Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center

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Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center
AFSOAWC
PurposeTo train forces to conduct special operations missions
Headquarters Hurlburt Field, Florida
Locations
Official language
English
LeaderBrigadier General Jon Weeks

The United States Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center (AFSOAWC) is headquartered at Hurlburt Field, FL, with satellite locations at Duke Field, FL, and Robins AFB, GA. [1] It works under the supervision of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC); Its primary function is to organize, train, educate and equip forces to conduct special operations missions; lead MAJCOM Irregular Warfare activities; execute special operations test and evaluation and lessons learned programs; and develop doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures for Air Force Special Operations Forces. [2] The Vision is, "Transforming Airmen into Air Commandos who possess the specialized skills and warrior ethos to fight and win anytime, anywhere." [3]

Contents

History and overview

The Special Operations Air Warfare Center was originally formed at Hurlburt Field in 1962 to train and deploy some of the first special operations airmen, known as Air Commandos, in irregular warfare. The first graduates eventually took on advisory and combat roles assisting the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The program was dissolved after the war due to budget cuts.[ citation needed ]

The Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center was activated on 11 February 2013 with the deactivation of the Air Force Special Operations Training Center (AFSOTC). As a result, the major units that fall under the center include: U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, 371st Special Operations Combat Training Squadron, 19th Special Operations Squadron, 551st Special Operations Squadron from Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., 18th Flight Test Squadron, 6th Special Operations Squadron and the 745th Special Operations Squadron from Eglin AFB, FL, which were formerly assigned to AFSOTC. [4]

The center was inactivated on 17 May 2017 and its functions were assumed by the 492d Special Operations Wing. [5]

Leadership

Brigadier General Jon Weeks, took command of the newly created Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center at a ceremony on Duke Field, Florida on 11 February 2013. [6] [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

United States special operations forces (SOF) are the active and reserve component forces of the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force, as designated by the Secretary of Defense and specifically organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations. All active and reserve special operations forces are assigned to the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurlburt Field</span> US Air Force base in Florida, United States

Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW), the USAF Special Operations School (USAFSOS) and the Air Combat Command's (ACC) 505th Command and Control Wing. It was named for First Lieutenant Donald Wilson Hurlburt, who died in a crash at Eglin. The installation is nearly 6,700 acres (27 km2) and employs nearly 8,000 military personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Special Operations Command</span> Air Force component of the U.S. Special Operations Command

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command to United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), a unified combatant command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. AFSOC provides all Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF) for worldwide deployment and assignment to regional unified combatant commands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">27th Special Operations Wing</span> US Air Force unit

The 27th Special Operations Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. It is assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Field</span>

Duke Field, also known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #3, is a military airport located three miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Crestview, in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">505th Command and Control Wing</span> Military unit

The United States Air Force's 505th Command and Control Wing is organized under the United States Air Force Warfare Center. The wing is dedicated to improving readiness through integrated training, tactics development and operational testing for command and control of air, space and cyberspace. It hosts the Air Force's only Air Operations Center Formal Training Unit at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Special Operations School</span>

The United States Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) is a school under the 492D Special Operations Wing, which falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). AFSOC is the Air Force component of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald C. Wurster</span> United States Air Force general

Lieutenant General Donald C. Wurster is a retired United States Air Force officer who served as Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The command is a major command of the United States Air Force and the Air Force component of United States Special Operations Command. AFSOC provides Air Force Special Operations Forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders. The command has approximately 12,900 active-duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and civilian professionals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">919th Special Operations Wing</span> US Air Force unit

The 919th Special Operations Wing is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) unit of the United States Air Force. The 919 SOW is assigned to the Tenth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and is stationed at Duke Field, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">24th Special Operations Wing</span> Military unit

The 24th Special Operations Wing is a United States Air Force active-duty wing that was activated on 12 June 2012. Its headquarters is at Hurlburt Field, Florida and it has component groups located in North Carolina, Georgia and Washington. It is the third special operations wing in Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Air National Guard</span> Military unit

The Florida Air National Guard is the aerial militia of the State of Florida. It is, along with the Florida Army National Guard, an element of the Florida National Guard. It is also an element of the Air National Guard (ANG) at the national level, falling in with the Army National Guard (ARNG) as part of the greater United States National Guard under the National Guard Bureau (NGB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty-Third Air Force</span> Military unit

The Twenty-Third Air Force was a Numbered Air Force that was assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command. It was stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida and was active from 1 January 2008 until 4 April 2013. It served as the operational headquarters for Air Force special operations forces assigned to joint and combined commands. Starting in 2012, it transferred operational control of some of its units to other headquarters; its remaining functions were assumed by the Air Force Special Operations Command Air Operations Center when it was inactivated the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Special Operations Squadron</span> United States Air Force combat aviation advisory unit

