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  • Master Sgt. Marcus Mader, a tactical air control party Airman, poses for a photograph before boarding an aircraft for a military free-fall exercise at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Aug. 18, 2016. Mader, was selected as the Air Force's Outstanding Senior NCO of the Year for 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy)

    Air Force OAY: MSgt. Marcus Mader

    The twelve most outstanding Airmen in the Air Force were honored during a symposium recently, and Special Tactics’ own Master Sgt. Marcus Mader was one of them.Mader, a Tactical Air Control Party Airman, was selected as the Outstanding Senior NCO of the Year for 2016 for the entire Air ForceFrom a pool of the major command’s 36 best and brightest,
  • A 320th Special Tactics Squadron member, jumps from an MC-130J Commando II from the 17th Special Operations Squadron during an airfield seizure exercise Aug. 24, at Wake Island. The realistic training of the operations conducted allowed the units to address any issues before taking on any real world tasking. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airmen Stephen G. Eigel)

    Seizing an airfield

  • A Special Tactics Airman salutes the presiding general officer during the Air Force's Annual Award ceremony for Special Tactics and others in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes Aug. 25, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Special Tactics Airmen are the Air Force’s ground special operations force, enabling airpower success in any environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Anthony Nelson Jr)

    First There That Others May Live: Air Force recognizes Special Tactics contributions

    The brightest of Air Force’s ground special operations forces were recognized for their contributions to the force and fight in their annual awards ceremony here, Aug. 25. The eight Airman hailed from multiple major commands, and included a Special Tactics officer, a combat rescue officer, pararescuemen and combat controllers. Two Survival Evade
  • Special Tactics Airmen from the 24th Special Operations Wing honor of Staff Sgt. Forrest Sibley Aug. 26, 2016, at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., on the first annivesary of his death. He and another Special Tactics Airman, Capt. Matthew D. Roland, were killed in action in Afghanistan last year. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tyler Placie)

    A Jump to Remember: Fallen Special Tactics Airman honored in hometown

    Air Force Special Tactics Airmen dedicated military freefall training into the Pensacola Bay to Staff Sgt Forrest Sibley, a combat controller from the local killed in action, Aug. 26, 2015, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on the first anniversary of his death.After free falling into Sibley’s hometown waters from a C-17 Globemaster III from
  • Combat Control School students assigned to the 352nd Battlefield Airman Training Squadron are ambushed at their drop-off point during a tactics field training exercise at Camp Mackall, N.C., Aug. 3, 2016. The FTX is a culmination of tactics learned in the first year of the CCT pipeline; which entails weapons handling, team leader procedures, patrol base operations, troop leading and small unit tactics under fire in one mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy)

    Calm in the chaos: CCT students under pressure in tactics exercise

    Rumbling down a dirt road in a Medium Tactical Vehicle cargo truck, a team of special operators quietly awaits for chaos to ensue. The truck grinds to a halt in an intersection in the forest. It’s clear why in a second: a voice squawks over the radio that a roadside bomb rendered their truck useless. As the group offloads, gunshots ring out, smoke
  • An Air Liaison Officer communicates with a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet supporting Operation Spartan Shield Sept. 11, 2012, in Southwest Asia. Approximately five percent of TACPs are selected as special operators from their previous assignments in support of conventional ground forces to a Special Operations Forces capacity, with most going to the 17th Special Tactics Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder)

    “Always willing to do more”: ST Squadron endures continuous deployment

    Airmen with the 17th Special Tactics Squadron returned home to friends and family following an extended deployment supporting OPERATION FREEDOM’S SENTINEL, in early August, -- the squadron’s nearly 50th deployment since 9/11. After the team had already served their full deployment, they willingly stayed an extra month to provide critical support to
  • A member of the Pope Army Airfield Base Honor Guard salutes an American Flag to mark Chief Master Sgt. Marshall Farris’, Headquarters Air Force combat control functional manager, retirement during a ceremony at the Combat Control School on Pope Army Airfield, N.C., Aug. 5, 2016. As the combat control functional manager, Farris was responsible for the leadership and training of more than 600 combat control Airmen -- managing force structure, manning programs and recruiting to ensure CCT forces were available and mission ready. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy)

    Combat control chief comes full circle

    The combat control functional manager for the Air Force --the Airman who shaped combat controllers’ futures-- retired Aug. 5, at the Combat Control Schoolhouse here. Chief Master Sgt. Marshall Farris joined the Air Force Sept. 5, 1986, an 18-year-old patriot with ambitions to become an air traffic controller.Going into Basic Military Training, he
  • An ROTC cadet swims during a physical training competition --called a "monster mash"-- at a Special Tactics orientation course at Hurlburt Field, Fla., July 29, 2016. Run twice a summer by the 24th Special Operations Wing, 48 cadets spent a week learning what it takes to become a Special Tactics officer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ryan Conroy)

    Future officers forfeit summer to train with Special Tactics

    During the summer, most college students are enjoying a much-needed break from their studies or working a part-time job to pay for school. Instead, nearly 50 Air Force ROTC cadets across the nation chose to push through grueling workouts and leadership challenges during a week-long Special Tactics orientation course here. Run twice a summer by the
  • Special Tactics officer candidates pull a Zodiac boat to the shore during a selection at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Oct. 21, 2014. Special Tactics career field training pipelines are some of the most physically and psychologically challenging in the Air Force. To ensure the correct individuals are on the battlefield, a group of Special Tactics Airmen weed out the cross-training candidates who don’t meet the high standards, putting them through a week-long selection process to select only the best-qualified individuals. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Katrina Cheesman)

    Policy changes allow Airmen to retrain into special operations

    In a move to meet the high-demand signal for the Air Force’s Battlefield Airmen (BA), the service announced changes to retraining and cross-flow, outlined in a policy memorandum dated April 25.The changes allow Airmen to be released from their current jobs in the Air Force to cross-train into the Special Tactics career fields, should they be
  • A Junior ROTC cadet puts on safety gear before rappelling down a tower normally used for training on rescue and infiltration techniques at Hurlburt Field, Fla., July 20, 2016. Special Tactics Airmen partnered with 60 cadets from five local high schools for a week-long Summer Leadership Course, teaching leadership, teamwork and self-confidence. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joseph Pick)

    JROTC partners with Special Tactics for leadership school

    Special Tactics Airmen partnered with 60 cadets from five local high schools for a week-long Summer Leadership Course, teaching leadership, teamwork and self-confidence.JROTC cadets rappelled down a 40-foot wall normally used for training on recue and infiltration techniques under the close supervision of Special Tactics Training Squadron
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