International academy program gives worldly perspective Published Aug. 23, 2005 By Eddie Kovsky U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) -- Today’s officers must be prepared to function in an international environment. While the academy’s international program provides cadets with a variety of opportunities to hone their leadership skills overseas, foreign cadets travel here to study similar skills.There are 48 four-year international cadets from 24 nations enrolled at the academy, as well as 16 semester exchange students from four other countries.Upon arrival, about a week before the rest of the basic cadets arrive, the international cadets participate in an orientation program to prepare them for basic cadet training. Program directors provide them with sponsor families, assist them with class schedules and provide them with a cultural briefing.Program officials act as initial academic advisers until the cadets select a major, and help mentor each student as they integrate into the cadet wing.“The nature of the conflicts that we face dictates that we work together with multinational forces under difficult circumstances,” said Maj. Barry Savage, international programs director.“Our hope is that these international cadets who graduate from the academy will return to their home countries and rise to command levels over time. Then, during periods of conflict, we will be able to work with allied forces led by graduates who understand the way we operate and are able to function effectively in our culture.Each year, the office of the secretary of defense determines which countries will be invited to submit applications for the three service academies. For the class of 2009, 140 countries received invitations through the military attaches at the U.S. Embassy in each country. There were 29 applicants for the academy’s Class of 2009, but only 11 applicants met the entrance requirements, which are essentially the same as for any U.S. applicant.Individual applicants may apply to all three academies, and if accepted to more than one, may determine which appointment to accept.The cadets who are here for four years are held to the same academic, military and physical standards as any U.S. cadet, and if they fail to meet those standards they are disenrolled, officials here said.One of the current full-time international students, Cadet 1st Class Maurice Kamgaing from Cameroon, has made the most of his time here. When he arrived three years ago, he could barely speak English and had academic difficulties. The senior is now on the dean’s list and worked last summer as a cadre during basic cadet training.“The application of what I have learned will be even harder than my experiences of adapting here at the academy,” Cadet Kamgaing said.“It has been amazing to see the system of progression that allows everyone a chance to take a leadership role as the natural next step,” said Cadet Kamgaing of his basic cadet training experience. “As a section commander, I had a lot to take in.”Cadet Kamgaing holds a hereditary title in Cameroon, which presented a unique cultural challenge. Accepting that he held no rank as a basic cadet was not always easy for him to do.“By succession, I took over my grandfather’s position of nobility when I was 4. That makes me the primary one responsible for the family, including my grandfather’s relatives and descendants,” Cadet Kamgaing said. “I hold his nobility title in the village. I was surprised by the difficulty of adapting to the extreme pressure of submitting to authority (at the academy).”When he does return to Cameroon after graduating in the spring, Cadet Kamgaing has big plans for putting his academy experience to use.“I want to be politically involved to help my country develop to its full potential,” said Cadet Kamgaing, who is majoring in economics. “I want to join the World Bank, get a master’s degree and assist in developing poor countries that can benefit from my ideas and experiences.”Besides international cadets who attend the academy full time, cadets from other foreign service academies also spend a semester here. The semester exchange cadets attend classes and participate in squadron activities, but they receive only pass/fail grades and do not generally assume leadership roles in the squadron.The semester exchange program currently allows 18 academy cadets to study at air force academies in Canada, Chile, France, Germany and Spain. In return, 18 cadets from those five countries attend class here for the fall semester.“The benefit to us (and to them) is that our cadets get ‘boots on the ground’ experience in a foreign country,” Major Savage said. “They are required to take college courses in a foreign language, have foreign roommates and are completely immersed in that culture for about six months.They all return to their respective academies with a greater understanding and awareness of the similarities and differences between people and cultures, and hopefully will gain an appreciation for what cadets in a foreign culture experience on a daily basis.”Both of the exchange cadets from the Royal Military College of Canada served as attached cadre during the second phase of basic cadet training here.“It was a bit strange training American recruits, given that I was by no means an expert in American drill movements and American military knowledge,” said Cadet 2nd Class Ben Nasmith.“I had to determine which parts of my Canadian forces knowledge base would be applicable to the basic cadets here at the academy,” he said. “Fortunately, there are many issues that I was able to work on with the basic cadets, such as teamwork, work ethic, discipline, sense of urgency, respect and physical training.Out of about 1,000 cadets attending the Royal Military College, six are selected to attend semester exchanges at the U.S. service academies. Since the college is a tri-service school, only two cadets are sent to each of the three service academies in the U.S.“I came in order to take advantage of the aviation training available here and to meet the people I will, hopefully, have the privilege of working with in the future,” said Cadet 1st Class Alan Lockerby.“As a future aerospace controller, a full 50 percent of my postings are out of country. Having an impression of how things work in a foreign military couldn’t hurt in the long run,” he said.“While military academies worldwide share much in common, there are both subtle and obvious differences,” Cadet Nasmith said. “Perhaps I’ll learn a new way of leadership that I can bring back and share at my school. I will continue to study working toward a (Bachelor of Science) in mathematics and physics. I’ve managed to find parallel courses here to what I would normally take in Canada. I’m also interested in learning about space-based applications of my degree.”There are 48full-time international students currently attending the academy from 24 countries. Countries include Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Latvia, Taiwan, Romania, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Pakistan, Cameroon, Bulgaria, Jamaica, Singapore, Philippines, South Korea, Colombia, Peru, Honduras, Lithuania, Suriname, Thailand, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Tunisia.There are also two Canadians, two Chileans, eight French, and four Spanish cadets here for the fall semester exchange.