United States Air Force Special Operations School

The process began in March 1961 when President John F. Kennedy, responding to Chairman Nikita S. Khruschev's clarion call for "wars of national liberation," cited the need for countering "subversion and guerilla warfare" that were the heart of Communist insurgency.

In June 1987, USAFSOS, as an organizational element of the 23rd Air Force, was assigned to the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), headquartered at MacDill AFB, Florida.

In May 1990, the school became a direct reporting unit of the newly established Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).

The school also provides language training, and specialized instructions on irregular warfare principles; building partner nation aviation capacity; aviation foreign internal defense; dynamics of international terrorism; and command, control and integration of Air Force Special Operation Forces (AFSOF) assets and AFSOF leadership development.

Currently, courses are organized in one of four content areas: Irregular Warfare, Regional and Cultural Expertise, Special Operations and Language Training.

Irregular Warfare courses educate SOF personnel on a range of adversarial threats and operational and technological countermeasures available for consideration.

Several USAFSOS courses utilize expert guest speakers, many at the top of their field, to ensure the most timely and relevant information is provided to the students.

Over 700 such guest speakers, including former ambassadors, distinguished academicians, and active duty and retired flag-rank officers, regularly support USAFSOS.