Fiel entered the United States Air Force in 1981 as a graduate of Officer Training School. He has held a variety of assignments and has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels. Additionally, he has held a variety of staff positions at major command, unified command, Air Staff and Secretary of the Air Force levels. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Vice Commander, Headquarters United States Special Operations Command, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Fiel has significant experience in combat and leadership positions in major joint contingency operations. He commanded a special operations squadron during Operation Deliberate Force in Bosnia and Operation Noble Anvil in Kosovo operations. From September 2001 to March 2003, he was forward-deployed as the Joint Special Operations Air Component commander in Operation Enduring Freedom. From May 2006 to April 2008, he was forward-deployed as a task force commander multiple times for operations Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. On January 26, 2011, Fiel was nominated by the Pentagon to replace Donald Wurster as the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command.[1]
AFSOC commander
On June 24, 2011, Fiel took over Air Force Special Operations Command from General Donald C. Wurster in a ceremony held at Hurlburt Field. “Lt. Gen. Wurster has been a brilliant and strong leader,” said Adm. Eric Olson, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command. “He led by always putting people first in the air and on the ground. Today is more than a transfer of authority. We say goodbye to a great leader and friend. “Gen. Fiel will now bring his own vision,” Olson added. “There will be challenges, but I've seen him face challenges before and overcome many obstacles. In the transition from one commander to another, I know (AFSOC) will continue to excel.” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz presided over the ceremony.[2][3]
2008 Navy Senior Leader Business Course, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Assignments
July 1981 – July 1982, student, undergraduate navigator training and electronic warfare officer training, 323rd Flying Training Wing, Mather AFB, California
August 1982 – July 1984, MC-130E EWO instructor and executive officer, 8th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida
August 1984 – July 1985, standardization and evaluation EWO, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida
August 1985 – August 1986, executive officer, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida
September 1986 – September 1987, Air Staff Training Program, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
September 1987 – September 1988, chief of MC-130E Standardization and Evaluation, Headquarters 23rd Air Force, Hurlburt Field, Florida
September 1988 – September 1989, chief of Electronic Combat Division, Headquarters 23rd Air Force, Hurlburt Field, Florida
September 1989 – February 1990, executive officer to the Vice Commander, 23rd Air Force, Hurlburt Field, Florida
February 1990 – May 1991, aide-de-camp to the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida
June 1991 – June 1992, student, Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
June 1992 – September 1992, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia
September 1992 – April 1994, chief of North Asia Air Defense Division, Joint Intelligence Center Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
April 1994 – August 1995, chief of Crisis Management Division, Joint Intelligence Center Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
September 1995 – January 1997, director of operations, 18th Flight Test Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida
February 1997 – September 1999, assistant director of operations, director of operations and commander of 4th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida
September 1999 – July 2000, deputy commander of 16th Operations Group, Hurlburt Field, Florida
August 2000 – June 2001, student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
July 2001 – April 2003, commander of Aviation Tactics Evaluation Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
April 2003 – May 2005, commander of 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
June 2005 – December 2005, director of operations, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida
December 2005 – April 2006, commander of Air Force Special Operations Forces, Hurlburt Field, Florida
April 2006 – April 2008, deputy commanding general of Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
May 2008 – September 2009, director of Center for Force Structure, Requirements, Resources and Strategic Assessments, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Florida
October 2009 – June 2010, chief of staff, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Florida
June 2010 – June 2011, vice commander, Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, Washington, D.C.
June 2011 – July 2014, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida
Flight information
Rating: Master navigator
Flight hours: More than 2,000
Aircraft flown: T-43, T-37, MC-130E/H and AC-130A/H/U
^McCurdy, Angel, "Fiel assumes command of AFSOC, takes over for retiring Lt. Gen. Donald Wurster", Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Friday 24 June 2011.
^Dave Ahearn (August 2012). "Q&A: LIEUTENANT GENERAL ERIC E. FIEL". Volume: 10 Issue: 6 (August). Special Operations Technology. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
