In this new course, lieutenants take a deeper look at the meaning of their service.

To Be an Airman

By Bruce D. Callander

50 AIR FORCE Magazine / October 1999 ewly commissioned Air for officers had its roots in a series the importance of teamwork. They Force officers, despite hav- of reports on the state of the force. were too preoccupied with their own ing just completed years In 1989, an internal USAF study, careers, the leaders concluded, and Nof academic and military titled “A View of the Air Force To- had little appreciation for the role of training, are being sent back day,” found a growing concern and aerospace power in joint operations. to school. This time, their objective frustration among service members. Needed, the conferees agreed, is to learn what it means to be “an In 1994, Carl H. Builder, a researcher was a training program, similar to airman.” at Rand, issued another report, titled the Marine Corps Basic Course, to During 1999, more than 1,000 the Icarus Syndrome, that drew on the indoctrinate new officers with the second lieutenants will attend the earlier study and pinpointed specific culture of the Air Force. four-week Aerospace Basic Course causes for the problem. The following year, Fogleman under Air University at Maxwell AFB, Builder said that the contributing ordered Air University to set up Ala. The Air Force hopes that, by the factors included the air arm’s long a single test course to explore the Year 2002, it will be able to send all infatuation with technology, narrow possibilities. Called the Air and new officers to the school, along with “occupationalism” of members, and Space Basic Course, it ran seven selected civilian employees. the lack of an overarching service weeks and trained 312 new officers The course, unique in AU’s cata- vision. representing all commissioning log, is designed to teach the students USAF leaders took both reports sources and a variety of Air Force where they fit into the Air Force and seriously, but, at the time, they had specialty codes. where that service fits in among the even more fundamental problems The results were encouraging, nation’s other armed forces. The with which to deal. Gen. Merrill A. and the Corona Conference of 1998 curriculum is weighted heavily to- McPeak became Chief of Staff in approved the training as part of ward USAF’s Core Values and Core October 1990 and presided over a the Professional Military Education Competencies and reinforced with major restructuring and consolida- pack­age for officers. problem-solving exercises, war­ tion of the force. During his tenure, Its length and name now short- games, computer simulations, and the service began implementing a ened, the four-week Aerospace Basic simulated joint operations. new philosophy known as “Global Course is scheduled to run two classes An obvious question is why new Reach, Global Power,” but the this year and train 1,014 students. officers, including those coming di- main emphasis was on managing AU plans to bring in seven classes rectly from the Air Force Academy, the post–Cold War drawdown and in 2000, nine in 2001, and enough should need yet another course in preserving the effectiveness of the in 2002 for all newly commissioned being officers. surviving force. officers. Lengenfelder said he expects The answer, said Lt. Col. Douglas In October 1994, when Gen. Ronald the current faculty of 24 to roughly R. Lengenfelder, ABC commandant, R. Fogleman became Chief, he shifted double over the same period. is that the course is intended as a the focus to some of the internal Not unexpectedly, the ABC curricu- leveling process to focus officers problems that had begun to appear. lum is built around the now-familiar from various commissioning sources During his tenure, the Air Force core statements. The Core Values— on a common goal. “Even though an emphasized personal accountability “integrity first, service before self, individual may get a fair amount of for members’ actions, laid down a and excellence in all we do”—are the this information in the academy and list of Core Values, and defined Core subject of a “Little Blue Book,” which other officer training courses,” he said, Competencies (things the Air Force the Air Force supplies to members. By Bruce D. Callander “those teach at the knowledge level. does—or is expected to do—best). The Core Competencies—“air and We teach at the comprehension and Fogleman emphasized a “back to space superiority, glob­al attack, rapid application levels. So, even if they basics” approach. global mobility, precision engage- may have heard the terms, how they The 1996 Corona Conference of se- ment, information superiority, and are expected to use the information nior USAF leaders also took a critical agile combat support”—speak more has changed considerably.” look at the force and found a number to the attributes the service itself is of shortcomings. One was that young trying to attain or maintain. Roots of the Project officers lacked an understanding of Translating such concepts into The idea of a basic training course core values, core competencies, and academic subject matter is not easy,

