Air Force debuts pilot enlisted developmental team

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Steve Grever
  • Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) --  The Air Force's top enlisted leader addressed the service's first pilot enlisted development team March 31 for senior noncommissioned officers in the nuclear weapons career field.

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy met with Air Force Personnel Center assignments representatives and EDT panel members from the 2W2 career field to share his vision for the future of enlisted force development and the pilot EDT program.

"The purpose of deliberate development is to grow our senior NCOs and grow the next generation of senior enlisted leaders to meet the highly technical and very complex leadership challenges the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force face in the future," Roy said.

The pilot EDT initiative originated with the Air Force's Enlisted Force Development Panel and will enable the enlisted force to move forward in deliberately developing senior enlisted leaders.

"We want to prepare our Airmen to reach their highest potential," Roy said. "This can only happen if we capitalize on each Airman's experience, education and training."

During his visit, Roy said vectoring senior NCOs from the nuclear weapons career field is critical to helping the Air Force accomplish its top priority of strengthening the nuclear enterprise.

"We felt it was appropriate to start with the 2W2s to handle the unique challenges associated with the nuclear enterprise," he said.

According to Chief Master Sgt. Terry West, the Air Force's enlisted force development chief, the pilot EDT program evaluates targeted ranks within select Air Force specialty codes and will vector senior NCOs who have the right training, education and experience to fill critical positions within their career fields.

Eight career fields were selected to participate in the pilot EDTs: nuclear weapons (2W2), space systems operations (1C6), explosive ordnance disposal (3E8), dental assistant (4Y0), public affairs (3N0), security forces (3P0), command post (1C3), and missile and space electronic maintenance (2M0).

As Roy completed his remarks to the 2W2 EDT panel, he reiterated his overarching goal for EDTs and how the Air Force develops the enlisted force for the future.

"The emphasis is on deliberate development as a whole," he said. "We need to ensure that our enlisted Airmen are developed deliberately for future DOD and Air Force needs."