One Beret to rule them all: Air Force SOF brace for huge changes

The Air Force is getting ready to completely overhaul its Special Operations Forces (SOF). The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is currently undergoing a transitional phase that will merge all the existing career fields under the new Special Warfare career field. More specifically, the current plan envisions one Air Force Specialty (1Z) that will […]

The Pic of the Day: Air Commandos always compete

A U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) specialist pulls a dummy during the 2019 Lightning Challenge July 30, 2019 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Wash. The Lightning Challenge aims to enhance TACP mission readiness, provide feedback concerning unit training effectiveness, and promote warrior spirit through friendly competition. The Lightning Challenge consisted of 20 […]

The Pic of the Day: Pararescuemen at your call

Two pararescuemen, both assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron, ride to their destination in the back of an HH-60 Pave Hawk during the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) 91 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., June 26, 2019. Pararescuemen are highly trained Airmen able to rappel out of aircraft to rescue injured individuals on the […]

The elite Air Force unit that inserts and resupplies Special Operators

One of the primary reasons America’s special operations forces (SOF) are so effective is the first-class support they get from all fronts. Even in the lowest tiers of the SOF structure, the operator-to-support-guy ratio is remarkable, averaging about one operator to every eight support personnel. The higher up within the SOF hierarchy you go, the […]

The Pic of the Day: Air Commandos pushing them out

Air Commandos, families and friends perform memorial push-ups following a building dedication ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida, on June 21, 2019. The Special Tactics Training Squadron annex building, which formerly housed the 10th Combat Weather Squadron preceding its inactivation in May of 2014, was dedicated to U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. William “Bill” Schroeder. Colonel […]

The Pic of the Day: Pararescuemen at your call

U.S. Air Force pararescuemen with the 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, deployed in support of Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), check their parachute rigs before they participate in joint personnel recovery training, Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, on December 6, 2018.

Air Force Special Operations Command gets a new chief

The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has a new commander. On June 28, Lt. Gen. Jim Slife replaced Lt. Gen. Brad Webb as the Air Force’s new special operations chief. He will now command close to 21,000 spec ops airmen. “When it came time to pick someone for AFSOC’s continuing legacy, General Slife was […]

Meet Draco: New name, same game for Air Force’s spec ops aircraft

Draco is the name and pawning is the game. After years of bureaucratic considerations, the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) has decided to officially baptize its U-28A aircraft as Draco. In Latin, the word “draco” means “dragon” and it’s also a constellation in the far northern sky. “From my time in the community (2010-2012), […]

The Pic of the Day: Lets do it, brother

The 82nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, deployed in support of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, participate in a High Altitude Low Open (HALO) parachute jump from a C-130 Hercules on April 20, 2019 near Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti City.

The Pic of the Day: Spec Ops chief visits Air Commandos

U.S. Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), is briefed on a medical procedure performed by Special Operations Surgical Teams (SOST) at Hurlburt Field, Florida, on May 7, 2019. SOST is an extremely lightweight, mobile and rapidly deployable element that is medically and tactically trained to provide trauma resuscitation and […]

The Pic of the Day: Special Operations crews sharpen their mid-air refueling skills

A U.S. Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft from the 20th Special Operations Squadron, Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, is aerial refueled by a KC-10 Extender from the 6th Air Refueling Squadron, Travis AFB, California, during an aerial refueling training mission over New Mexico, on March 11, 2019. Travis airmen fly training missions regularly to […]

The Pic of the Day: Helocasting into the darkness

Trainees with the Special Tactics Training Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Florida, helocast from a rotary aircraft into the Santa Rosa Sound, Florida, on February 12, 2019. Special Tactics airmen are trained to infiltrate into austere or enemy territory by various means including helocasting, airborne operations, and ground maneuvers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. […]