AIR FORCE Magazine / October 1999 51 Lengenfelder observed. “There is a mended movies including everything theory, doctrine, and strategy, but difference between living Core Values from contemporary films (“Top Gun” the real concentration is on what it and just reading them,” he said. and “The Right Stuff”) to World War means to be an airman. We also talk II films (“The Battle of Britain,” about what the Air Force brings to Working Through Scenarios “Tora, Tora, Tora,” and “Patton”) to the joint warfighting table. To make the point, the course uses history epics (“Gettysburg,” “Glo­ry,” “Then, we move to forces, func- a variety of tools, from simulation and “Braveheart”). tions, and Core Competencies. Here, to role-playing. One example the we bring in the Navy, the Army, and colonel likes to cite is a digital video Eye Exercises the Marines, and we let the students disk titled “What Now, Lieutenant?” “This is a visual generation,” Len- know the strengths and weaknesses It presents a number of hypothetical genfelder said. “If there is a movie of each of the services and what each problems and requires the student to out there that has a demonstration of brings to that joint warfighting part- work through scenarios to a solution. Core Values or Core Competencies, nership. We talk about the importance Lengenfelder explained, “Let’s as- we recommend they watch it. Even of having different forces, but, again, sume you pull up a scenario in which though it may not come out and say, what we really stress is, know your a young lieutenant says, ‘I think it’s ‘This is about integrity first’ or ‘You business and what it means to be an wrong that my wing commander won’t are going to learn about service before airman. And, when they think they let me hang glide. It’s my time and self,’ they’re still learning and dealing understand each of the Core Compe- my body and I do it on the weekends. with these issues as they watch these tencies, we make them war­game them. This isn’t fair.’ movies. We’re trying to get them to We use simulations extensively in our “Then he starts going through a think about these tough issues before program so that they understand how decision matrix where he’s gather- they, as officers and senior civilians, to use those attributes.” ing information. He can click on have to deal with them.” Lengenfelder went on, “Our final his peers, his boss, his wing com- A third list includes computer wargame is called Blue Thunder. mander, and the [judge advocate wargames normally sold for enter- What they do there is a full joint general]. He keeps learning more tainment. “If there is a commercial aerospace operations plan. They information. If he gets to the end off-the-shelf wargame that teaches have to work through all the phases of the scenario and doesn’t like the Core Competencies,” said Lengen­ of planning an actual war, includ- answer, he can back himself out felder, “we recommend they play ing analysis, picking targets, and of the decision tree and go down it. In fact, we use some commercial making sure that national security another branch, re-explore, discuss, off-the-shelf software in class to strategy is met. And, having planned and work through it again. teach several of the Core Compe- it, they war-fight their plan in the “There are no right or wrong tencies.” field.” answers, but we want them think- Course officials insist they provide ing about these questions. In this a good workout for the students’ Jump Out scenario, the officer finally clicks minds and allow them to make their The three-day Blue Thunder exer- on the wing commander, who says, early mistakes without paying the cise is a mixture of reality and virtual ‘We’ve lost three people already to penalties of erring in actual combat. reality. Students are in battle dress hang gliding. We deploy in another Like the movies, the wargames cover and occupy tents set up at Maxwell. month and I can’t afford to lose an- both history (“Red Baron 2” and “A One recent class was “flown” to the other person and I’m ordering my Bridge Too Far”) and contemporary site by an Air Force Reserve unit on troops not to hang glide.’ So now combat (“Total Air War” and “M1 the base. “We stuck them in a C-130,” the lieutenant starts thinking not Tank Platoon 2”). The student can said the colonel, “flew them around just how this affects him or her but experience Pickett’s ill-fated charge the pattern for a while and did an how it affects the team and the Air at Gettysburg, command an armored engine-running off-load right into Force. We push team really hard in unit in Desert Storm, or traverse cen- our deployed location. Then, we our course. We have no individual turies of geopolitical history, from started the war.” awards. The only thing we reward 3000 B.C. to the future launch of If the war is synthetic, it has the in our course is team.” colonists to a distant galaxy (“Civi- feel of the real thing, said Lengen­ Like any college-level course, ABC lization II”). felder. “We have simulated attacks encourages students to study related ABC is more than videos and com- on the base with machine guns materials. It draws on reading lists puter games, however. A substantial that are run off propane and that approved by the Chief of Staff and part of the curriculum involves de- sort of thing. They hear the attack has worked up another specifically veloping mock war plans and then going on. They’re required to re- for newly commissioned officers. applying them in simulated combat. spond according to wing operations This last list includes Build­er’s Icarus The idea here is to help young offi­ check lists and standard operating Syndrome and three works by his- cers understand their roles in the Air procedures. They learn what sort torian John Keegan which examine Force and USAF’s responsibilities of forces are brought to bear when historic battles and commanders. in joint-service and international there’s an airplane crash or an at- Other books cover subjects as wide- operations. tack on the field or even something ranging as the evolution of warfare As Lengenfelder said, “Our such as a riot or a demonstration and the Linebacker II offensive of course uses the building-block outside the gate. the Vietnam War. approach. We start out with founda- “They don’t deal with every prob- Students also receive lists of recom- tions, where we give them a little lem perfectly, but we want them to

