President Barack Obama has nominated Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold to be commander of Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla., according to a March 18 Defense Department release. Heithold currently serves as the vice commander of US Special Operations Command at the Pentagon. If the Senate approves his nomination he will replace Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, who has led AFSOC since June 2011.
Air Force senior statesmen explained the reasons they jointly sent a letter to Congress urging restoration of the E-7 Wedgetail and more F-35s to the fiscal 2026 defense budget.