Photo By Staff Sgt. Alexandra Singer | U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Melissa Simon, 149th Seaport Operations Company, 7th...... read more read more
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U.S. Army and Air Force noncommissioned officers gathered for the first joint senior noncommissioned officer professional development course at Joint Base Langley-Eustis this August.
Integrating the Air Force and Army through this course is not only meant to help the soon-to-be SNCOs lead with a joint perspective, but it aims to prepare them to work cohesively in supporting the joint warfighters downrange.
“The SNCOs are leading the charge,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Lafrance Ballard, Air Force Headquarters Diversity and Inclusion superintendent. “They are the ones that will be planting the seeds for what’s to come 15 years from now. The world is shifting with different perspectives, views and beliefs, and for us it’s all in the armed forces. We’re all different, but we all share the same goal: to protect the U.S. and abroad.”
The course is a first step in making JBLE mission ready as a joint force. According to U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Melissa White, 128th Aviation Brigade first sergeant, in order to be accustomed to the joint setting during deployments, training has to start at home station.
“It’s my perception that it’s important to learn in a joint environment because we operate in a joint environment,” said White. “This course is more peer driven. We don’t just read it all out of a book, we are hearing each other’s experiences and learning through them.”
The three-day course included mentoring, counseling, diversity training, first sergeant panels, ethics, stress management and personnel programs.
Each class ensured both Air Force and Army verbiage was used; exposing both cultures to one another, said White.
“When I went to my first sergeant training, it was here at Langley,” she added. “I didn’t know Air Force rank, agencies, or terminology. It’s all different but I knew I would be working closely with Air Force so it was good for me to get the exposure. It set me up for success, as it will for them.”
According to U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Janna Dorvil, Air Force Headquarters Diversity and Inclusion chief, with the U.S. Armed Forces becoming more integrated, training in joint environments, service members can expect to be a part of joint training more frequently.
“We’re seeing joint more and more,” said Dorvil. “We have to get in that mindset because when you deploy, you’re going to be working with Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines. It won’t just be your own service. This is just the beginning of what’s to come. You’re going to see this more saturated as we go forward.”
| Date Taken: | 08.29.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2017 14:25 |
| Story ID: | 254646 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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