Navy officer leads AF squadron; celebrates Navy birthday

  • Published
  • By Capt. Tony Wickman
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFPN) --  Oct. 13, 1775, holds a special meaning for the nation; it was the date the Continental Congress authorized the procurement, fitting out, manning and dispatch of two armed vessels to cruise in search of munitions ships supplying the British Army in America. 

This Oct. 13, the Navy's birthday will be observed here as another unique arrangement: an active-duty Navy officer commanding an Air Force squadron enters its 10th year of existence. 

Cmdr. Todd Rader took command of the 8th Flying Training Squadron in June and carries on a tradition of having a Navy officer rotate every other year as commanding officer of the unit. 

"It was a surprise when I was told I was coming to Vance," said Commander Rader, a native of Berea, Ohio. "I had orders to go to (Naval Air Station) Corpus Christi to be the executive officer and then commanding officer of the multi-engine joint squadron down there, so I was set to go there. 

There was a mix up with who was coming here and so I got a call asking me if I had bought a house in Corpus yet. After saying no, I was told to hold off on that because I was going to Vance Air Force Base instead." 

After spending a year as director of operations, or XO in Navy terms, the 18-year Navy veteran was selected for the squadron commander post. 

"Because this is a joint squadron, we use both terms. I was both the DO and XO," he said. "The Navy guys called me XO and Air Force guys called me DO. It is really the same job so it didn't matter to me. But now that I am the commander, that makes me skipper. 

"In the Navy, we call the commanding officer the skipper. It is a term of endearment, something they call you when they like you. It warms my heart to hear an Air Force guy call me skipper. It is one of those things that everyone in the Navy understands." 

Since 1996, a Navy officer has served as "skipper" of the 8th FTS. Commander Rader is the sixth naval officer to take the reigns; a unique Air Education and Training Command arrangement that happens only at Vance and Randolph AFBs. 

Vance AFB conducts the Air Force's only joint specialized undergraduate pilot training and Randolph AFB's 562nd FTS conducts joint specialized navigator training. Both units rotate the squadron command position between Air Force and Navy officers.
Commander Rader currently is the only Navy officer running an Air Force squadron in AETC.
 
For Col. Doug Troyer, 71st Operations Group commander, Commander Rader is a tangible representation of what the Department of Defense and the Air Force are trying to achieve in the arena of joint training. 

"Our Air Force students see Commander Rader as a squadron commander first and a Navy officer second, as it should be," said Colonel Troyer. "They are learning from day one that operating jointly is something we just do in the U.S. military and is not unique or special." 

According to Colonel Troyer, Commander Rader brings the Navy expertise that would otherwise be lacking in the joint training mission if he did not have a Navy officer in a command position. 

"He provides the Navy background, culture and perspective and also provides the expertise that I need when I interface with the Navy students training here at Vance," said Colonel Troyer. 

It is a position Commander Rader was excited to take on.

"I'm excited for several reasons. Working with the Air Force, Marines and Navy at the same time was something I had never done before and was looking forward to it," Commander Rader said. "I chose to come here. I called and spoke to the previous commander, Cmdr. Brian Osborn, and he loved the job. He said it was great and that I would like working with all the services. He said they treat us very well here on the base, and they love having the Navy and Marines here." 

Since being at Vance AFB, the joint, total force aspect of the job is what has been the most rewarding. 

"Professionally, having the insight into the other services' working environment is something invaluable I have gained," Commander Rader said. "Knowing what is important to an Air Force officer's career and how to write his or her officer performance reports -- in the Navy we call them fitness reports -- and the different rules and regulations is something I've gained in my time here.

"I've really grown professionally here because I understand how other services operate, more so than before I came to this joint environment," he said.

It also is something he wants instilled in his Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps students and staff, and why he feels it is important a Navy officer gets the opportunity to lead an Air Force squadron. 

"The students who come through here will develop relationships with those from different services that will last for how ever long they serve and beyond," Commander Rader said. "When an Air Force guy is flying a KC-135 (Stratotanker) and refueling a Navy F/A-18 (Hornet), they will come across people who they met while students. I have heard stories of guys who are deployed who need support from a different service and rely on the contacts they made when they were students." 

"It is important for me to be here and develop the joint culture. Every operation now and in the future will be joint," he said. "I don't want to get rid of service pride, but rather integrate (the officers) more. It is important for me to be here to help build that at the earliest point in these officers' careers." 

It is a sentiment echoed by Col. Richard Klumpp, 71st Flying Training Wing commander.

"I think the joint aspect not only introduces our young pilots to the way they will fight on the battlefield, but it also builds relationships that will pay dividends down the road," Colonel Klumpp said. "The friendships you make in JSUPT last throughout your career and when these young men and women reach command levels, they already will have deep ties to their fellow commanders in the Navy and Marine Corps." 

As for having a naval officer commanding one of the wing's squadrons, Colonel Klumpp said it carries important benefits and shows how committed the Air Force is to making JSUPT work because it is willing to give a key leadership billet to one of its joint partners.

"Having a naval officer commanding one of our squadrons does two major things. First, it shows our young pilots how our joint military works, with sister services working hand in hand to accomplish our nation's goals," Colonel Klumpp said.

"Second, it allows us to have fresh eyes on our training program, reinforcing what we do well and providing suggestions for how some areas can improve based on what has worked well in the Navy," he said.

So how much rivalry is there at Vance AFB?
 
"I think there is good-natured ribbing between the services, but I don't think there is too much rivalry," said Commander Rader. "I get asked which service is better, but I think they all have something they bring to the fight. It's like being asked which of your three kids do you like best. I like traits of each, but I love all the services. Each service does things in its own way, but they all contribute to the fight. I've gained an appreciation for what each does and I like working with them all." 

For Commander Rader, the biggest difference between running an Air Force and Navy pilot training unit is how each service executes the Joint Primary Pilot Training syllabus.

"If you tell two people to do something, they will not do it the exact same way. They will both, however, come back with the same results. In this case it is to get a pilot ready for advanced pilot training," he said. 

"In the Navy, it is less structured on how students progress in the syllabus. There is a class, but no flights," Commander Rader said. "The Air Force graduates classes. In the Navy, we start guys at the same time and they each go as fast or as slow as they can handle. For the Air Force it is much more structured."

Commander Rader is also commanding officer of Naval Air Training Unit at Vance AFB. 

"Air Force military personnel flights aren't trained or have access to Navy systems to handle the administrative duties for the naval service people -- more than 100 here at Vance. NATUs handle the administrative functions for the naval service people. I don't have people or planes ... I have computers, desks, paper and pencils," Commander Rader said.

"I in-process and out-process people, get them orders, send them to schools, write their fitness reports, send them on temporary duty, fix their pay problems and get them put on leave," he said "I have a Navy yeoman and a Marine Corps staff sergeant and together we handle all the admin functions for the Navy and Marine people assigned to Vance." 

So this Oct. 13, the senior naval officer on Vance AFB will celebrate his service's birthday by continuing to train student pilots for the joint U.S. military air forces.