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Iraqi AF takes first steps in enlisted force development

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mike Edwards
  • 321st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SATHER AIR BASE, Baghdad --  Enlisted members of the Iraqi Air Force teamed up recently with their American counterparts to develop a Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development course, a first of its kind in recent Iraqi Air Force history.

More than 75 Enlisted Iraqi Airmen from New Al Muthana Air Base met with nearly 40 members from the 321st Air Expeditionary Wing to begin a weekly series of seminars on professional development which began Oct. 4, and is slated to continue until the end of November.

The course is designed such that the Iraqi students are broken into two groups with each getting the same lecture which is led by a U.S. Air Force Advisor each Monday evening.

"This all started when one of the Iraqi Senior NCOs I work with jokingly told me that the (U.S.) Air Force doesn't care about the enlisted force," said Master Sgt. David Smith, an Air Advisor to the medical community at New Al Muthana Air Base. "Behind every joke is a certain element of truth or at least the perception of truth. I explained to him that the U.S. Air Force takes its enlisted force very seriously and we make great efforts to develop educated and empowered enlisted leaders throughout all levels of the enlisted force structure. That's when it occurred to me that maybe we should help the Iraqis develop their own course to do what comes second nature to those in the U.S. Air Force."

Smith took his idea and a course outline to the 321st AEW's Base Transition Team at New Al Muthana Air Base. The Transition Team was able to help Smith tie his innovative idea to the existing Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air Force strategy for developing Iraqi Airman.

"Obviously, we needed buy-in from the Iraqis to make this happen," said Smith. "We didn't want to create a course where we (Americans) simply get in front of a group of our Iraqi partners and lecture them all night. We wanted them to embrace the concept and make this course their own."

Smith, an instructor at the Baltimore Center of Sustainment and Readiness Skills, used his teaching experience to develop the course. He also worked with members of the Sather Top III Enlisted Council to bring other enlisted members to the classes to share their experiences in leadership and force development with the Iraqis.

"Developing the enlisted force is very important and can be seen in the level of responsibility that we exhibit every day," said Master Sgt. Robert Mediavilla, 447th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Operations Superintendent and course participant. "Of all the military forces in the world, I would be willing to bet we are the most educated, trained and empowered by far; especially when it comes to the enlisted force. This is a large part of why we are the world's most powerful and respected Air, Space and Cyberspace Force."

It is this empowerment to the lower ranks that Mediavilla attributes to the success of today's Air Force. It is also a concept that is not necessarily accepted throughout the world.

"One of the challenges in creating this course was the concept of empowerment. From my experience with the Iraqi culture, when an officer allows someone lower ranking to make a decision they are 'giving up' power - empowerment is a new concept for them," said Smith. "We are trying to impress upon them that when they share the power, they are actually increasing their capabilities - it's one of the things that makes our Air Force so effective in what we do."

While this depth of professional development of enlisted leaders may be a new concept for the Iraqi Air Force, on-the-job mentorship and technical training are not.
"The Iraqi Air Force has made great strides in ensuring their enlisted members are technically proficient in accomplishing their mission. We have just started introducing NCO Professional Development to Iraqi Airmen to assist in the leadership growth and development," said Chief Master Sgt. Scott Fuller, Command Chief for the 321st AEW and ITAM-AF. "We have been training our Airmen for many years and we are very good at it. As their Air Force continues to grow, I believe they will take something as basic as our Enlisted Force Structure and shape it to fit their needs."

It is this desire for the Iraqi Air Force to take the basic concepts of professional development and adapt them to their own culture that is truly the goal of this effort, according to Smith.

"We don't want to take a cookie-cutter approach and tell our Iraqi partners that this is how we do things in the U.S.; therefore to be successful, they must do everything exactly the same way," he said. "What we are doing is advising and mentoring them as they drive their own growth. We see the value of how we do business and they see it, too. They are going to take the lessons from this and adapt it to meet their own needs. The goal is for them to take ownership of this course and continue on with Iraqis teaching other Iraqis."
Though only a few weeks into its first iteration, the Iraqi Air Force NCOPD course is being seen as a success throughout the rest of the country.

"Our Training and Advising mission is in multiple locations throughout Iraq. We have already started expanding our curriculum to the other locations so more Iraqi Air Force Airmen can receive the same professional development tools," said Chief Fuller.
In addition to the NCOPD course, Chief Fuller is planning to travel to the United States with Chief Mahmud, Chief Master Sgt. of the Iraqi Air Force, to further demonstrate how the U.S. Air Force trains and develops its enlisted force from start to finish.

"Chief Mahmud will see virtually every aspect of our formal training and professional military education programs," said Chief Fuller. "He will see how we train new recruits in basic training and how Airmen are provided additional tools in FTAC and transition into supervisors and young leaders with the assistance of PME."

During this trip, they will also visit the First Sergeant Academy.

"The Iraqi Air Force does not have a First Sergeant position, so this may create a new opportunity to enhance their enlisted corps," he said. "We will also tour dormitories and Military Family Housing designed for our enlisted members as well as our dining and mission support facilities."

According to Chief Fuller, he hopes that the Iraqi Air Force leadership will use this visit to bolster their current programs or implement new programs to allow their Airmen to continue to grow and flourish.

"At the end of the day, we all want the same thing - we want the Iraqi Air Force to be able to stand on its own as a capable force. To do that, they need a strong enlisted force," said Smith. "They are well on their way. What we are doing is simply sharing with them some of our secrets to success and helping them continue developing their own successes."