Lt. Gen. Michael Conley, Commander, Air Force Special Operations Command and Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Green, AFSOC command chief, released the 2025 AFSOC Strategic Guidance on February 27, 2025.

The guidance lays out the command’s updated lines of efforts of Raising Air Commandos, Readying Our Force to Win, and Relevance through Adaptation.  

“AFSOC’s dual role as the air component of USSOCOM and the SOF component of the Air Force means we cannot afford to choose between deterrence, integrated crisis response, and C-VEO; we must remain ready to do all three,” said Conley. “To do this, we will focus on these three priorities and, as Air Commandos take a deliberate approach to execution.”

Building on SOCOM’s priorities of People, Win, Transform, AFSOC’s strategic guidance establishes how AFSOC will continue to evolve and integrate our capabilities to deter in strategic competition.

To ensure AFSOC can deliver effects in all domains, AFSOC leadership explained it starts with each Air Commando, which is why the lines of efforts begin with Raising Air Commandos.

“This is the deliberate development of adaptable, lethal, prepared, and resilient Airmen with the mentality to win,” said Green. “Resilience under attack requires we build Airmen – in every rank – with the maturity, discipline, and trust required to execute mission command.”

The second line of effort, Ready Our Force to Win, ensures that today’s force is prepared to fight whenever and wherever our nation needs it, using the force and equipment currently available.

“If we can’t win tonight, we don’t provide the joint force any value,” said Conley. “It’s all about the force generation model.”

Making sure assigned Wings have the stability and predictability to develop units of action that generate combat power and deliver the key capabilities required when tasked is the focus of this line of effort.

The final line of effort focuses on Relevance through Adaptation.

“A common theme throughout our Air Commando history is our ability to adapt,” said Conley. “Air Commandos repeatedly demonstrate their ability to become what the nation needs, at any time, and any place and flawlessly execute.”

The 2025 AFSOC Strategic Guidance was released during the fourth annual Special Air Warfare Symposium, co-hosted with the Global SOF Foundation and held at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, Feb. 25-27, 2025.

DISCLAIMER: Co-sponsorship of this event does not imply endorsement of GSOF, its services, or its products by the United States Government, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command.