Photo By Airman 1st Class Savannah Carpenter | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Shannon Busch, 23rd Security Forces Squadron installation...... read more read more
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MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The 23rd Security Forces Squadron hosted Moody’s first Defender Leadership Lab at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, Feb. 13-14, 2025.
Developed by the Air Force Security Forces Center, this course equips defenders with advanced security forces knowledge beyond professional military education, encouraging them to effectively address emerging leadership challenges and strengthen their ability to lead in high-pressure environments.
“My motivation for this course was to become a better leader not only as a defender but as a non-commissioned officer in the Air Force,” said Staff Sgt. Shannon Busch, 23rd SFS installation patrolman. “With the ever-changing challenges that we face as a fighting force I believe that adapting as a leader is crucial in mission success and successfully leading troops.”
Defenders face many challenges as they are tasked with global strike missions, law enforcement duties, and base ground defense. Busch emphasized that each defender shares the same goal in mind, which is to be a better leader for our troops, country and Air Force.
“The challenge is being proficient in all capabilities as well as being able to motivate our troops to accomplish a mission and take care of people,” Busch said. “I plan on using my knowledge and skills gained from this course to better guide my troops in whatever challenges we face and train my peers who did not attend the course to become more effective leaders.”
The goal of the Defender Leadership Lab aims to develop effective supervisors by teaching them how to understand human behavior and how to avoid misunderstandings.
“I think there became an awareness of what it takes to be a really good supervisor, and a part of that is being a good human,” said Tech. Sgt. Jasmine Horton, 23rd SFS investigations section chief. “The course teaches you what to look for in human behavior, so that you can pay attention to your troops and you are not being aggressive based on a perspective that you do not understand. It teaches you, as a leader, how to navigate those murky waters.”
Throughout the course, defenders learn core competencies that help them handle complex situations such as conflict resolution and crisis management. These competencies include communication, mental resilience, and understanding human behavior, among others. Within each core competency, real-life scenarios provided by the students prompted facilitated discussions. Horton explained that the discussions allow the defenders to learn from each other’s experience, and gain insights into perspectives they may not have considered before.
According to Busch, conflicts are inevitable in the role of a defender, but they must be addressed head-on. With the right ethical and moral framework, defenders can confidently navigate challenges.
“This course along with the discussions amongst my peers allowed me to acknowledge that we all tend to face the same challenges when it comes to conflict resolution and crisis management,” Busch said. “We are all busy learning and perfecting our crafts as defenders that sometimes these topics don’t get discussed enough. Taking a step back to speak on all the topics throughout this course and getting more engaged with one another is important when we want to fill all our pillars that make us capable of facing and overcoming challenges.”
Horton further explained that the course teaches specific approaches to handling different situations and environments, aiming to help defenders handle interactions effectively while emphasizing teamwork and group dynamics.
“The course improved my way of collaborating with others in my career field, getting back to the basics of how people operate while also looking in the mirror of how you operate as a leader is important,” Busch said. “Leading in high stress environments is challenging, but as a leader you are looked at the most. This course showed us how to be confident in our decision making, how to gain the knowledge needed to complete a task, and being competent in our job and leadership skills can help us get through stressful environments.”
As the course aims to foster both personal and professional growth, Horton emphasized the importance of reflection and applying the lessons learned to everyday leadership.
“I hope the defenders walk away with a little bit of everything, but I hope they find one of the discussions and really identify something within themselves in either something they can work on or something they already do well and enact it in their daily supervisory skills,” Horton said. “I think if we digest the information intentionally, it can have a really good impact overall throughout the units.”
The Defender Leadership Lab equips defenders with leadership skills, resilience, and adaptability for their mission. Staff Sgt. Dorian Burris, 23rd SFS investigations analyst, aims to expand the course base-wide as a gold standard for all squadrons. Busch emphasizes its potential to enhance leadership and help Defenders navigate challenges.
“I think the impact it will have on defenders is the betterment of leadership,” Busch said. “I hope it will also assist in helping our troops in becoming more capable, while also understanding their roles and overcoming challenges they may face.”
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.26.2025 13:33 |
| Story ID: | 491574 |
| Location: | VALDOSTA, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 95 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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