Air Force leaders to visit Cannon

27th Fighter Wing Pubic Affairs

Air Force dignitaries will visit Cannon and Clovis today and Saturday to speak with the media and the public about Cannon’s future as the home of the 16th Special Operations Wing.

The Honorable William Anderson, assistant secretary of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. Michael Wooley, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, and Maj. Gen. Kenneth DeCuir, Air Combat Command vice commander, will join state and local dignitaries at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Clovis Community Center to answer questions from the public about the new mission.

A press conference will be held earlier in the day at Cannon where media will have the opportunity to see some of the aircraft that will be assigned to Cannon under the 16th Special Operations Wing.

Mr. Anderson is the Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics. He heads three division departments that deal at the policy level with Air Force facility and logistical issues.

The department’s responsibilities include base closure and realignment issues.

He visited Cannon in January to gather information for new mission possibilities.

General Wooley commands AFSOC, a major component of U.S. Special Operations Command that provides special operation forces for worldwide deployment and assignment. The command has approximately 12,900 active-duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and civilians assigned to it.

General DeCuir assists the ACC commander who overseas more than 1,100 aircraft, 25 wings, 15 bases and more than 200 operating locations worldwide with 110,00 active-duty and civilian personnel. When mobilized, the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve contribute more than 700 aircraft and 62,000 personnel to Air Combat Command.