Week offers officer, enlisted interaction

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For the first time in a professional military education setting, second lieutenants and senior noncommissioned officers got together to interact. The environment allowed for improved leadership, followership and mentorship between officers and enlisted airmen.

During an initiative called “Combined Operations Week,” 623 Air and Space Basic Course students and 342 Senior NCO Academy students merged into flights at Air University here Aug. 4 to 8. They discussed roles and expectations and worked shoulder-to-shoulder in team exercises.

The curriculum used lessons taught in both schools, including principles of war, tenets of air and space power, Air Force-distinctive capabilities, core competencies, core values and professional development.

In the classroom, teams participated in guided discussions, warfighting scenarios and lectures, while field exercises centered on team-building projects.

“Initial feedback from students has been favorable,” said Col. Rick Anderson, ASBC commandant. “Early critiques indicate this is going to pay big dividends, many in the area of improved communication between company grade officers and senior NCOs.

“Enhancing mission performance through improved communications is extremely important to the Air Force,” he said. “Combined Operations Week creates an effective conduit to communicate, understand and appreciate every member’s respective (role) in our U.S. Air Force.”

The goal of the initiative, officials said, is an increased appreciation of the talents officers and enlisted airmen bring to the fight. Key objectives include highlighting the role of the company grade officer as a leader to the enlisted corps and the role of the senior NCO as a mentor to the junior officers.

“The intent of Combined Operations Week, in its simplest form is what has been happening throughout our Air Force for decades,” said Chief Master Sgt. David Andrews, the academy’s commandant.

The chief explained that while senior NCOs have always served as mentors to junior officers, with this initiative, that expectation is now “institutionalized.” In turn, senior NCOs should understand that while their mentorship responsibility to junior enlisted and new lieutenants is essential, their role as followers is equally important.

“As a lieutenant progresses, we must be good followers and supporters,” said academy student Senior Master Sgt. Richard Perez, from Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. “After all, most officers start as second lieutenants, and it is the early mentorship provided by senior NCOs that will enhance their ability to lead enlisted members as they progress through the ranks.”

Working in flights that averaged eight officers and five enlisted airmen, the opportunity to learn was abundant.

“What I’ve learned is that senior NCOs want to listen to our perspectives as junior officers, and would like to know why we make the decisions we do,” said ASBC student 2nd Lt. Floyd Green, from Barksdale AFB, La.

Having gone through the team leadership exercises, the lieutenant said he has discovered that a senior NCO’s input is a valuable tool, critical to officers in their decision-making process. (Phil Berube and Master Sgt. Mike Land contributed to this report)