52 AIR FORCE Magazine / October 1999 have an understanding of the big they do and how that fits into the Air training program that stresses how picture. What does it take to get our Force mission.” younger people learn today. Students mission done? Who really makes this The aim is to get the young offi­cers and teachers alike are comfortable happen? They learn the significance to think of their service as something with using videos and interactive of civil engineering, the security more than an occupation. “We em- wargaming, the colonel said. forces, the hospital, and how all of phasize that rather than looking at it What the course does not cover, these different organizations interact just as a job,” the colonel said, “they said the commandant, is politics. to make our mission work. It isn’t should think of it as a profession or “We don’t discuss whether we can just airplanes and pilots.” even in the concept of a calling.” use weapons in space or things like The rest of the warfighting is largely Because the new officers come from that,” he said. “What we do is say, done by simulation. In the process, different commissioning sources— ‘Here are the current laws and here AU hopes, the students will develop Air Force Academy, Officer Training are some future things that you’ll a greater appreciation for where aero- School, and Reserve Officer Training probably see.’ Congress already has space power fits into the community Corps—some presumably might be authorized the military to look into of forces and where they, individually, more receptive to this idea than oth- developing weapons in space. And, fit into the overall picture. ers. In fact, studies of the first test so, we’re having them think about The course puts heavy emphasis on class to take the course confirmed it but we don’t get into the morals the “airman” as the basic element of that there were some differences issue with space. the force. That term has been used as the officers began their training. “Along those same lines, not only narrowly in the past, officials admit, Interestingly, however, tests among do we teach a futures block in our usually to mean any enlisted member the same officers as they finished the course but we give them future but sometimes to identify one in a course showed that their attitudes had weapons systems to wargame with. specific enlisted rank. Only rarely become more similar. Within Blue Thunder, they actually has it been applied to officers, too. The study also asked graduates for get to ‘use’ an airborne laser and The Air Force would like to use it their reactions. Most were positive. other advanced weapons. Some still as the generic term for all USAF As one officer put it, “The greatest are being developed but, eventually, members, including members of the strength was getting to meet people they are going to come online. If Guard and Reserve, and, in the broad from different commissioning sourc- that’s 10 years from now, that’s sense, civilian employees. es. Also, all the things I ‘blew off’ not when we want these folks to In effect, this would make it the in ROTC, I actually learned here and start thinking about them. We want USAF equivalent of the Army’s I think I’ll even retain most of it.” them thinking about them today so soldier, the Navy’s sailor, and the Another said, “As a support officer, that they’re ready for tomorrow’s Marine Corps’ Marine. I now feel much more qualified to Air Force.” Some years ago, the Air Force articulate the objectives and capabili- How well the training works may began speaking of its members as ties of my service.” not be immediately evident, said Len- “warriors” and trying to develop the A third said, “There was no Dis- genfelder. “The value of our course concept that not just aircrews, but all tinguished Graduate program. This probably won’t even be seen until of them, are fighters. To underscore was good because the environment maybe 15 years down the road,” he the point, units had members wear inspired teamwork and unity instead said. “It could start around the 10- battle dress uniforms to work and of just competition.” year point, when they start having operate under simulated field condi- The graduates also were asked to to deal with joint issues and being tions. Again, the results were spotty, cite course weaknesses, and most able to deal with what the Air Force but the term “warrior” now appears focused on the lectures as being too does in terms of the joint area and at a number of points in the ABC long and repetitious. By contrast, a our national security. course material. number praised the less traditional “I would hope that it would help Producing warriors may be a tall tools, particularly the interactive them do their jobs better now because order for a course dealing with ev- CD-ROM, and the Blue Thunder they have that big picture,” said Len- erybody from future fighter pilots exercise. genfelder. “I would hope that they are to civil engineers and administrative more effective officers. But the real offi­cers, but ABC has one important Youth in the Saddle value comes when, let’s say 10 years thing going for it: Most students are One strength of the course may be from now, they’re planners at a joint just beginning their careers. Those that many of the instructors are not table and have got all the different marked for rated specialties, for ex- much older than the students. The colors around the table. Somebody ample, will attend ABC before going teaching positions call for captains, has to sit there and explain why we to flight training. Others may already but because of USAF–wide shortages do the things we do. I would hope be selected for various support jobs in that grade, the school has substi- that, by then, these officers would but, as yet, most know little about the tuted lieutenants in many of them. have been thinking about that for demands of their specialties. The teachers attend a four-month most of their careers.” ■

Big Picture First Bruce D. Callander, a regular contributor to Air Force Magazine, served tours of “We give them the big picture first,” active duty during World War II and the Korean War. In 1952, he joined Air Force said Lengenfelder. “Then, when they Times, serving as editor from 1972 to 1986. His most recent story for Air Force go off and learn their specialties, they Magazine, “Training in Networks,” appeared in the August 1999 issue. understand the significance of what

AIR FORCE Magazine / October 1999 53