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Archive for the ‘Air Force’ Category

Col Claude Tudor To Assume Command Of 24th SOW

Friday, February 16th, 2018

I served with Col Claude Tudor at the 720th STG. Like the man he is taking 24th SOW’s reins from, Col Mike Martin, Tudor is an outstanding officer. Congratulations!

NEW COMMANDER, 24th SPECIAL OPERATIONS WING, EFFECTIVE MARCH 8, 2018

The Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command Lieutenant General Marshall B. Webb requests the pleasure of your company at a Change of Command Ceremony at which Colonel Michael E. Martin will relinquish command of the 24th Special Operations Wing to Colonel Claude K. Tudor, Jr. on Thursday, the eighth of March at ten o’clock in the morning

COLONEL CLAUDE K. TUDOR, JR.

Colonel Claude Tudor is the Vice Commander of Twentieth Air Force (Air Force Global Strike Command) and ICBM Task Force 214 Deputy Commanding Officer (United States Strategic Command), Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. Twentieth Air Force and Task Force 214 are responsible for the nation’s ICBM force, including four operational missile wings with over 11,000 assigned personnel. As vice commander, he serves as the designated successor and principal advisor to the commander, Twentieth Air Force. He is also director of the 100-person headquarters staff.

Colonel Tudor was born in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and commissioned through the ROTC program at Troy State University in Alabama. He has spent the preponderance of his career in special-operations ground combat assignments. He has deployed extensively in support of Joint and Coalition special operations supporting combat, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping/peace-enforcement operations globally.

EDUCATION

1992 Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Troy State University, Troy, Ala.

1998 Squadron Officers School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama

1999 Master of Science Degree, Business Management, Troy State University, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

2003 Air Command and Staff College, non-residence course

2004 Joint Military Intelligence College, Bolling AFB, Washington D.C. (Intermediate Developmental Education)

2004 Master of Science Degree in Strategic Intelligence, Joint Military Intelligence College, Bolling AFB, Washington D.C.

2007 Air War College, non-residence course

2010 Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa. (Senior Developmental Education)

2010 Master of Strategic Studies, United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. September 1992 – May 1995: Flight Commander, 314th Combat Control Squadron, Little Rock AFB, Ark.

2. May 1995 – May 1997: Flight Commander, 320th Special Tactics Squadron, Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan

3. May 1997 – May 1999: Director of Force Management, 720th Special Tactics Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

4. May 1999 – May 2000: Assistant Director of Operations, 720th Special Tactics Group, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

5. May 2000 – April 2001: Chief, Air Ops Integration, HQ Air Force Special Operations Command/Plans and Programs, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

6. April 2001 – August 2003: Director of Operations, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, UK

7. August 2003 – June 2004: Student, Joint Military Intelligence College, Defense Intelligence Agency, Bolling AFB, Washington DC

8. June 2004 – July 2006: Commander, 321st Special Tactics Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, UK

9. July 2006 – July 2007: Chief of Special Tactics & Battlefield Airmen Branch, HQ Air Force Special Operations and Personnel Recovery Branch, Washington DC

10. July 2007 – July 2009: Foreign Affairs Specialist, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Global Security Affairs, Coalition and Multinational Operations, Washington DC

11. July 2009 – July 2010: Student, United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.

12. July 2010 – January 2011: U.S. Army XVIII Airborne Corps Air Liaison Officer, 18th Air Support Operations Group, Pope AFB, N.C.

13. January 2011 – December 2011: Commander, 368th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Group, U.S. Central Command, Iraq

14. December 2011 – June 2014: Deputy Director of Operations, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.

15. June 2014 – present: Vice Commander, Twentieth Air Force (Task Force 214 Deputy Commanding Officer), F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.

SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS

1. July 2007 – July 2009: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Global Security Affairs, Coalition and Multinational Operations, Foreign Affairs Specialist, Pentagon as Lieutenant Colonel

2. December 2011 – June 2014: Deputy Director of Operations, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C. as Colonel

QUALIFICATIONS

U.S. Army Special Forces (SF) qualified Military Free-Fall and Static Line Jumpmaster with more than 400 jumps. He is also a SF Combat Diver, Federal Aviation Administration certified Air Traffic Controller, and Joint Terminal Attack Controller.

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

Legion of Merit

Bronze Star with one device

Defense Meritorious Service Medal with one device

Joint Meritorious Unit Award

Gallant Unit Citation

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and eight devices

Air Force Recognition Ribbon

OTHER AWARDS AND HONORS

1994 Air Combat Command Combat Control Officer of the Year

1996 Air Force Special Operations Combat Control Officer of the Year

1996 Air Force Combat Control Officer of the Year

2004 Air Force Special Operations Gill Robb Wilson Award Recipient

EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION

Second Lieutenant May 29, 1992

First Lieutenant July 26, 1994

Captain July 26, 1996

Major Feb 1, 2003

Lieutenant Colonel Dec 1, 2006

Colonel Oct 1, 2010

(Current as of January 2016)

This Is A Great Photo

Sunday, February 4th, 2018

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Via my Tigerstripe guy in Hong Kong.

