To some people on the South Plains, Cannon Air Force Base holds many mysteries about its operations. The 27th Special Operations Wing of the United States Air Force opened its doors to members of the media to give them insight into their missions.
Cannon Air Force base is home to about 6,000 people. They cycle their Airmen out of different countries every 90 days. At any given time, they are are 15 percent deployed and operate in 19 different countries.
They held a media day to give the public a chance to see just how operations run and how they keep the airmen ready to deploy. Colonel Stewart Hammons is the new commander of Cannon Air Force Base and he said this event helps alleviate some of the mystique that Cannon holds.
“The reality is, we are regular Airmen just like any other Airmen out there and we want you guys to know that we have a very large wing out here that is executing a phenomenal mission in support of our national defense,” Hammons said.
Cannon Air Force Base houses a fleet of five different types of aircraft and complete training missions to ensure readiness for global special operations at any time. According to Lt. Col. Matthew Bartlett, Commander of the 9th SOS, most of the training missions are done at night.
“We have roughly six crews training here a day and some are either in the simulator or the aircraft,” Bartlett said. “We also have crews that are deployed right now. We have two crews deployed overseas and we rotate those crews out every 90 days.”
The top priority for Cannon Air Force Base is the safety of the public.
“You have a team of dedicated Airmen and their families out here at Cannon,” Bartlett said. “They are working every day to support the missions that our country gives and help keep our nation safe.”
In September, Cannon Air Force Base will hold an open house. They are inviting the public to head out and join them in celebrating the 10 years the Air Force Special Operations Wing has been at Cannon.
