Photo By Master Sgt. Wendy Kuhn | U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Jeremy Jenkins, state command chief of Colorado Air...... read more read more
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RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- Chief Master Sgt. Joshua Wiener, Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) command chief, hosted Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force equivalents from three partner nations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility (AOR) and the U.S. Air National Guard for a Chiefs Summit in February at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
The event focused on opportunities for expanding enlisted force security cooperation and professional military education efforts in CENTCOM.
“The purpose of the Chiefs Summit was to continue the discussion on the professional development of the enlisted force within the region, with a focus on both short- and long-term action plans,” said Wiener.
During the event, participants discussed the current state and future vision of international professional military education (PME) in the CENTCOM AOR.
“In the short term, we are looking to have rotating multinational professional development courses focused on leadership, followership, critical thinking, problem solving, and execution under mission type orders and commander’s intent. For a long-term plan, we are looking to set up the Inter-Central Air Force Academy (ICAFA), similar to that in other regions,” said Wiener.
The purpose of ICAFA is to advance security cooperation through professional military education, technical training, and other professional development opportunities. Modeled after successful regional academies, such as the Inter-European Air Forces Academy, ICAFA will serve as a vital hub for strengthening partnerships with U.S. allies in CENTCOM, said Chief Master Sgt. Diego Yoshisaki, Secretary of the Air Force International Affairs senior enlisted advisor.
“The establishment of ICAFA is a testament to the importance the U.S. places on its partnerships in the CENTCOM region,” said Yoshisaki. “By investing in the education and professional development of our allies and partners, we are building a more secure and stable future for all.”
To conceptualize the future of ICAFA, the group toured the Inter-European Air Forces Academy, a NATO-accredited institution dedicated to international professional military education that has proven to bolster multinational cooperation, interoperability, and collective national security by integrating students from NATO member countries, Partner for Peace nations, and nations within the U.S. Africa Command AOR.
The summit ended with a presentation on the National Guard State Partnership Program by Chief Master Sgt. Jeremy Jenkins, Colorado Air National Guard state command chief. Several U.S. National Guard units currently have relationships with nations in the CENTCOM AOR, including Jordan (Colorado), Saudi Arabia (Oklahoma and Indiana), Egypt (Texas), Kazakhstan (Arizona), Kyrgyz Republic (Montana), Oman (Arizona), Qatar (West Virginia), Tajikistan (Virginia), and Uzbekistan (Mississippi).
The State Partnership Program links a U.S. state’s National Guard with the armed forces of one or more partner nations in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship with the purpose of improving bilateral relations and to promote regional stability and civil-military relationships in support of U.S. policy objectives.
| Date Taken: | 03.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.11.2025 08:13 |
| Story ID: | 492375 |
| Location: | RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, DE |
| Web Views: | 79 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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