Merritt Island Native Claude K. Tudor, Jr. To Be Promoted to U.S. Air Force Brigadier General
By Space Coast Daily // February 7, 2019
specially trained in the planning and employment of Special Tactics Teams
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – U.S. Air Force Col. Claude K. Tudor, Jr., a Merritt Island native, and son of Cocoa residents, Marie Evans and Claude Tudor, will be promoted to the rank of brigadier general during a ceremony set for Feb. 8.
Tudor was born in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and graduated from Merritt Island High School.
He earned an Air Force commission through the Troy State University Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1992.
As a Special Tactics Officer, Tudor is specially trained in the planning and employment of Special Tactics Teams at all levels of command to provide: global access for force projection; precision strike, i.e. close air support, combined arms, and strategic attack; personnel recovery/combat search and rescue, and battlefield trauma surgery.
Tudor has spent the preponderance of his career in special operations ground combat assignments and deployed extensively in support of joint and coalition special operations leading combat, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping operations globally.
Tudor took command of Air Force Special Operations Command’s 24th Special Operations Wing Mar. 8, 2018, and is responsible for preparing Air Force Special Tactics Teams to conduct global air, space, and cyber-enabled special operations across the spectrum of conflict to prepare for, fight, and win our nation’s wars.
These Airmen are disciplined and hand-selected Airmen to lead joint operations and deliver solutions to the nation’s most complex military challenges.
The 24th SOW is the only wing in the Air Force dedicated to training, equipping and providing Special Tactics Airmen for immediate deployment into combat operations.
Tudor is a qualified military free-fall jumper, a static line jumpmaster with more than 400 jumps, combat diver, Federal Aviation Administration certified Air Traffic Controller and Joint Terminal Attack Controller.
His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Gallant Unit Citation, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and eight devices and Air Force Recognition Ribbon.
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