The 6th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The squadron operates MC-130J Commando II aircraft in support of special operations. The 6th SOS specializes in the use of night vision goggles and formation tactics to refuel large helicopter and tilt-rotor formations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty-Fourth Air Force</span> Numbered air force of the United States Air Force responsible for cyber forces

Twenty-Fourth Air Force / Air Forces Cyber (AFCYBER) was a Numbered Air Force within the United States Air Force. The Air Force consolidated its cyberspace combat and support forces into 24 AF. 24 AF was the Air Force component of U.S. Cyber Command.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramón Colón-López</span> US Air Force Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman

Ramón Colón-López is a retired senior non-commissioned officer of the United States Air Force and a former pararescueman, and served as the 4th Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC) from December 13, 2019 to November 3, 2023. In his role as SEAC, Colón-López is the most senior enlisted member of the United States military. In 2007 he was the only Hispanic American among the first six airmen to be awarded the newly created Air Force Combat Action Medal. He served as the Senior Enlisted Leader of United States Africa Command from September 2016 to November 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Special Operations Training Center</span>

The United States Air Force Special Operations Training Center (AFSOTC) was located at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It worked under the supervision of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC); Its primary function was to train the Air Force's Special Operations Personnel before being assigned to their respective units. The Mission Statement/Vision was, "Transforming Airmen into Air Commandos who possess the specialized skills and warrior ethos to fight and win anytime, anywhere." The AFSOTC was replaced 11 February 2013 by the Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party</span> Military unit

A United States Air Force Tactical Air Control Party, commonly abbreviated TACP, is an individual or team of United States Air Force Special Warfare Airmen with AFSC 1Z3X1, who are aligned with conventional, Special Operation Forces, and Tier 1 combat maneuver units. They provide precision terminal attack control and terminal attack guidance of U.S. and coalition fixed- and rotary-wing close air support aircraft, artillery, and naval gunfire; establish and maintain command and control (C2) communications; and advise ground commanders on the best use of air power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric E. Fiel</span> United States Air Force general

Lieutenant General Eric E. Fiel is a retired United States Air Force officer who served as commander of Air Force Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014. The command is the Air Force component of United States Special Operations Command. AFSOC provides Air Force special operations forces for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders. The command has approximately 16,000 active-duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and civilian professionals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">720th Special Tactics Group</span> Military unit

The 720th Special Tactics Group is one of the special operations ground components of the 24th Special Operations Wing, assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) of the United States Air Force. The group is headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The group is composed of geographically separated squadrons in four separate states; Florida, New Mexico, North Carolina and Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Air Force Special Tactics Officer</span> Military unit

A United States Air Force Special Tactics Officer is a United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Special Warfare Officer who manages the training and equipping of U.S. Air Force ground special operations. Special Tactics Officers deploy as team leaders or mission commanders in combat, seizing and controlling airstrips, combat search and rescue, guiding airstrikes and fire support using air assets for special operations and tactical weather observations and forecasting. Special Tactics Officers are not Pararescuemen, Combat Controllers, or Special Reconnaissance, but they lead the Special Tactics Squadrons and Groups and thoroughly understand how to conduct, manage, and provide these special operations missions to both conventional and joint special operations missions needed within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

References

  1. ↑ "Air Force Magazine-Commando Training, and Beyond" - Air Force Magazine - Home. Web. 14 February 2013. <http://www.airforcemag.com/DRArchive/Pages/2013/February%202013/February%2014%202013/CommandoTraining,andBeyond.aspx>
  2. ↑ "AFSOC Mission", Tactical Defense Media pdf, Page 33. Web. May 2013. <http://www.tacticaldefensemedia.com/pdf/am/2013_AM_May_web.pdf>
  3. ↑ "Air Force Special Operations Home Page - Units - Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center" <http://www.afsoc.af.mil/afsoawc/ Archived 2013-03-09 at the Wayback Machine >
  4. ↑ "AFSOC Stands up Air Warfare Center." - By Raquel Sanchez Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs. - AFSOC Homepage - News. 12 February 2013. < "afsoc.af.mil". Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.>
  5. ↑ Staff writer, no byline. "Units: 492nd Special Operations Wing". Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  6. ↑ "Reservist takes reins of new special ops center" - By Tech. Sgt. Samuel King Jr. 919th Special Operations Wing public affairs. 12 February 2013. <http://www.afrc.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?id=123336043 Archived 2013-03-06 at the Wayback Machine >
  7. ↑ "Leadership Directories Profile - BrigGen Jon A. Weeks". <http://www.leadershipdirectories.com/profiles/Jon-Weeks-Commander-Air-Force-Special-Operations-Air-Warfare.htm>
  8. ↑ US Air Force Official Website - Information - Biographies, "BRIGADIER GENERAL JON A. WEEKS". <http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=16253 Archived 2013-03-31 at the Wayback Machine >


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