Keystone is key to future of joint operations

  • Published
  • By Matthew R. Weir
  • 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (AFPN) --  Joint warfare is a way of life for servicemembers fighting the global war on terrorism.
 
That wasn't the case 20 years ago when Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Thomas Hall enlisted. His training with armored infantry rarely brought him together with other services. 

While attending a course here for E-9s from all services, he said now it is as easy to call in close air support from his own service as it is from the Air Force, Navy or Army. The sergeant major is assigned to the Assault Amphibious Battalion, 3rd Marine Division.

“Working in the joint community is the future of our armed forces,” he said. “When we leave Iraq, it was not just a one-time thing. We will carry on in this joint environment.”

In an effort to share the experiences and knowledge of the services’ senior leaders, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1982 directed the National Defense University to establish a professional military education program for general and flag officer selectees -- now known in military circles as Capstone.

Recently, the university added a course for E-9s called Keystone; the first class met Jan. 30. It parallels the Capstone course but it focuses on “those that do,” said Bonnie Swanson, vice director for Pinnacle, Capstone and Keystone.

“The course will cover the very special relationship between the command senior enlisted leader of a joint force commander and the enlisted personnel from all the services operating under the commander,” she said.

Keystone students visit the combatant commands, joint task forces and senior leadership (both officer and enlisted) in the Washington, D.C., area to explore the relationships and challenges of operating in a joint environment. The group of senior enlisted leaders visited here Feb. 6.

During the visit, many of the attendees reflected on the nature and importance of joint operations.

“We need to know what our sister services bring to the fight so we can augment them or be the lead as the situation fits,” said Chief Master Sgt. David Popp, Air Combat Command command chief.

The visit to Langley highlighted the resources the Air Force has available and how it conducts missions and carries out the fight, Chief Popp said. The tour of the command and control center demonstrated how aircraft are part of the integrated air picture -- a key element that highlights the Air Force’s capability to put the war effort together.

For Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Citola of the 3rd Armored Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, the visit was an impressive experience.

“As dynamic an institution that I believe the Army to be, we are still a lot about brute force,” Sergeant Major Citola said. “When I look at the technological advances of our sister services and (think that the Army won't) embrace this ‘joint’ thing, we will end up reinventing most of the work developed in those other services.”

“We have to be interdependent as we go down the road with the transformation of the military and how we spend the taxpayers’ dollars more efficiently,” said Chief Master Sgt. Rod McKinley, Pacific Air Forces command chief. “Learning what other services bring to the fight makes us more efficient senior leaders for (our services).”