Air Force officials discuss building partnerships Published April 10, 2009 By Capt. Jennifer Lovett LeMay Center MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) -- The Building Partnerships Symposium concluded March 25 here with members from around the Air Force discussing the necessity of including building partnerships into Air Force doctrine. "This symposium was important because we were able to create a clear definition of building partnerships for the Air Force," said Lt. Col. Mitch McClaren, the building partnerships doctrine lead and symposium organizer. Building partnerships is a change in focus for the Air Force, Colonel McClaren said. "It helps build security for the U.S. by building lasting partnerships that in the long run can keep the country from going to war." By defining building partnerships, the group was able to clear up confusion on what the concept is and how it fits into Air Force operations as well as the importance of building relationships with sister services. "We came away with two things: A broad definition that allowed focus and flexibility," said Maj. Aaron Taliaferro, assigned to the Secretary of the Air Force International Affairs Directorate. "The bottom line is that we can't build partnerships if we can't communicate. Our recommended building partnerships definition covers the spectrum and allows communication to inform and influence." The symposium also recognized the need for building partnerships doctrine, he said. "There was a holistic, overarching soup-to-nuts definition that, once incorporated into doctrine, will be beneficial for the practitioner on the ground." The symposium attracted building partnerships experts from all around the Air Force, including overseas, who broke up into working groups to facilitate discussion and debate. "We had the right mix of people with the right expertise to focus the Air Force on the benefits of building partnerships doctrine," Colonel McClaren said. "They were fired up and passionate about building partnerships. Now we have 50 new advocates that will help educate the force on this new service core function." The symposium's recommendations will be presented to the Air Force Doctrine Advisory Working Group, a forum for guiding doctrinal issues for the Air Force, as part of the process for including building partnerships into Air Force doctrine. "Part of the symposium's objective was to identify building partnerships issues and recommendations for the Air Force Doctrine Advisory Working Group that is happening next month, and we were able to accomplish that," said Maj. Kelley Thibodeau, assigned to the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Office. Comment on this story (comments may be published on Air Force Link) View the comments/letters page