The Air Force is now the latest branch of the United States military that is jumping into the world of esports, and twitch streamers as well, as the Pentagon increasingly looks to the gaming community as an outreach and retention tool, according to Stars and Stripes.
This Saturday the Air Force will launch a six-part series on Twitch called ‘Command Clash’, which will put 29 airmen and women across multiple bases in competition playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, including military streamers including Air Force streamers.
The series, which will be commentated by Jeff Leach (voice actor for Call of Duty’s Ghost character), will also feature celebrities such as NFL free agent linebacker Clay Matthews and former NFL running back Ahman Green.
The final episode of the series will declare one base as the champion.
Per the article, the Air Force does not have big recruiting goals with esports as a core component, much like the Army did with their venture into esports.
“This is the future, gaming and esports are not going away anytime soon,” Richard Cooper, a civilian spokesman for the Command Clash series said. “The Air Force absolutely sees the potential of what this can be. This is us really dipping our toes in the kiddie pool of esports and gaming.”
“While each branch has its own objectives, we decided to focus our program on entertaining our Airmen and providing a place for them to connect. This is not a recruitment tool for us,” he said.
