Air Force Special Operations Command now plans to create the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB, N.M., rather than naming it 16th SOW as originally conceived. Last fall, AFSOC changed the 16th SOW at Hurlburt Field, Fla., back to its original designation, 1st SOW, and expected to use 16th for its new wing at Cannon. However, according to AFSOC officials the 16th lineage transferred to 1st SOW, so apparently they decided instead to preserve the 27th Fighter Wing's considerable heritage in the new 27th SOW. Why did AFSOC change the Air Commando history-rich 1st SOW to 16th in 1993? Reader Comments

Officials at Cannon AFB, N.M., have released answers to "frequently asked questions" on the shift of Cannon to Air Force Special Operations Command. As we reported, the first special ops aircraft assigned will be MC-130W Combat Spears—slated to arrive in December. The airmen who operate and maintain those Hercules, members of the 73rd Special Operations Squadron, will begin arriving in November and complete their move to Cannon by February 2008. The squadron expects to add both personnel and aircraft, reaching 12 aircraft in late 2009. Hampering the full move of AFSOC airmen and equipment destined for Cannon is a current lack of suitable hangar space and other necessary facilities. Construction is ongoing, but AFSOC expect the entire process, including beddown of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles, AC-130 Gunships, and CV-22 Ospreys, will take about six years.

Now that the Air Force has declared operational capability for the A-10s already revamped into C model status, officials are looking at the potential to stretch more life out of the Warthog fleet. Service officials have said that the current...

Lockheed Martin delivered the 100th F-22A Raptor to the Air Force on Aug. 29 in a ceremony at its Marietta, Ga., production facility. This particular bird goes to the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The active duty wing will...

Air Combat Command has deactivated the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron—a Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle unit—and combined its formal training unit mission with that of the U-2 force’s FTU, the 1st RS, reports A1C George Cloutier. Both units operate out of...

The housing development company that has run into problems with the privatization projects it won at several military bases, including Hanscom AFB, Mass., Little Rock AFB, Ark., Moody AFB, Ga., and Patrick AFB, Fla., is trying to sell some or...

The commander of 23rd Wing at Moody AFB, Ga., Col. Kenneth Todorov, wrote a letter published in The Valdosta Daily Times, explaining the problems with the privatized housing project at his facility. (See above.) He explained that the Air Force...

Medics with the Air Force-led Provincial Reconstruction Team Qalat treated nearly 200 Afghan patients last week, during an outreach in the remote region of Zabul Province. The Pentagon’s new term for these type activities is village medical outreach. Besides assessing...

The Air Force has opened the commissioning door for airmen who may be inclined to become nurses—at least those who could complete their bachelor’s degrees in nursing within two years or less. The service plans to hold a supplemental board...

The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has selected a downtown site in New Orleans to reconstruct a VA Medical Center in the hurricane-ravaged city. First, though, it has to undergo the obligatory environmental assessment, and then the VA will...

Aug. 27, 2007 Sortie Type OIF OEF OIF/OEF Total ISR 21 8 29 CAS/Armed Recon 65 50 115 Airlift 160 160 Air refueling 53 53 Total 86 58 213 357 OIF=Operation Iraqi Freedom OEF=Operation Enduring Freedom ISR=Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance Airlift includes Horn...