In This New Course, Lieutenants Take a Deeper Look at the Meaning of Their Service
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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- pack age 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, glob al 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,” “Glo ry,” “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 war game 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”).