Joint forces team up for first sergeant training

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Dominique Brown
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFPN) --  Senior NCOs from the U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self Defense Force received additional-duty first sergeant training to learn important skills required to be a first sergeant.

Two instructors traveled from the Air Force First Sergeant Academy at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., to teach the one-week course to 52 students at Yokota Air Base last week.

"On average, we conduct eight regional additional-duty first sergeant seminars around the Air Force each year," said Senior Master Sgt. Scott Fuller, one of the instructors.

The goal of the seminar is to train and prepare senior NCOs to fulfill key leadership roles as a first sergeant when the need arises.

Training covered topics including the Air Force Fitness Program, family care planning, financial responsibility, referral agencies, preventive discipline, nonjudicial punishment, the Article 15 process and working with security forces.

"Some units are not authorized a diamond-wearing first sergeant, or units need someone to fill in when the first sergeant deploys or is on leave," said Sergeant Fuller, one of only six instructors at the academy.

"We train senior NCOs to fill those duty requirements and teach them how to provide their leaders the information they need to make decisions that will impact their enlisted personnel," Sergeant Fuller said.

"This is great training for the wing to ensure our acting and additional-duty first sergeants are further developed and prepared to support our commanders on issues that affect our people," said Chief Master Sgt. Catherine Barker, 374th Airlift Wing command chief.

"Students were identified as top senior NCOs by their commanders and first sergeants to attend the seminar," said Senior Master Sgt. Rick Price, director of operations for the academy and a course instructor. "The first sergeant academy (staff) started teaching the additional duty course in 1996, however this was the first time ever teaching members from the JASDF."

Ten students in the course included senior enlisted leaders from JASDF and Chief Master Sgt. Ryuichi Kanomat, JASDF command chief.

"JASDF recently implemented the command chief master sergeant and first sergeant programs and are mirroring the U.S. Air Force structure," said Chief Kanomat, who is the JASDF equivalent of the chief master sergeant of the Air Force.

"As senior enlisted leaders we need to take care of our enlisted members. We can learn from these opportunities while keeping the relationship between the U.S. Air Force and Japanese Air Self Defense Force strong," Chief Kanomat said.

Air Force senior NCOs in attendance found the course beneficial as well. Master Sgt. Nicole Jackson took the course because she was recently tasked as an additional-duty first sergeant for 5th Air Force, one the units on base without a first sergeant slot.

"This training is very valuable," Sergeant Jackson said. "I have already been an acting first sergeant a couple of weekends now and this information would have been helpful to know. I feel better prepared now to handle situations that might arise with the foundation and tools the course provided."