Photo By Staff Sgt. John Ennis | Students from the Kisling Non Commissioned Officer Academy class 21-7 listen to their...... read more read more
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Kisling NCOA Makes History
For the first time in U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa history, students attended in-residence professional military education at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, instead of the Kisling Noncommissioned Officer Academy, located in Kapaun Air Station, Germany, Aug. 17 - Sept. 22, 2021.
For 18 months , the Kisling NCOA hosted virtual classes. Class 21-7 was the first in-person class since the COVID-19 outbreak at the beginning of 2020.
Due to travel restrictions and logistical difficulties, the academy sent a small mobile training team to England to facilitate a separate satellite NCOA location instead of sending all the students stationed within the tri-base area to Germany.
“As an institution, we value in-residence PME, and we wanted to get back to that posture as quickly as possible,” said Chief Master Sgt. Terrance Smiley, Kisling NCOA commandant. “It was much easier to send three instructors to the U.K. than to send 35 students to Germany, specifically when COVID measures are in place.”
Around the beginning of class, Ramstein Air Base became a vital hub for Operation Allies Welcome, one of the largest human airlift in world history, which involved evacuating thousands of Afghan nationals within the span of several weeks.
The majority of the base’s squadrons recalled their NCOs from the academy as they needed all available manpower in order to handle the influx of evacuees. This led to the closing of the main schoolhouse, just five days into the course.
Master Sgt. Matthew Money was one of the instructors sent to RAF Mildenhall as a part of the mobile training team.
“Luckily the operation didn’t impact us up here,” said Money. “This is the first time we’ve gotten to do this in 18 months. These students got to be a part of that journey, and from the feedback we’ve gotten from them they truly appreciate it.”
By bringing the Kisling NCOA back to face-to-face instruction and setting a precedent for sending out mobile training teams, the instructors ensured that their students are ready to lead in tomorrow's Air Force.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.13.2021 07:06 |
| Story ID: | 407150 |
| Location: | RAF MILDENHALL, SUFFOLK, GB |
| Web Views: | 2,405 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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