By Kristi Beckman.
At the 2026 Special Air Warfare Symposium (SAWS), leaders from across the global special operations enterprise gathered to discuss the future of special air warfare. But alongside the conversations about emerging capabilities, integration, and innovation, another mission was front and center: preserving the legacy that built today’s force.
The Air Commando Heritage Foundation (ACHF) participated in SAWS 2026, held Feb. 10–12 at the Destin–Fort Walton Beach Convention Center, to advance awareness and engagement efforts supporting the future Air Commando Museum planned for the Hurlburt Field Memorial Air Park.
Hosted by the Global Special Operations Forces Foundation, SAWS convenes U.S. and allied special operations leaders, joint partners, and defense innovators focused on special air warfare and future capability development. The annual symposium has become a premier professional forum for collaboration, strategic dialogue, and strengthening allied relationships.
For ACHF leadership, the symposium provided a unique opportunity to connect directly with the men and women whose experiences will shape the museum’s narrative.
“SAWS provides a professional forum where the special operations community across services and allied nations comes together,” said Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Brad Heithold, Chairman of the Board for ACHF and former commander of Air Force Special Operations Command. “That environment allows us to engage directly with those whose experiences are essential to preserving Air Commando history.”
Why the Museum Matters Now
For more than eight decades, Air Commandos have shaped the evolution of special operations from World War II jungle airstrips to modern precision strike and mobility missions across the globe. From the original 1st Air Commando Group in 1944 to today’s globally integrated special operations aviation force, Air Commandos have operated at the intersection of innovation and risk.
Yet much of that history remains dispersed across units, personal collections, and fading memories.
The future Air Commando Museum aims to change that.
Planned within the existing Hurlburt Field Memorial Air Park, currently open to the public, the museum will focus not only on the human dimension of the Air Commandos but will be a great complement to the aircraft and hardware already on display in the air park. It will serve as a permanent educational and heritage resource for service members, families, veterans, researchers, and the public.
“Air Commandos have always operated in small teams, often in remote places, solving complex problems with limited resources,” said Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Brenda Cartier, ACHF President. “Their impact on the special operations enterprise is extraordinary, but much of their story is not widely understood. This museum ensures those stories are preserved accurately, professionally, and permanently.”
The timing is significant. As the special operations enterprise continues to adapt to great power competition and rapidly advancing technology, preserving foundational history becomes more than nostalgia. It becomes strategic.
History offers lessons in innovation under pressure, joint integration, risk management, and human resilience. The museum is intended to serve as both a source of professional inspiration and an educational tool for future generations of Air Commandos.
Connecting Past and Future at SAWS
SAWS, by design, focuses on the future of special air warfare. Panels and discussions at the symposium addressed emerging capabilities, allied integration, and evolving operational environments.
For ACHF leaders, that forward-looking focus made the museum’s message even more relevant.
“The future of special air warfare is built on the shoulders of those who came before,” Heithold said. “If we do not deliberately preserve that history, we risk losing valuable lessons and the human stories that define who we are as Air Commandos.”
Throughout the symposium, foundation representatives engaged with active-duty Air Commandos, retired leaders, industry partners, and allied stakeholders. Many stopped by to learn more about the museum’s vision and timeline.
The conversations frequently centered on shared experiences…austere operations, late-night missions, remote airstrips, and the camaraderie forged in small teams operating far from home.
Cartier noted that these engagements reinforced why the museum’s focus must remain on people first.
“Aircraft will be displayed in the exterior air park,” she explained. “But inside the museum, the story belongs to the Air Commandos…their missions, their innovation, their sacrifices, and their families. That human dimension is what makes the history meaningful.”
A Permanent Home for Air Commando Heritage
Hurlburt Field has long been synonymous with Air Commando operations. The Memorial Air Park already serves as a visual reminder of the command’s operational history through static aircraft displays.
The planned museum will complement that setting by providing immersive storytelling, archival preservation, and educational programming.
The foundation envisions a professionally curated facility that will preserve artifacts, oral histories, mission accounts, and archival material spanning from World War II through modern operations.
“This is not simply about building a structure,” Lt. Col. (Ret.) Kristi Beckman, Board Director, ACHF. “It is about building a lasting institution that honors legacy and valor, while educating the public and inspiring future Air Commandos.”
The museum will also serve as a bridge between the military and the surrounding community. Located near Destin and Fort Walton Beach, the facility is expected to attract veterans, families, students, tourists, and civic groups.
By telling the Air Commando story in an accessible way, the museum aims to deepen public understanding of Air Force Special Operations and the broader special operations enterprise.
Education, Outreach, and Stewardship
The Air Commando Heritage Foundation envisions the museum as an active center for outreach and engagement.
Educational programs will provide students and visitors with insights into leadership, innovation, and teamwork under pressure. Veterans will have a place to see their service recognized. Families will gain a deeper appreciation for the operational tempo and demands placed on Air Commandos across generations.
Beckman stressed that stewardship of the story is central to the foundation’s mission.
“History does not preserve itself,” she said. “It requires deliberate effort, professional curation, and community support. We are committed to ensuring that every era of Air Commando service is represented with accuracy and respect.”
The foundation is actively raising funds to support development of the museum. As a nonprofit organization, ACHF relies on private donations, partnerships, and community engagement to move the project forward.
Participation in SAWS provides visibility within the professional special operations community, the very audience most connected to the museum’s purpose.
A Shared Responsibility
The Air Commando story spans generations and continents. It includes mobility crews flying into unprepared landing zones, gunship crews providing persistent fires, special tactics Airmen establishing forward airfields, and support personnel enabling operations from behind the scenes.
Capturing that breadth requires input from across the force.
“We want Air Commandos, past and present, to see this as their museum,” Heithold said. “Their stories, their artifacts, their experiences will shape what future generations learn.”
As SAWS 2026 highlighted advancements in special air warfare, it also underscored a parallel truth: innovation and heritage are not competing priorities. They are complementary.
Understanding how Air Commandos adapted in Burma in 1944, in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s, in Desert Storm, in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in countless lesser-known operations informs how today’s force approaches emerging challenges.
By establishing the museum at Hurlburt Field, within the Memorial Air Park, the foundation seeks to anchor that history at the heart of Air Commando operations.
Looking Ahead
While the museum remains in the development phase, momentum continues to build through outreach, fundraising, and professional engagement.
SAWS 2026 provided another step forward, connecting leaders, veterans, and stakeholders around a shared commitment to preserve Air Commando heritage.
“Our responsibility is clear,” Cartier said. “We must preserve the legacy of those who served before us and ensure that future Air Commandos understand the lineage they carry forward.”
For the Air Commando Heritage Foundation, participation in SAWS was not simply about awareness. It was about stewardship.
As the special operations community looks ahead to new challenges and emerging threats, the foundation’s message remains steady: the future of special air warfare is strongest when it remembers where it came from.
And at Hurlburt Field’s Memorial Air Park, that memory will one day have a permanent home.
Learn more and donate today to help preserve legacy and valor of our Air Commandos: www.aircommandoheritagefoundation.org
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Images courtesy of the Air Commando Heritage Foundation.
Author: Kristi “KB” Beckman serves as a Director for the Air Commando Heritage Foundation, where she leads marketing and communications in support of building and sustaining the Air Commando Museum. A 21-year Air Force veteran, she previously served as Director of Public Affairs for Air Force Special Operations Command culminating her career as Senior Military Advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.