JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- How do I successfully lead and earn the respect of an organization when most folks here have more experience than me? How do I delegate and balance priorities? Who can I rely on to help me support Airmen? What is my purpose here? My mission?
Adapting to the military culture can be very challenging – no matter what rank you start at – and these are questions many first-term officers face.
Juggling balancing a healthy work environment, leading troops who are subject matter experts in their career fields, effectively communicating with installation leaders, and keeping the mission on track are intimidating responsibilities. First-term officers play an essential role as the bridge between the working force and commanding officers, and they must be capable of performing these complicated duties.
The Air Force used to offer the Air Space and Basic Course located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, to help orient new lieutenants to the military lifestyle, but the course was discontinued almost 10 years ago during sequestration. Now, the responsibility of acclimating first-term officers falls on themselves and whatever resources their first duty station offers.
Here at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the Professional Military Education Center’s solution was bringing back the First-Term Officer’s Course on Aug. 30-31 after being discontinued due to COVID-19.
FTOC is a volunteer-led, two-day course created to give first-term officers foundational knowledge and mentorship when stepping into their leadership role for the first time. The course was inspired by and is comparable to what the First-Term Airman's Course provides new enlisted Airmen when they arrive at their first duty station, but it is more in-depth and builds on everything the young officers have learned so far in their careers.
“I volunteered [to brief at FTOC] because I love helping people who will someday replace me,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Ryan Vanartsdalen, the 3rd Munitions Squadron commander and FTOC facilitator. “Mentorship and coaching is a passion of mine, and I enjoy giving new officers a chance to learn from my mistakes and experiences. Ultimately, the better we prepare them, the better they can lead our enlisted force to success early on in their career. We often prepare officers for command, but we don't do a great job overall preparing them for early levels of leadership.”
Some of the lessons offered during FTOC include Roles and Responsibilities, Toxic Leadership/Followership, Email Organization, Officer Performance Reports and Awards, Emotional Intelligence, Financial Management, and panels conducted by first sergeants, the wing commander, and chiefs, all of whom are vital connections for new officers. There are even sessions on safely adjusting to life in Alaska.
“This course was not designed to be part of inprocessing,” said Staff Sgt. Antonio Liberta, PME professional development noncommissioned officer in charge and FTOC content creator. “This course is focused on professional development and was built to improve attendees as an officer and Airman, as well as to provide new skills to take back to their sections and become better, stronger leaders than before.”
In addition to the more obvious skills taught during FTOC, the course also includes a plethora of networking opportunities.
“One of the biggest benefits to the officer corps is our ability to network beyond our unit to resolve problems for our Airmen,” said Vanartsdalen. “Building a network up front provides answers faster and builds resiliency as new friendships are made. Our enlisted force benefits from this interaction because the next time someone is struggling with a significant finance issue or equipment failure, their new officer now knows it's their job to pick up the phone to reach out to someone who can engage at the right level.”
FTOC is built on the expertise of enlisted and commissioned leaders, as well as subject matter experts, but consistently adapts to fit the feedback of participants, said Liberta. First-term officers can enroll in the course by reaching out to Liberta or Staff Sgt. Amanda Mullenix, with the next iteration planned for Dec. 6 and 7.
“I'm thankful JBER identified this opportunity and is offering our first-term officers the support necessary for their success,” said Vanartsdalen. “Lean on your senior noncommissioned officers for mentorship, and glean from their experience. The relationship between new officers and our SNCO corps is critical to ensuring we build the best leadership team possible for our Airmen.”