Col. David Tabor took command of the Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center during a ceremony at Duke Field, Fla., on Feb. 27. The center, which is headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Fla., but has operating locations at Duke and Robins AFB, Ga., stood up in 2013 to emphasize the partnership between Active Duty and Reserve members in Air Force Special Operations Command. It is tasked with organizing, training, and equipping future air commandos and executing the command’s irregular warfare capabilities. “To the airmen of the warfare center, I’m responsible and accountable to Lt. Gen. [Eric] Fiel, [AFSOC commander], but make no mistake about it . . . I work for you,” said Tabor during the assumption of command ceremony. Tabor replaces AFSOAWC Vice Commander Col. Royce Lott who has served as interim commander since January when then-commander Brig. Gen. Jon Weeks was relieved from command due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead. “Dave, your leadership and enthusiasm are essential ingredients as we shape a critical piece of the AFSOC force,” said Fiel.
The Air Force awarded a $13.08 billion contract to the Sierra Nevada Corporation on April 26 for its Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, the successor to the service’s E-4B “Doomsday” plane. Like the E-4B, officially called the National Airborne Operations Center, the SAOC will be meant to withstand a nuclear attack and keep…