Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Eric E. Fiel is a retired

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

officer who served as commander of

Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...

from 2011 to 2014. The command is the Air Force component of

United States Special Operations Command The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various special operations component commands of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force of the United States A ...

. AFSOC provides Air Force

special operations force Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

s for worldwide deployment and assignment to unified combatant commanders. The command has approximately 16,000 active-duty,

Reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US v ...

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...

and civilian professionals.

Air Force career

Fiel entered the

in 1981 as a graduate of

Officer Training School Officer Training School (OTS) is a United States Air Force and United States Space Force commissioning program located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Overview Officer Training School is a part of the Jeanne M. Holm Center f ...

. He has held a variety of assignments and has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. Additionally, he has held a variety of staff positions at major command, unified command, Air Staff and Secretary of the Air Force levels. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Vice Commander, Headquarters

Pentagon In geometry, a pentagon () is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple polygon, simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simple or list of self-intersecting polygons, self-intersecting. A self-intersecting ...

, Washington, D.C. Fiel has significant experience in combat and leadership positions in major joint contingency operations. He commanded a special operations squadron during

Operation Deliberate Force Operation Deliberate Force was a sustained air campaign conducted by NATO, in concert with the UNPROFOR ground operations, to undermine the military capability of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS), which had threatened and attacked UN-desig ...

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

and

Operation Noble Anvil The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an ag ...

in Kosovo operations. From September 2001 to March 2003, he was forward-deployed as the Joint Special Operations Air Component commander in

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...

. From May 2006 to April 2008, he was forward-deployed as a task force commander multiple times for operations Enduring Freedom and

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

. On January 26, 2011, Fiel was nominated by the Pentagon to replace Donald Wurster as the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command.

AFSOC commander

On June 24, 2011, Fiel took over Air Force Special Operations Command from General Donald C. Wurster in a ceremony held at Hurlburt Field. “Lt. Gen. Wurster has been a brilliant and strong leader,” said Adm. Eric Olson, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command. “He led by always putting people first in the air and on the ground. Today is more than a transfer of authority. We say goodbye to a great leader and friend. “Gen. Fiel will now bring his own vision,” Olson added. “There will be challenges, but I've seen him face challenges before and overcome many obstacles. In the transition from one commander to another, I know (AFSOC) will continue to excel.”

Air Force Chief of Staff The chief of staff of the Air Force (acronym: CSAF, or AF/CC) is the service chief of the United States Air Force. They are the principal military advisor to the secretary of the Air Force on matter pertaining to the Air Force. They are a mem ...

Gen.

Norton Schwartz Norton Allan Schwartz (born 14 December 1951) is a retired United States Air Force general who served as the 19th Chief of Staff of the Air Force from 12 August 2008, until his retirement in 2012. He previously served as commander, United State ...

presided over the ceremony. After Fiel assumed command he initiated a re-assessment of AFSOCs combat priorities. As a result, various changes were instituted, including a re-missioning of the MC-130W as the AC-130W gunship for increased capabilities in precision airstrike support, the 24th Special Operations Wing was stood up composed entirely of Special Tactics Squadrons as well as their training squadron. The Special Tactics Squadrons are made up of Special Tactics Officers, Combat Controllers,

Combat Rescue Officer Combat Rescue Officer (CRO) is a Special Warfare Officer career field in the United States Air Force. Its Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) is 19ZXC and it was created to strengthen USAF Special Warfare personnel recovery capabilities by providin ...

Pararescuemen Pararescuemen (also known as Pararescue Jumpers or PJs) are United States Air Force Special operations, special operators who conduct personnel recovery and combat search and rescue operations as well as other missions for the U.S. military and ...

, Special Operations Weather Officers and Airmen, Air Liaison Officers, Tactical Air Control Party operators, and a number of combat support airmen which comprise 58 Air Force specialties.

Education

*1980 Bachelor of Science degree in management,

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

, New York *1984

Squadron Officer School Squadron Officer School (SOS), is a 5.5-week-long Professional Military Education (PME) course for U.S. Air Force and Space Force Captains, Department of the Air Force Civilian (DAFC) equivalents and International Officers. It fulfills the ...

, Maxwell AFB, Alabama *1989 Master's degree in management,

Troy State University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. It was one ...

*1992

Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...

, Kansas *1992

Armed Forces Staff College The Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), located in Norfolk, Virginia, was established as the Armed Forces Staff College in 1946 and incorporated into the National Defense University in August 1981. It educates and acculturates joint and multinat ...

, Norfolk, Virginia *2001 Master's degree in strategic studies,

Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University (United States Air Force), Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, ...

Maxwell AFB Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. ...

, Alabama *2005 National Security Management Course,

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

, New York *2008 Navy Senior Leader Business Course, Kenan-Flagler Business School,

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

at Chapel Hill

Assignments

* July 1981 – July 1982, student, undergraduate navigator training and electronic warfare officer training, 323rd Flying Training Wing, Mather AFB, California * August 1982 – July 1984, MC-130E EWO instructor and executive officer, 8th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida * August 1984 – July 1985, standardization and evaluation EWO, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida * August 1985 – August 1986, executive officer, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida * September 1986 – September 1987, Air Staff Training Program, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. * September 1987 – September 1988, chief of MC-130E Standardization and Evaluation, Headquarters 23rd Air Force, Hurlburt Field, Florida * September 1988 – September 1989, chief of Electronic Combat Division, Headquarters 23rd Air Force, Hurlburt Field, Florida * September 1989 – February 1990, executive officer to the Vice Commander, 23rd Air Force, Hurlburt Field, Florida * February 1990 – May 1991, aide-de-camp to the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida * June 1991 – June 1992, student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas * June 1992 – September 1992, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia * September 1992 – April 1994, chief of North Asia Air Defense Division, Joint Intelligence Center Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii * April 1994 – August 1995, chief of Crisis Management Division, Joint Intelligence Center Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii * September 1995 – January 1997, director of operations, 18th Flight Test Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida * February 1997 – September 1999, assistant director of operations, director of operations and commander of 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida * September 1999 – July 2000, deputy commander of 16th Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Florida * August 2000 – June 2001, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama * July 2001 – April 2003, commander of Aviation Tactics Evaluation Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina * April 2003 – May 2005, commander of 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico * June 2005 – December 2005, director of operations, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida * December 2005 – April 2006, commander of Air Force Special Operations Forces, Hurlburt Field, Florida * April 2006 – April 2008, deputy commanding general of Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina * May 2008 – September 2009, director of Center for Force Structure, Requirements, Resources and Strategic Assessments, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Florida * October 2009 – June 2010, chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Florida * June 2010 – June 2011, vice commander, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, Washington, D.C. * June 2011 – July 2014, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida

Flight information

*Rating: Master navigator *Flight hours: More than 2,000 *Aircraft flown: T-43, T-37, MC-130E/H and AC-130A/H/U

Decorations and badges

Promotion dates

* Second Lieutenant July 15, 1981 *

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

July 15, 1983 * US-O3 insignia

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

July 15, 1985 * US-O4 insignia

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

October 1, 1991 * US-O5 insignia

Lieutenant Colonel December 1, 1996 * US-O6 insignia

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

March 1, 2001 * US-O7 insignia

Brigadier General Nov. 2, 2006 * US-O8 insignia

Major General Dec. 3, 2009 * US-O9 insignia

June 11, 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiel, Eric Year of birth missing (living people) Living people United States Air Force generals Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Members of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America