AFSOC Medical Readiness Fellowship Published Feb. 19, 2013 By Maj. Gabe Dinofrio Air Force Special Operations Command HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Welcome to Air Force Special Operations Command-- where references to "the bearded ones" and "missions in faraway lands" have real meanings and are complex, yet precise, instruments of power in the Air Force arsenal. Here, the tempo is high, the people are highly-skilled, the equipment is lean and the environment is fluid. Although this community consists of several generations of experts in special operations forces, it's not exclusive. It's an environment where a proud heritage meets new innovations and one generation is eager to teach and learn from the next generation to keep the flag moving forward. The AFSOC fellowship curriculum consists of joint planning process, medical planning, special operations and irregular warfare courses along with studies in AFSOC doctrine and medical capabilities. The year-long fellowship provides an introduction to the operational community and defines the role of AFSOC Medical Service Corps planners. The fellow is given firsthand experience assisting in planning Emerald Warrior, a capstone exercise with U.S. Special Operations Command and coalition forces to evaluate the integration of forces and capabilities. The AFSOC fellowship provides a gradient approach to the special operations planning community and the tools to leverage conventional experience in areas such as logistics, medical readiness and resource management to deliver medical support in a dynamic environment. The end result of the fellowship is to be a full-up special operations force medical planner, who can "speak SOF" in a joint environment for deliberate and contingency planning at the operational level. Follow-on assignments from the fellowship normally are to one of the five medical operational flights within a special operations group. Duties are similar to those of an administrator with responsibilities of war reserve materials unit type codes, budgeting Air Force operations and maintenance and Special Operations Forces Military Funding Program, and assisting in ensuring clinical currency of SOF medics in a line unit. With an operational mindset and traditional Medical Service Corps skills, AFSOC Medical Readiness Fellowship graduates in their first duty assignment have deployed to Haiti, Qatar, Iraq and Afghanistan at various theater, operational and tactical levels. If you are interested in learning more about the AFSOC Medical Readiness Fellowship, please contact Maj. Lee Nenortas at 884-7868.