Photo By Tech. Sgt. Sara Kolinski | Participants in the 30th Annual International Junior Officer Leadership Development...... read more read more
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The Air National Guard hosted 60 company grade officers from nine countries for the annual International Junior Officer Leadership Development Course (IJOLD) at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base and in the National Capitol Region Aug 9-16.
The course which is held annually brings together junior officers from around the world to learn, engage and discuss security issues facing partner nations. This year’s theme was “Building Enduring Advantage – Preparing You to Operate in Contested Environments.”
“The foundation of building an enduring advantage is done through relationships and partnerships,” said Col. Sherri Hrovatin, Air National Guard advisor to the International Air Reserve Symposium (IARS) and IJOLD. “The students we have brought together are some of the best in their respective force, high caliber officers from nine nations will discuss the national security strategies and develop how their respective nations use their capabilities to understand the international environment.”
The Air National Guard was selected to host the 2024 IJOLD at the 2023 International Air Reserve Symposium. The curriculum of the course was built on building an enduring advantage, to be ready, in all facets of military life, for anything that the future may hold.
Events and discussions ranged from Great Power Competition topics of China and Russia to the State Partnership Program and leading Airmen with care.
"Being a part of IJOLD affirms as a junior officer my thoughts and feelings about our partnership with our international friends and allies,” said Capt. Jesper Kuppen, Royal Netherlands Air Force Reserve, Netherlands. “I recognize through our respective cultural lens that we all share the same core values and commitment to shared strategic objectives. IJOLD fosters that allied bond and confidence as creating enduring friendships."
The week wrapped with a graduation ceremony hosted by Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, acting director, Air National Guard.
“We all generally believe in the same things, we believe in the right of a country and its borders to be sovereign, and to determine the trajectory of our own countries,” said Pirak. “[The course] is about like-minded countries coming together and building enduring advantages. The more we focus on our similarities, the more we build network of strength together.
The Air Force Reserve Command sponsored IJOLD program began in 1994 at the NATO school in Oberammergau, Germany with 18 participants from five countries. Since then, the annual event has expanded to include more than 60 students with briefings on international leadership, team building, cultural diversity, international relations and cross-cultural mobilization issues. The National Guard began sending participants in 2012.
| Date Taken: | 08.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.29.2024 10:04 |
| Story ID: | 479760 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON , VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 146 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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