Air Force drills emphasize 'expeditionary' combat skills.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: Transforming Training

Amid efforts to downsize its ranks, the U.S. Air Force is beginning to reorganize its training and education programs.

With the number of aircraft expected to shrink in the years ahead--particularly fighter jets--the service will require a different talent mix, and eventually will end up with fewer fighter pilots and more officers in other specialties considered more relevant to the war on terrorism, officials said.

The catchphrase that best captures the new emphasis in Air Force training programs is "expeditionary combat skills," said Gen. Donald G. Cook, head of the Air Education and Training Command.

The fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq during the past three years has compelled the Air Force to take a fresh look at how it trains recruits, as well as non-commissioned officers and commanding officers, explained Cook.

"We are taking lessons from the war to basic training, tech training, unit training and regional training centers. We have to define what skills our airmen need," he said. "Our challenge is developing a culture of expeditionary airmen."

Although the service began adapting its doctrine and tactics after the Cold War ended, it has yet to refocus its training programs to encourage more airmen and women to develop expertise in areas the Air Force needs, but are perceived as unglamorous. Neglected fields include information operations, space systems, logistics readiness, transportation, supply and maintenance.

"In reality, the Air Force we have today is more like our grandfathers' Army Air Corps than it was our father's Air Force," Cook said.

Underlying the revised approach to training is the expectation that the Air Force will get smaller. The extent of the downsizing, however, is not yet known, said Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper. The cutbacks mostly will affect airplanes, not necessarily service members, he told an Air Force Association symposium. "We will be smaller in equipment, but not that much smaller in people."

As more sophisticated fighter jets such as the F-35 and the F/A-22 enter service during the next decade, the Air Force will be retiring older airplanes in larger quantities than the number of new aircraft it will buy.

"We are replacing current aircraft with fewer aircraft that are more capable," Jumper said. "Typically, it takes three squadrons to make sure we can get two off the ground and deployed. What we want is an Air Force where you have three squadrons and all three can deploy anywhere."

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