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Iraqi Air Force Academy opens its doors

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Mike Edwards
  • 321st AEW Public Affairs
TIKRIT AIR BASE, Iraq --  After years of planning and preparation, 157 cadets from around Iraq were the first to lay claim to the honor of being the inaugural class at the newly re-built Iraqi Air Force College. The opening of this institution is the latest accomplishment of the Iraqi Air Force along the path to achieving self-sustaining airpower capabilities.

The Air Force College, located at Tikrit Air Base, Iraq, recently opened and accepted its first class of students on September 1.

"This truly is a historic day for the Iraqi Air Force," said Brig. Gen. Scott Hanson, Commander of the 321st Air Expeditionary Wing and Director of Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air Force. "This latest development represents yet another milestone for their program to develop Airmen."

This new class's arrival was marked by an Iraqi C-130 aircraft, flown by Iraqi pilots, picking up the students from New Al Muthana Air Base, Baghdad, and transporting them to Tikrit.

"From the beginning, this was designed to give the Iraqis ownership in moving and processing these cadets," said Col. David Blanks, Commander of the 321st Expeditionary Mission Support and Advising Group. "In all, the Iraqis completed three sorties to move all 157 cadets to their new home, the Iraqi Air Force College. Our advisors were at the ready to assist where needed; and the whole operation went very smoothly. The Iraqis should be proud of this great accomplishment."

The Air Force College mission is similar to that of the U.S. Air Force Academy in that it is designed to train, educate and commission both rated and non-rated officer candidates. Despite the historic occasion, this mission wasn't filled with the pomp and ceremony one might come to expect - at least not from the cadets' point of view.

From the moment they loaded onto the aircraft to the time they landed at Tikrit and began student processing, they were under the tutelage of senior Iraqi Air Force officers who began the training process immediately. Similar to what U.S. Air Force Academy cadets experience, these Iraqis had to hurry up and move to their appointed positions, start learning how to stand at attention, and were of course, mentored on customs and courtesies.

"When developing the Iraqi Air Force College they modeled our Air Force Academy in many ways," said General Hanson. "Academic rigor, discipline, and physical education mark the curriculum. Naturally, we worked side by side with our Iraqi counterparts to make adjustments to the model to fit their needs and requirements, but the education and training these cadets will receive is designed to be top notch. We have been advising and assisting the Iraqi Air Force as they've built this program, designed to develop their Airmen."

Select cadets will go on to be pilots and others will learn various specialties such as logistics and maintenance; but all cadets will receive their Basic Officer Training and become commissioned officers in the Iraqi Air Force, according to General Hanson.

It was noteworthy that the Air Force College accepted its first class of cadets on the same day Operation New Dawn began. "The symbolism is striking," he said. "Iraqi Airmen are an indispensable asset, and the future leaders of the Iraqi Air Force stepped off their own aircraft today at Tikrit."

"This was a proud moment for us all - the Iraqi Air Force, the U.S. Air Force advisors, and of course, the cadets," he said. "This is just another example of how the Iraqis are taking the lead in developing a credible Air Force. I look forward to class 76's academic advancements, and ultimately their graduation ceremony."