Hurlburt Field Florida
A United States Air Force Base located in Florida as part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base, this military installation is home to several important and major units which are essential to the USAF.
History of Hurlburt Field
Beginning as a small Field used for training at the nearby Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field was originally designated Eglin Auxiliary Field No. 9. During the 1950s, though, Hurlburt Field was formally separated from Eglin and made into its own facility. It was named after First Lieutenant Donald Wilson Hurlburt, who was killed in an Airplane crash in 1943.
The Field provided a place for training the Dolittle Raiders, the unit led my Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Dolittle which attacked targets in Japan shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This group practiced flying their B-25 Mitchell bombers on the runways which were part of Hurlburt Field. Other Eglin Fields were also used in this training, but Hurlburt played a significant role.
Hurlburt also served as a test facility for missile development. The first shoot-down of a medium multi-jet bomber by a surface-to-Air missile took place at Hurlburt, in August of 1960, the Santa Rosa launch facility launched a Bomarc missile at a test drone and successfully hit it. A few years later, in 1967, a potential international incident when a test missile aimed at Cuba was unable to be shot down by the jets which were attempting to test their capability of destroying missiles in Air. Fortunately, the test missile overshot Cuba by about 100 miles and landed harmlessly in the ocean.
During the Cold War, the 4400th Combat Crew Training Squadron (CCTS) was created in 1961 with the goal of countering Soviet propogation of “wars of liberation” in the Third World which would lead to greater communist uprisings and shift the balance between democratic and communist nations. The CCTS had a two-fold mission: to provide combat Operations and counterinsurgency training. Again,t his was to prevent stable countries from having a small group of communists and Soviet sympathizers from overthrowing the active government. Shortly after the CCTS was established at Hurlburton, such Aircraft as B-26s, AT-28s, U-10s and C-46s began to be used at the Field. At Hurlburt, the CCTS developed techniques, tactics and strategies for developing and building a counterinsurgency capability in countries around the world from Africa to Latin America (a region where Soviet Support was significant), and from Southeast Asia (another region where Soviet support was strong) to the Middle East.
In 1987, the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), which had 4 months formerly been established at MacDill AFB, was moved to Hurlburt. Two years later, in 1989, all of the non-Special Operations units stationed at Hurlburt were divested elsewhere from the 23rd Air Force (23 AF), giving the 23 AF two roles: first, reporting to Military Air Command (MAC), and second, acting as the functioning Air component to USSOCOM in order or provide Special Operations support. This essentially made Hurlburt the home to many Special Operations.
In 1992, the Field was further reorganized. Hurlburt was transferred from the Air Mobility Command (AMC, which used to be known as MAC) to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
Currently, the USAF Special Operations School provides training for Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, US government civilian and Coast Guard personnel in the wide variety of courses that are available at the Field. Currently, some of the most practical and widely used courses are the Middle East Orientation Course and the Dynamics of International Terrorism course to assist these troops and personnel in their preparation for active combat or other Operations in the Middle East.
Up until 2011, the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) was located at Hurlburt Field and featured lecturers from several different groups and branches of the US military, which included the Central Intelligence Agency, the US Department of State, nongovernmental organizations and civilian universities. This was relocated to MacDill AFB, however.
Units Assigned to the Facility
There are several major units assigned to Hurlburt Field. These include the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW), the Air Combat Command’s (ACC) 50th Command and Control Wing, and the USAF Special Operations School.
Air Force Special Operations Command
The Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) provides Special Operations services for the US Air Force (AFSOF) and also functions as the Air Force component Command for the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). AFSOC is also reponsible for deploying the Air Force Special Operations Forces (SOF) throughout the world and taking care of assignment to the unified Commands on a regional level.
1st Special Operations Wing (1st SOW)
Focused on unconventional warfare (including combat search and rescue, personnel recovery, counter-terrorism, aviation assistance to developing nations, close Air support and psychological Operations), the 1st SOW is located at Hurlburt Field in addition to the nearby Eglin Air Force Base and Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Its core missions cover agile combat support, Specialized aerial refueling, precision aerospace fires and other essential Operations.
Air Combat Command’s (ACC) 50th Command and Control Wing
Organized under the USAF Warfare Center, the USAF’s 505th Command and Control Wing is responsible for integrated training tactics developments and testing for the purpose of improving warfighter readiness. This is also accomplished by developing and subsequently performing tests on the operational-level Command and control of the following: Air, space, and cyberspace.
US Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS)
The purpose of the USAFSOS is to train already talented and capable Airmen so that they can qualify to serve as Special operators in the Air Force. The school educates these Airment in the way so that they can meet the unique and stringent requirements of AFSOC Airmen, joint/interagency partners and Special Operations Forces. The USAFSOS designs and Bases its training on the training by other agencies including the Naval Special Warfare Command’s Special Warfare Center, USAF Air Education and Training Command, and the U.S. Army Special Operation Command’s JFK Special Warfare Center and School. This is to provide the most elite training for some of the most elite soldiers in the Air Force.
Location: 30.4272, -86.6943
Phone: (850) 884-1110
DSN: 579-1110October 17, 2011
Housing for Rent Nearby
If you are or were in the military you could be eligible for a VA loan. That entails lower than market rates to help you buy a home rather than renting!
1260 Sq. Ft.
1823 Sq. Ft.
1950 Sq. Ft.
1240 Sq. Ft.
1400 Sq. Ft.
1100 Sq. Ft.
1942 Sq. Ft.
2014 Sq. Ft.
Military Bases in Florida
NS Mayport CommentsNaval Station Mayport is a military base located 7 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida at the mouth of St. Johns River. The station has an asphalt paved airfield named Admiral David L. McDonald Field. Established in December 1942,...
AUTEC Complex CommentsThe Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center AUTEC Complex Florida is located relatively close to West Palm Beach in Florida and the Bahamas and operated by the US Navy. It performs some of the most advanced tests and training...
NSA Panama City CommentsThe Naval Support Activity Panama City in Florida is a research center in Florida aimed at advancing the United States Navy’s littoral, or near shoreline, warfare capabilities. The base houses several departments, each focus...