Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      SOCOM tour of AETC201016-F-YQ806-0600
                        
                        
                        Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., listens to a brief from Air Force Master Sgt. Tim Niessen (right), Special Mission Aviation Course instructor, during a tour of the Career Enlisted Aviator Center of Excellence, Oct. 16, 2020, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The Career Enlisted Aviator Center of Excellence at JB San Antonio-Lackland, hosts the courses of initial entry for every career enlisted aviator entering aviation service. (U.S. Air Force photo by Johnny Saldivar)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        SOCOM tour of AETC201016-F-YQ806-0110
                        
                        
                        Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., and Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Gregory Smith, USSOCOM command chief (both center), listen to a brief during a tour of the Special Warfare Training Wing's water confidence drill, Oct. 16, 2020, at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. They both saw firsthand how Air Education and Training Command ensures joint forces are well equipped with ready and lethal special operations Airmen during the tour. The tour traced the initial skills training path of special operators from recruiting and accessions through basic and technical training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Johnny Saldivar)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Air Force’s special warfare training builds physical, intellectual leaders ready to handle threats worldwidePublished Oct. 21, 2020
                    
                    By Jennifer Gonzalez
                    
                    
                    Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs
            **JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) --**Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, saw firsthand how**Air Education and Training Command** officials ensure joint forces are well equipped with ready and lethal special operations Airmen during a visit to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Oct. 16.



“This visit shined a spotlight on how AETC recruits and trains all enlisted Air Force special warfare operators,” said**Lt. Gen. Brad Webb**, commander of Air Education and Training Command. “The next generation of Airmen must be lethal and ready to compete, deter and win in an increasingly complex environment, and it starts here in the First Command.”



The visit traced the initial skills training path of special operators from recruiting and accessions through basic and technical training.



“The realism and intensity of this training is vital because when these Airmen finish their training, they’ll need to address challenges we may not be able to predict,” Clarke said. “AETC is training leaders who will be asked to address an ever-changing landscape where the fight we’ve engaged in since 9/11 may not resemble the threat our adversaries will present in the coming years. The physical toughness, intellectual capacity and ethical core these Airmen are developing during their training will help the Joint Force address the worldwide range of challenges each geographic combatant commander faces.”



“Having the agility of mind to understand mission-type orders, to understand commander’s intent and be able to move out are essential elements of AETC and the training we provide special warfare Airmen,” Webb added.



The path of a special operator starts with**Air Force Recruiting Service**. To help find the right candidates who can excel through an intense training pipeline, AFRS established the **330th Recruiting Squadron**, a specialty squadron whose mission is to effectively scout, develop and guide future special warfare Airmen to their combat calling.



“Our special warfare careers are some of the most challenging career fields we have to fill,” said**Maj. Gen. Edward Thomas**, AFRS commander. “Candidates must meet exceptionally high physical standards and must have the grit and determination to push further and harder.”



Enlisted special warfare career fields include combat controllers, pararescue, special reconnaissance, and tactical air control party. In 2019, the 330th RCS successfully increased recruitment 20% compared to their inaugural year in 2018.



Once trainees are recruited,**Second Air Force** takes the lead, beginning with basic military training at JB San Antonio-Lackland, under the responsibility of the **37th Training Wing**.



“BMT sets the foundation for all of the Air Force’s enlisted Airmen,” said**Maj. Gen. Andrea Tullos**, Second Air Force commander. “We are aligning foundational competencies to meet National Defense Strategy objectives so our Airmen immediately enhance mission execution when they join their first Air Force or joint team.”



While at BMT, enlisted special warfare trainees receive additional physical training and are aggregated in flights together so they can foster the camaraderie needed to prepare them for the next phase of training they enter in the Special Warfare Training Wing, also located at JB San Antonio-Lackland.



“We are training these newly-minted Airmen to meet the demands of the future battlefield,” said Col. Mason Dula, Special Warfare Training Wing commander. “We push the limits of human performance and technology to build a stronger, smarter, more lethal force capable of solving the nation’s most complex military problems.”



Training begins with the Special Warfare Preparatory Course before recruits are vectored into an Air Force specialty code. Depending on their AFSC, trainees move to other locations around the country for schools such as**Air Force Combat Dive School**, **Airborne and Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School**. Each course is meant to push trainees’ mental and physical abilities to their limits.



“As a tactical air control party, I can attest that this training pushes our Airmen to their limits, but it also prepares them for the reality of the austere environments they will face as an operator,” said Chief Master Sgt. Adam Vizi, Second Air Force command chief. “Going through all of the training associated with the TAC-P pipeline ensured I was trained, equipped and ready to deliver timely, accurate and lethal effects on the battlefield.”



There are several training pipelines, which, depending on the specialty, vary in length. Airmen who successfully complete training proceed to their operational units and join Air Force special tactics teams or joint forces at USSOCOM.



The tour also included a visit to the Career Enlisted Aircrew Center of Excellence. Here, members of the 37th Training Group have established an Air Force specialty code baseline and prepare candidates to complete follow-on flight training programs. The COE staff members prepare graduates for nine AFSC-awarding courses, including four that directly support special operations. After completing the Aircrew Fundamentals Course, students who complete the Basic Flight Engineer, Basic Loadmaster Course or Basic Special Missions Aviation Course attend initial qualification courses that prepare them to be Air Commandos.



“These enlisted Airmen take the training they gain here in the First Command and carry it with them through their operational careers,” said Chief Master Sgt. Erik Thompson, AETC command chief. “It is imperative we provide them with the preparation they need to compete in every domain and win for the joint force and the nation.”AFWN 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



AETC 



Air Education and Training Command 



special warfare 



training 



leadership 



U.S. Special Operations Command 



lethal 



Ready Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil