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.
Oct. 15, 2021 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.
Sept. 21, 2021 PACAF commander talks ACE at AFA Air, Space, Cyber Conference The panel consisted of Wilsbach, Gen. Jeffery Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa commander, and Lt. Gen. James Slife, Air Force Special Operations Command commander.
Sept. 16, 2021 Answering the call: Special tactics Airmen conclude Haiti earthquake relief efforts The special tactics Airmen were alerted on the morning of Aug. 16 that they would augment Joint Task Force-Haiti relief efforts. With the help of C-146A Wolfhound aircrews, assigned to the 492nd and 919th Special Operations Wings, the team touched down in Port Au Prince, Haiti, within 36 hours.
Aug. 19, 2021 Special tactics Airmen augment Haiti earthquake humanitarian relief efforts Special tactics Airmen assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing are responding to a request to augment humanitarian aid efforts in Haiti following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 14.
July 30, 2021 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.
July 23, 2021 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.
July 9, 2021 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.
May 9, 2021 Special tactics training complex dedicated to fallen STO To honor a fallen special tactics officer’s actions and courageous leadership, the 24th Special Operations Wing along with friends and family hosted a dedication ceremony in Capt. Matthew Roland’s honor, May 6 at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
March 20, 2021 Recruiting squadron commander wins Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award Lt. Col. Steven Cooper earned the award while assigned as the commander of the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida. Cooper was deployed last year and much of his award package is based on his time downrange.
March 13, 2021 Air Force seeks to accelerate efficiency As modern warfare continues to evolve, the Air Force has renewed its focus on maintaining secure fuel networks and optimizing operations for maximized combat capability.
Dec. 11, 2020 'A tribute to persistence:' SecAF presents Air Force Cross to special tactics Airman Germanovich’s base instinct would quickly turn into a grueling battle for survival, but it was those selfless impulses to save and protect his teammates that proved to be the difference between life and death for many of his teammates on that fateful day.
Dec. 8, 2020 Special Tactics Airman to be awarded Air Force Cross Staff Sgt. Alaxey Germanovich, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, 24th Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, will be awarded the nation’s second highest medal for gallantry against an armed enemy of the U.S. in combat.
Nov. 20, 2020 Air Force selects Kirtland AFB for AC-130J FTU The Air Force selected Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico as the preferred location for the relocation of the AC-130J Ghostrider Formal Training Unit from Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Nov. 18, 2020 53rd WEG hosts simultaneous WSEPs in Florida, Utah The evaluations included more than 86 aircraft participating at two installations, Tyndall Air Force Base and Hill AFB, Utah, in live-fire air-to-air and air-to-ground evaluations.
Nov. 3, 2020 AFSOC transformation begins with people After nearly 20 years of fighting the Global War on Terrorism, processes and decisions formulated to address an almost singular focus on counter-violent extremist organizations are being challenged, as AFSOC transforms to the “AFSOC We Will Need.”
Oct. 5, 2020 24th SOW transitions responsibility of the 17th STS In August 2013, the squadron, originally known as the 17th Air Operations Support Squadron, was re-designated as the 17th STS by then-Col. Robert Armfield, the 24th SOWs first wing commander.
Sept. 5, 2020 Special Tactics unit surpasses 6,900 days combating war in Middle East For the men and women of the 17th Special Tactics Squadron, since their initial response to the GWOT in October 2001, there have been no breaks in deployments and combat operations for more than 6,900 days in support of operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Freedom’s Sentinel and Resolute
July 20, 2020 SecAF visits Pope Army Airfield Barrett spent the day meeting and discussing joint operations and the integral part the Air Force plays during global responses.
July 13, 2020 Special tactics Airmen integrate combat capabilities during exercise Commando Crucible To meet the standards required for deployment, special tactics teams completed exercise Commando Crucible, from June 18-July 3, at Hurlburt Field and in Kinston, North Carolina.
June 10, 2020 Special tactics wing, AFRL develop smartphone app to mitigate COVID-19 risk Medical and Preservation of the force and family team members of the 24th Special Operations Wing, headquartered at Hurlburt Field teamed up with the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a way to monitor special tactics operators’ health status during the pandemic straight from their
May 28, 2020 AFRL, AFSOC launch palletized weapons from cargo plane This successful Phase I operational demonstration represents a milestone in executing a palletized munitions airdrop, which refers to the delivery of a large volume of air-launched weapons at any given time.
May 1, 2020 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.
April 29, 2020 Special Tactics Airmen support vital training, maintain readiness through COVID-19 Special Tactics Airmen from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron conducted interoperability training with the 14th Weapons Squadron assigned to the U.S. Air Force Weapons School detachment at Hurlburt Field for a special operations force exercise, April 22.
March 7, 2020 Gunship crew awarded 14 medals for joint SOF Afghanistan mission Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presented two Distinguished Flying Crosses with “C” device and 12 single event Air Medals with “C” device to 4th Special Operations Squadron Airmen during an awards ceremony March 2, at Hurlburt Field, for their actions in April
Nov. 26, 2019 Special tactics Airman battled through injuries, presented with Silver Star Tech. Sgt. Cody Smith, a special tactics combat controller with the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, 24th Special Operations Wing was presented with the Silver Star Medal during a ceremony, Nov. 22.
Nov. 25, 2019 Special tactics chief awarded Silver Star for countering overwhelming Afghan ambush U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Chris Grove, a Special Tactics combat controller assigned as the 720th Special Tactics Group superintendent, delivered thousands of pounds of munition, securing the safety of his joint and partner forces, and now he’s receiving the Silver Star Medal.
Oct. 25, 2019 Air Force requests proposals for light attack aircraft The Air Force plans to purchase two to three light attack aircraft from each manufacturer to help support the National Defense Strategy’s focus on building allies and partner capacity, capability and interoperability via training and experimentation.
Oct. 10, 2019 Special Tactics Airman killed in training incident Kraines enlisted in the United States Air Force in March 2011. He immediately entered the two-year pararescue training program.
July 25, 2019 Kentucky Air Guard home to DoD’s only search and rescue dog In response to scenarios like the Haitian earthquake, Parsons spearheaded a new approach, developing the squadron’s Search and Rescue K-9 program. The effort, launched in 2018, is designed to increase the capabilities of disaster response teams in locating and recovering personnel through the use of