Lt. Gen. Michael Conley took command of the Air Force Special Operations Command during a ceremony held at the Freedom Hangar on Tuesday.
He succeeds Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, who served as commander of AFSOC since December 2022 and will now become superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy, the service branch said Tuesday.
At the ceremony, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said Conley is ready to take on his new role, citing the new AFSOC commander’s experience working with the Air Force, major command and joint staff.
Conley most recently served as director of operations for Headquarters AFSOC, where he led the implementation and execution of operational command policy for over 20,000 personnel comprising the Air Force component’s worldwide special operations unit.
He also held the roles of vice commander for AFSOC’s 27th Special Operations Wing and commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing.
“I am honored and humbled for this opportunity,” Conley said. “I am committed to making this command the best it can be in ensuring we are ready to go whenever you need us to.”
