GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- U.S. Air Force Academy cadets visited the 17th Training Wing and 39th Airlift Squadron to gain an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of various operational and support squadrons at Goodfellow and Dyess Air Force Bases June 2-11.
As part of their graduation requirements, cadets in the Air Force Academy are required to participate in the OPS Air Force program where they will integrate into the Air Force’s mission by learning the roles, responsibilities and expectations of being a second lieutenant. Cadets were provided with practical and hands-on experiences to better learn the Air Force as an organization and gain a broad officer perspective of how operational and support squadrons function within it.
The tour started on June 2 at the Norma Brown Headquarters building conference room with the Wing Mission Brief to provide the cadets with Goodfellow’s history and day-to-day operations as a joint-training center of excellence. Following the brief, the cadets moved to the Integrated Development Office for a deployment briefing covering how units deploy through the Air Force Force Generation program, train personnel through Ready Airmen Training and cover the importance of Individual Medical Readiness in the deployment process. The cadets then transitioned to the 17th Security Forces building to meet with Airmen from The First Four Panel to get a better insight into the lives and roles that junior Airmen fulfill in their enlisted duties.
“It was interesting to see how the real Air Force works outside of the academy,” expressed U.S. Air Force Cadet Garrett Kennedy. “Seeing and understanding what each job does in the Air Force and how we as officers will one day interact with those jobs has given me a much better understanding of the Air Force as a whole.”
The next morning, the cadets started at the Military and Family Readiness Center to learn about the resources available to them and their Airmen on all installations. Afterwards, the cadets transitioned back to the headquarters building for the Commander’s Update brief where they observed how each component of the base coordinates and functions in support of the Wing. For the rest of the week, the cadets toured various squadrons and units while attending mentorship panels and briefings including: the 17th Training Support Squadron Information Technology Unit flight tour and immersion, the 316th Training Squadron visit, the 17th TRW Public Affairs immersion, 17th Judge Advocate visit, International Intelligence Training Center visit, Senior Enlisted Leader Mentorship panel, First Sergeant Mentorship panel, 17th Communications Squadron immersion, 312th Training Squadron fire integration, Resiliency briefs, 5/6 Mentorship panel and a tour of JADE FORGE (Joint All-Domain Expeditionary Forward Operations Readiness Generation Exercise).
“I think OPS Air Force is one of the best programs we have at the academy,” stated U.S. Air Force Cadet Adam Krahling. “It really gave me a better understanding of Air Force officer life, and it opened my eyes to different career fields that I have never thought of before.”
The immersion resumed the following week with a 17th Security Forces Squadron Integration. During their time with the Defenders, the cadets learned about small unit tactics and emergency response training before participating in the Defender Challenge with Combat Arms Training and Maintenance, witnessing the military working dogs in action and learning how they’re used in a deployed environment.
Lastly, the cadets traveled to Dyess Air Force Base on June 2 to participate in an incentive flight with the 39th Airlift Squadron to see the operational differences between training wings and flying wings.