AFSOC Combat Aviation Advisors Adopt Brown Beret

Sunday, January 7th, 2018

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Air Force Special Operations Command’s Combat Aviation Advisors unveiled the newly minted Charcoal Brown beret during a special ceremony at Duke Field yesterday. The 492nd Special Operations Wing says the beret, which is only authorized for wear on AFSOC installations, is a visual reminder to the wearer of each member’s personal and professional responsibility to serve the mission and partner forces with integrity, selflessness and tenacity.

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Some might see this as an Air Force “me too”, following the lead of the US Army 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade’s adoption of a Brown beret. While the Army originally planned to issue an Olive Drab beret, just recently the Chief of Staff of the Army, GEN Mark Milley announced they’d wear a Brown beret instead. However, the CAA community claims that they presented the Brown beret to President Trump On 18 July of this year, long before the Army made the Brown beret announcement. Looks like the Army is following AFSOC’s lead.

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The Brown beret is only for wear by Air Force personnel assigned as Combat Aviation Advisors in AFSOC’s 6th Special Operation Squadron. These billets are limited to 18 Air Force Specialty Codes. Additionally, the Brown beret may only be worn while on AFSOC installations.

The wearer of the charcoal brown beret is accountable to be professional, mature, trustworthy, a trade expert, and most importantly, a team player committed to mission accomplishment. The color signifies fertile soil and reminds the wearer daily to look for potential where others see barrenness. It signifies grit, hard work and commitment to transform potential into capability by, with and through our foreign partners…”Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere.”

Other USAF careerfields with berets include:

CCT/STO – Scarlet
PJ/CRO – Maroon
TACP/ALO – Black
Weather Parachutists – Grey
Security Force – Blue
SERE Specialists – Sage Green

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This image came from the Air Force and still isn’t quite right. For instance, Special Operations Weather Technicians have a metal beret device and no longer wear the DUI of the ARSOF units they support. At least the beret colors are all correct.

Interestingly, in 2011, the USAF EOD careerfield petitioned the Air Force Uniform Board for award of the Tan beret, but that request was denied.

For the most part, USAF berets are for careerfields and not units, like in the Army. For example, USAF parachutists in numerous careerfields serving in jump billets do not wear berets. This beret is an exception, as is the Sky Blue beret worn by upper class cadets at the US Air Force Academy solely while conducting BCT for first year cadets.

Orion UAS Contracted by US Air Force

Thursday, January 4th, 2018

Manassas, VA, January 3, 2018 – The U.S. Air Force has awarded a new $48 million contract to Aurora Flight Sciences for the continued development of the Orion Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS).

Orion is a twin-engine high performance UAS that can stay aloft over 100 hours at a time with payloads in excess of 1,000 pounds. Development of the Orion started in 2006 and its first flight was in August 2013. In December 2014, the Orion established the current UAS world endurance record with an 80-hour, 2-minute and 52-second flight.

The new contract funds the development of a certified version of Orion that will be suitable for deployment anywhere in the world. The work will be performed in Columbus, Mississippi, and Manassas, Virginia.

www.aurora.aero

AFOTEC Conducts Egress Testing Of Modular Handgun System

Thursday, December 28th, 2017

Modular Handgun System is a joint program, with all four services set to eventually field the M17/M18. Air Force pilots carry a sidearm while flying as part of their survival gear. Consequently, the Air Force Operational Test And Evaluation Command has decided to submit MHS to egress testing in order to see if it is compatible with equipment worn by pilots while ejecting from their aircraft and if it will still function after being subjected to those forces. This is the first time they’ve conducted such a test.

Above, MSgt Samuel Pruett, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center force protection program manager, based at Eglin AFB, Florida, secures an MHS on a test dummy prior to a test on the vertical deceleration tower inside the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, December 6th, 2017.

The vertical deceleration tower replicates ejection forces. As you can see, they tested two pistols at once, one with the 17 round magazine and the other with the 21 round magazine.

Here, MSgt Pruett checks an empty shell casing from a weapon for signs of the firing pin striking the primer at the conclusion of a test to ensure the weapon didn’t fire as a result of ejection forces.

Air Force photos by Wesley Farnsworth, 88th Air Base Wing/Public Affairs.

Reproduction WWII Civil Air Patrol Recruiting Poster

Sunday, December 10th, 2017

During World War II the Civil Air Patrol’s coastal patrol flew 24 million miles, found 173 enemy U-boats, attacked 57, hit 10 and sank two, dropping a total of 83 bombs and depth charges throughout the conflict. By the end of WWII, 64 CAP members had lost their lives in the line of duty.

