HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Air Force Special Operations Command hosted a Technology, Acquisition, and Sustainment Review, or TASR, here Oct 16-17. The event brought together senior leaders from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Special Operations Command, and AFSOC to address strategic and enterprise-level issues.
“AFSOC lives in two worlds and I think AFSOC is more central to the Air Force’s Force Design than many have ever thought,” said Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, Commander, Air Force Materiel Command. “It’s good to have SOCOM here because SOCOM is an inextricable part of AFSOC and anything we can do together is going to benefit us all.”
This year’s theme was ‘Air Commandos – Pathway to the Future Fight’ and highlighted how AFSOC is building the force needed in competition, crisis, and conflict for both the service and combatant command.
“We are at convergence point where we need to focus on our role as not only SOCOM’s air component, but also as the Air Force’s SOF component,” said Lt. Gen. Mike Conley, Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command. “AFSOC is an essential part of the transformation efforts among both organizations, and we want, and need, to drive changes and enable future success for the Air Force and SOCOM.”
During the two-day conference leaders identified resources to resolve the highest priority acquisition and sustainment issues that address Air Force mission threads and SOCOM priorities.
“SOF does not exist for SOF sake; we must marble into the Air Force and our CFACCs, but this will take a slight mindset change since many of us in AFSOC have grown-up during the Global War on Terror where SOF were typically the supported force,” said Conley. “If we want to build winning capability and capacity for 2030 and beyond, we have to change and broaden our support.”
To display this capacity, attendees used virtual reality technology to experience how AFSOC capabilities including autonomy, unmanned systems and austere operations can support the Air Force and joint force. Additionally, attendees had the opportunity to delve into AFSOC’s current and future capabilities, gaining valuable understanding to better envision its potential role.
“TASR is a great opportunity to get better synced, partnered and aligned and this TASR hit the mark,” said the Honorable Andrew Hunter, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. “The respectful, candid, and dynamic dialog is appreciated and will result in renewed focus on the mission at hand.”