Courtesy Photo | U.S. Air Force Col. Terry Hjerpe, 505th Combat Training Group commander, left, takes...... read more read more
Leadership of the 805th Combat Training Squadron officially changed hands during a ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, May 29, 2026. The unique squadron comprises two distinct battle labs, including the Shadow Operations Center-Nellis and the Combined Air Operations Center-Experimental at Langley AFB, Virginia.
Col. Terry “Val” Hjerpe, 505th Combat Training Group commander, presided over the ceremony where Lt. Col. Shawn “Money” Finney relinquished command to Lt. Col. Wes “STONE” Schultz.
The 805th CTS plays a unique, strategic role within the Department of the Air Force. As two premier battle labs, the ShOC-N and CAOC-X are dedicated to taking command, control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance concepts, ideas, and prototypes and putting them through the crucible of advanced experimentation.
“[Lt. Col Finney] oversaw many successes. He integrated the CAOC-X unit... happily undertaking the challenge of having a distributed location to execute his mission, to rapidly advance C2 experimentation and assessment,” said Hjerpe. “He then swiftly led the analysis needed to support the Air Force moving to C2Core Air, the new air operations center baseline system of record.”
Hjerpe concluded, “Money, thank you for your incredible dedication. You have been a tireless advocate for your squadron and C2 in all domains, all the time. You left the ShOC better than you found it, which is the mark of a highly successful command.”
Before passing the guidon and handing over leadership of the squadron's dual battle labs, Finney highlighted the critical milestones achieved during his tenure.
“I am proud of the squadron’s ability to take ambiguous requirements, emerging concepts, and vendor capabilities and merge those into several impactful experiments that advanced decision advantage,” said Finney. “The outcomes of our experiments have become accepted tactics, techniques and procedures, codified requirements, and formal acquisition decisions.”
Finney noted that these breakthroughs were driven by the culture of the squadron.
“I’ve continuously been impressed with the entire staff’s stubborn refusal to ever take ‘no’ for an answer,” Finney said. “Not every new idea or initiative works the first time, or the second, but we learn, and we move ahead. The culture of the 805th CTS is one of perseverance and tenacity through failures and setbacks. And when the breakthrough inevitably occurs, the entire staff can celebrate the success as a team win.”
Finney departs the ShOC-N to attend the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy at Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C.
He passes the guidon to Schultz, who is no stranger to the 805th CTS, having served as the squadron’s director of operations for the past two years. During the ceremony, Hjerpe highlighted the unique and demanding nature of the position Schultz is assuming, noting the significant financial implications, cutting-edge contracts, and constant high-level visibility inherent to the battle lab's mission.
“For those in the audience, I want you to realize that the things STONE will be responsible for at the ShOC would make an average squadron commander’s head spin,” Hjerpe said. “STONE, you were selected because you are the right leader for the future of this squadron.”
Hjerpe noted that Schultz's time as the director of operations proved he possesses the strategic intellect necessary for the role.
“Wes is an incredibly sharp, highly intelligent officer, who is perfectly suited for the complex problem sets the 805th tackles every single day,” Hjerpe said. “He has had his mettle tested for two years as the squadron’s director of operations... and he not only passed with flying colors, but he did so in one of the Air Force’s busiest and most complex squadrons.”
After taking command, Schultz outlined his vision for the squadron, emphasizing a singular focus on the rapid onboarding of emerging capabilities and shaping C2 solutions for the warfighter.
“While other squadrons have an operational requirement and are therefore beholden in many ways to traditional thinking, the 805th CTS does not,” said Schultz. “This means we can focus on rapid onboarding of emerging capabilities and exploit existing technology in a way that others can’t. We will continue to use our resources to build out the most advanced integration environment for this technology, including hardware, software, and developing a future-proof lab in which warfighters from multiple communities can come together to perfect their craft.”
Schultz noted that the recent merger of the ShOC-N and the CAOC-X battle labs into one squadron has already started to return significant improvements in kill chain integration, a trend he intends to carry forward over the next two years.
He also emphasized the critical nature of collaboration in achieving mission dominance.
“I believe that synergy between the military and our industry partners is what separates us from competitors,” Schultz said. “The ability to take the innovative thinking of Airmen, including active duty, civilian, and contractors, and partner with industry to turn those ideas into tangible things in short order is what makes our environment unique. I intend to remove all barriers to this creative problem solving in my command.”
Schultz closed with a clear message to the broader Air Force and joint partners regarding the future trajectory of the ShOC-N.
“The ShOC-N is the home of combined joint all-domain command and control experimentation,” Schultz stated. “If you want to ensure lethality and interoperability, then bring your people and technology to us.”
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2026 11:57 |
| Story ID: | 567801 |
| Location: | NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 18 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Schultz takes the helm at 805th CTS, aims to accelerate innovation, by Debora Henley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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