Evidence of Air Force Special Operations Command’s growth spurt is addition of a new wing, slated to take shape at Cannon AFB, N.M. AFSOC plans to shift the 16th Special Operations Wing from Hurlburt Field, Fla., to Cannon and re-establish the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt. AFSOC commander Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley said Tuesday that Cannon would be home to new CV-22s, as well as AC-130s, MC-130 Combat Talons, and special ops helicopters. Wooley noted that the “commando vision” for “many, many years,” had included a Western base.
The Government Accountability Office wants the Air Force to explain who will run bases when wings deploy under the service’s new force generation model along with several other unanswered questions, saying the concept is long on vision but short on details.