GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas-- Former members of the 17th are coming to Goodfellow Air Force Base to see how the mission has evolved to outpace our adversaries; the first of which is Maj. Gen. (Ret) Glen Shaffer, former Joint Staff Director for Intelligence. Shaffer’s military career started in 1970 when he worked as a radar prediction interpretation officer at the 17th Bombardment Wing at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Since the ‘70s the 17th BW has transformed into the 17th Training Wing hosted at Goodfellow AFB, Texas. Goodfellow is known for training all Department of Defense fire protection professionals, but the 17th TRW intelligence training stretches from coast to coast with four geographically separated units where members are trained in languages and different fields of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance across every branch of the DoD, as well as our coalition partners from around the globe.
Shaffer toured Goodfellow to see how the 17th has grown and changed over nearly 50 years and how the intelligence mission has transformed to combat the next generation of near-peer adversaries.
During his visit, Shaffer conducted an all-call session focused on the development and significance of intelligence in modern warfighting.
“There's something special about who you are, what you do,” said Shaffer. “You're getting trained to do a job and to do a mission. You’re getting trained to be a part of something bigger.”
Shaffer emphasized the necessity for intelligence leaders to adopt an aggressive and proactive stance in leading the fight. He stressed the importance of anticipating future conflicts and gathering critical information on potential adversaries.