To order your copy, visit knowol.myshopify.com/products/civil-air-patrol-eyes-of-the-home-skies.

Congrats Mike and Wolfe!

Thursday, November 16th, 2017

Colonels Mike Martin and Wolfe Davidson, two great Special Tactics Officers I served with in various assignments as company grade officers, have been selected for promotion to Brigadier General. Both are rock solid. This is as great news for the Air Force as it is for the Special Tactics Community.

SERE meets SPEAR: Specialists Convene for Unique Combative Course

Sunday, October 22nd, 2017

DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. —
Your transport aircraft has just crashed in a remote and hostile environment. You and only a handful of other troops have survived the crash. As you survey the surroundings, you notice a crowd of local inhabitants running toward the wreckage screaming wildly, with brows furrowed and fists clenched. The level of fear inside you begins to skyrocket. You’re now scanning the crowd for its weakest links, trying to formulate a progressive strategy with the little time you have before they make contact. Which combative system are you most confident to employ in order to save your own life?

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(USAF photo by Senior Airman Chris Drzazgowski)

Self-defense is a major component of support provided by Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape specialists to troops who have a high risk of isolation in theater, such as downed-pilots and operators.

Late last month, SERE specialists across the 23d Wing, along with Pararescuemen from the 68th Formal Training Unit convened at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., to attend a one-week personal defense course led by a special guest.

“The intent of this week’s instruction was to give these Air Force SERE specialists the qualifications required to teach the SPEAR System as subject matter experts,” said Tony Blauer, founder of Blauer Tactical Systems Inc., and SPEAR coach. “We augmented the system and customized it with specific capture avoidance and SERE-type nuances — specific scenarios you wouldn’t see in a regular fight.”

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Tony Blauer, founder of Blauer Tactical Systems Inc., and SPEAR coach, instructed SERE specialists and other Guardian Angel counterparts in order to qualify them to teach the SPEAR System to personnel across the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Chris Drzazgowski)

The Spontaneous Protection Enabling Accelerated Response System takes advantage of the human body’s startle/flinch mechanism to convert an aggressor’s attack into a tactical counter measure, according to Blauer.

“We weaponize the flinch,” Blauer said. “By combing the old brain’s most important function, to survive, with the new brain’s intelligence, to think and decide, we have reawakened a non-perishable personal defense system that can make every human being safer.”

To implement a strong foundation of Blauer’s system into future SERE training, a collaborative effort was necessary among the SERE specialists to maintain and distribute a uniform understanding of SPEAR.

“In the 23d Wing, we’ve got Nellis, D-M and Moody,” said Tech. Sgt. Nick, SERE specialist. “All the C-130 and HH-60 guys, and all the PJs within the 23d Wing — we all see the same people, so we’re all getting together to share the same information across the wing.”

Currently, Modern Army and Special Operations Combatives Programs are administered by SERE specialists.

“There are so many different combative programs in the military already,” Sergeant Nick said. “I did a lot of research and looked at what we were already teaching. In order to make this continuation training, I needed a system out there that builds upon what we already have. I saw his system and it directly translated into what we teach.”

The practical application and versatility of the SPEAR System has gained much popularity among police, first-responders, and the military. Blauer has spent three decades researching real violence and has reverse-engineered a system of close quarters entirely based on how fear and danger can afflict tactical performance.

“We teach them how people move,” Blauer said. “Everything from the extreme close quarter is built on a premise determining that the bad guy controls the fight, the location, the level of violence and the duration of the fight, so I need to figure out how to beat him. This is a new paradigm in strategic thinking. It’s brain-based and allows the defender to be much more responsive.”

When the specialists weren’t executing drills on the mats, they were engaged in analytical classroom discussions.

“Those real fights are completely different challenges, emotionally and psychologically, the duress is different, and then the movement patterns of the attacks are different,” Blauer said. “What we do is we use body cam, helmet cam, dashboard video and closed circuit TV to study how real violence looks and moves. As valuable as martial arts are, the real fight is different. Our approach is to study the enemy and move from there.”

Upon the training’s conclusion, SERE specialists and other Guardian Angel counterparts are now able to tailor a specific program for their customers across the Air Force.

“The most important lesson from this week is the realization that we’re all human weapon systems,” Blauer said. “Everybody knows how to fight, they just don’t know they know how to fight. Realize you don’t need a martial art belt, you don’t need a level, you don’t need to win tournaments, you need to have the ‘I don’t want to die, I’m gonna fight’ mentality.”

Just before Blauer departed Davis-Monthan AFB, the course attendees presented him with a gift signifying their gratitude for a week of exclusive and in-depth instruction.

“I really appreciated Tony Blauer coming out here himself,” Sergeant Nick said. “He’s the CEO of his company and he could have sent another trainer to come out here and train us — but the level of instruction, professionalism and customer service he provided was phenomenal — I consider Tony a friend now.”

Senior Airman Chris Drzazgowski, 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs