HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. —
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall visited Hurlburt Field, Jan. 17 to view the Air Force Special Operations Command mission firsthand and meet with Airmen and leadership of the command.
During the visit Kendall flew on AFSOC aircraft and attended demonstrations illustrating AFSOC’s capabilities and adaptability to the future operational environment.
“Our Airmen are our greatest resource,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, AFSOC Commander. “We demonstrated to Secretary Kendall Air Force Special Operations Command’s pathfinding mindset and our unique capabilities. We also highlighted to our distinguished visitors that, throughout our history, we have taken whatever equipment and aircraft we had access to and adapted it to provide specialized capabilities to great success.”
AFSOC prioritizes the ability to remain relevant and ready no matter the challenges faced, he said. The visit emphasized the expertise of the Airmen within the command and their ability to meet the challenges they face today and how they plan to face future challenges.
“We pride ourselves on developing problem solvers and working within the margins to create solutions,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Allison Black, 1st Special Operations Wing commander. “We are relevant anywhere and we are finding ways to do the things that only special operations can do, in those contested environments to bring value to the joint force.”
One of those capabilities, and a main focal point of the visit, is a Mission Sustainment Team. MSTs which are made up of multi-functional Airmen who can sustain operations at austere locations away from main operating bases.
“Our MSTs greatly enable the creation of dilemmas for our adversaries and add to AFSOC’s ability to provide Special Operations capabilities anywhere around the globe,” Bauernfeind said.
Kendall met with some of AFSOC’s outstanding performers during the visit, taking the opportunity to recognize and coin them. Black praised her Air Commando team.
“[Kendall] was able to witness some of our magic,” said Black. “These quiet professionals who received this honor were a perfect representation of the command as a whole and the teams who support them.”
By SSgt Caleb Pavao
Air Force Special Operations Command