JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON -- The First Term Airman Course is now featuring Airmanship 300, a leadership-style course used to develop Airmen into the leaders of tomorrow, sooner.
Along with in-processing newly acquired Airmen from technical training, the weeklong course will now dedicate 30 hours toward teaching Airmen the importance of trust, loyalty, and commitment.
“The Air Force has rolled out a new era of leadership development trying to build tomorrow’s leaders right off the bat,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Nathan Schiers, FTAC noncommissioned officer in charge. “We’re trying to get the Airmen to understand the intricacies of trust, loyalty, and commitment. Those are the three pillars this new program was built on. Building up trust, having better loyalty towards one another and leadership, and then also to commit to the mission, and commit to one another.”
Another big change to the program is the “What Now, Airman” segment, which focuses on scenarios Airmen may encounter.
“We try to get the Airmen to understand there are going to be problems they will face,” Schiers said. “These are going to be some of the physical, ethical, and financial dilemmas they will deal with, and we want them to have an idea of what to expect and what to plan for down the road.”
Leaders realized the original course was just a welcome to the base, a rundown of opportunities and resources, and sending the Airman back to their unit, Schiers added. This new course gets them thinking about things.
“I think Airmanship 300 is beneficial because being in the military, everyone has to do their part and pull their weight and know the Airman beside them is going to do the same,” said Airman 1st Class Andrew Burn, a signals intelligence analyst, 301st Intelligence Squadron. “A lot of trust, loyalty, and commitment come into that because if someone isn’t in it to win it, the machine begins to break down.”
Aspects of the old program are still part of the FTAC experience, Schiers said; agencies come to the class and teach Airmen about resources available to them, and the FTAC staff work closely with the outdoor recreation department to make sure every Airman has an opportunity to experience Alaska.
“I hope the Airmen take away what they learn and implement it when they get back to their units,” Schiers said. “The more effort they put into learning the new material, the more beneficial it will be for them.”