JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- It has been more than a decade since the war or terror began.
During that time, warfighting skills and technology have changed and evolved even more rapidly than the names of the campaigns waged against it. The U.S. Air Force has been at the forefront, constantly looking for ways to better train its Airmen for the ever-changing landscape.
At the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, training development experts came together to discuss curriculum and processes for Force Support Silver Flag, the expeditionary training course that prepares Airmen for real-world bare-base beddown, sustainment and post-attack recovery contingencies across the globe.
“We came together with the intent to take old curriculum and develop new objectives and a new purpose for it to meet new defense planning guidance that has been introduced by the Air Force,” said Tech. Sgt. Chad Zuehls, learning and development manager at the training and development division for the Air Force Services Activity. “We looked at what was still relevant and what needed to be modified to make sure we give the students the most realistic training, so that they can go and execute their mission in today’s range of military operations.”
Before his training development days with AFSVA, Zuehls was an instructor for Silver Flag at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. and saw firsthand the need for these updates.
“Sometimes, Airmen would come through Tyndall twice in one year for multiple deployments, and they would tell me that the tactics, techniques and procedures weren’t relevant to what they were doing down range,” Zuehls said. “In the past, the curriculum taught one standard process and execution for all deployments, so at this workshop, we discussed and decided to present the students with more problem solving scenarios, which gives them the skills needed to adapt to different environments. This type of training would put the focus back on our mission capabilities for global support rather than operating in one specific theater command. Our end result being leaders and planners that understand how to adjust their mission requirements and employ their forces in the best way possible.”
Zuehls’ current position focuses on the training needs for the Force Support Airmen going through Silver Flag, but the course also includes other agile combat support agencies such as civil engineers, contracting and finance personnel. In an effort to create more integration between the functional areas, the Force Support Squadron workshop invited representatives from all functional areas to discuss and present ideas.
“The Air Force wants more integration because we keep doing more with less; if we are doing the same training, then we can train together,” Zuehls said. “And that was one of the intended by-products of this workshop; to get all the key players in one room, talking to each other and begin that process of integration which we hope carries into the training.”
Master Sgt. Latesha Figaro, AFSVA training and development superintendent, said the collaboration of all functional areas is a vital component that goes beyond Silver Flag.
“One can’t exist without the other,” Figaro said. “Our training prepares Airmen for bare operations, when they get to their destination they need to be aware of the force support planning factors and whom to contact for coordination such as civil engineers, finance and contracting. With the training objectives developed in the workshop, we will give the planners real-world coordinating skills needed to meet our mission capabilities.”
Figaro added that the attendees agreed to add more hands-on training to the curriculum to improve interaction between the functional areas.
Silver Flag has been training Airmen for forward support since 1993 and has grown and evolved to meet changing global demands. Zuehls said the training objectives discussed and agreed on at the workshop will keep Silver Flag relevant in today’s world.
“It puts the focus back on readiness from everyone in this workshop down to the people training at the sites,” Zuehls said. “We need to be prepared, and we need to train our Airmen to be prepared.”