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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      One person presenting a flag to another on a stage.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein, left, presents Air Force Special Operations Command’s guidon to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, new commander of AFSOC, during a Change of Command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., June 28, 2019. Slife is the 12th AFSOC commander and inherits a command with more than 20,800 Air Commandos worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Cabano)
                
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        One person speaking in front of multiple flags.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, speaks after taking command of AFSOC during a Change of Command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., June 28, 2019. Slife is the 12th AFSOC commander and inherits a command with more than 20,800 Air Commandos worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Cabano)
                
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        One person speaking behind a podium.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein speaks during the Air Force Special Operations Change of Command ceremony June 28, 2019, at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Goldfein presided over the ceremony where U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife replaced Lt. Gen. Brad Webb as the commander of AFSOC. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lynette M. Rolen)
                
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        Three people sitting on a stage listening to a presentation.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        U.S. Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, left, commander of United States Special Operations Command, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, center, outgoing commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, and U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, right, incoming commander of AFSOC, listen to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein, speak during AFSOC’s Change of Command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., June 28, 2019. Webb relinquished command to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife. Slife is the 12th AFSOC commander and inherits a command with more than 20,800 Air Commandos worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Cabano)
                
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        One person speaking to a crowd of people.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein, speaks during Air Force Special Operations Command’s Change of Command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., June 28, 2019. Goldfein presided over the ceremony as U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb relinquished command to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife. Slife is the 12th AFSOC commander and inherits a command with more than 20,800 Air Commandos worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Cabano)
                
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        A group of people observing a ceremony.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        Members of Hurlburt Field attend Air Force Special Operations Command’s Change of Command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., June 28, 2019. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein presided over the ceremony as U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb relinquished command to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife. Slife is the 12th AFSOC commander and inherits a command with more than 20,800 Air Commandos worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Cabano)
                
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        One person speaking from behind a podium.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, outgoing commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, speaks during AFSOC’s Change of Command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., June 28, 2019. Webb relinquished command to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife. Slife is the 12th AFSOC commander and inherits a command with more than 20,800 Air Commandos worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Cabano)
                
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        One person presenting a flag to another person.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein takes the command flag of Air Force Special Operations Command from U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, former commander of AFSOC. Webb led a command of more than 20,800 Air Commandos worldwide. Webb will now go on to serve as the commander of Air Education and Training Command. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lynette M. Rolen)
                
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        Three people interacting with one another on a stage.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, former commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, shakes Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein’s hand during the AFSOC Change of Command ceremony June 28, 2019, at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Goldfein presided over the ceremony where Webb relinquished command of AFSOC to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lynette M. Rolen)
                
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        A crowd of people observing a ceremony.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        Members of Hurlburt Field attend Air Force Special Operations Command’s Change of Command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., June 28, 2019. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein presided over the ceremony as U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb relinquished command to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife. Slife is the 12th AFSOC commander and inherits a command with more than 20,800 Air Commandos worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Cabano)
                
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        One person speaking from behind a podium.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        U.S. Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander of United States Special Operations Command, speaks during Air Force Special Operations Command’s Change of Command ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Fla., June 28, 2019. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein presided over the ceremony as U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Brad Webb relinquished command to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jim Slife. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marleah Cabano)
                
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        One person speaking from behind a podium.Slife takes command of AFSOC
                        
                        
                        U.S. Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander of United States Special Operations Command, delivers comments during the Air Force Special Operations Change of Command ceremony June 28, 2019, at Hurlburt Field, Fla. U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen Brad Webb relinquished command to Lt. Gen. Jim Slife. Slife is now the 12th AFSOC commander. Clarke served as a guest speaker for the event. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lynette M. Rolen)
                
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Slife takes command of AFSOCPublished June 28, 2019
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Lynette M. Rolen
                    
                    
                    Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs
            **HULRBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS)  --**At a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida, June 28, Lt. Gen. Jim Slife took command of Air Force Special Operations Command.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein, presided over the ceremony where Slife took over for Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, who will go on to serve as the commander of Air Education and Training Command in the coming weeks.
“When it came time to pick someone for AFSOC’s continuing legacy, Lt. Gen. Slife was the obvious choice,” Goldfein said. “He brings with him the expertise to take this command to new heights. As the United States Special Operations Command vice commander, he ensured our special operations forces had the resources they needed to get the mission done.”
Also present at the ceremony was U.S. Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander of USSOCOM. Clarke spoke about Slife’s leadership abilities.
“He is the perfect man at the perfect time for this critical position,” Clarke said. “He set an example for all of us to follow. Your dedication to our nation and its great warriors has left a profound impact on all of us. You are going to continue to keep AFSOC on its global scale and foster the culture of there is a way – we find it.”
Slife’s Air Force career spans 30 years. Many of those years were in AFSOC.
He served as an MH-53J instructor pilot, 20th Special Operations Squadron director of operations, 27th Special Operations Group commander, and the 1st Special Operations Wing commander.
Before Slife assumed command, Webb offered comments about his own time in AFSOC.
“I am extremely proud of all of the competence and character I have seen over these past three years,” Webb said. “Our Airmen in AFSOC exemplify the Air Force core values. I just want to say thank you to everyone here for all you have done.”
AFSOC's mission is to present combat-ready forces to conduct and support global special operations missions. The command consists of highly trained, rapidly deployable Airmen, conducting global special operations missions ranging from precision application of firepower, to infiltration, exfiltration, resupply and refueling of special operations forces' operational elements.
Slife inherits a command with approximately 20,800 Air Commandos worldwide. He is now the 12th AFSOC commander.
“These Airmen here today – we’ll talk about them as legends,” Slife said. “We have Airmen wearing Air Force Crosses and Silver Stars. These are outstanding Airmen. I will serve them with the humble dedication they deserve.”Air Force 



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