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AETC hosts international officer

  • Published
  • By Kelly Parsons
  • Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Air Marshal Simon Bryant, Royal Air Force deputy commander-in-chief of personnel, traveled from the United Kingdom to San Antonio to tour Air Education and Training Command headquarters Oct. 27. 

AETC regularly hosts international officers to allow senior leaders to exchange mission briefs, share knowledge and compare national and international military services. 

Air Marshal Bryant has a long history of working alongside U.S. forces. Through the pilot exchange program, he served with the U.S. Navy in the 1980s, flying the F-14 Tomcat. He said that opportunity allowed him to fly in aircraft that were at the technological forefront during that time. 

The tradition of combining forces and sharing training opportunities still exists today.
Part of Air Marshal Bryant's visit included a tour of Randolph's Unmanned Aircraft System simulator training. 

The air marshal said the RAF is "looking at whether the RAF can build on what we've (the U.S. Air Force) already done on the back of Predator and Reaper, to get non-pilots into the program." 

"We have a problem in the RAF retaining pilots, so we have a shortfall," he said. "We are constantly looking for areas which have been mainly owned by aviation as opposed to pilots, and transfer those positions across professions." 

AETC recently opened the door for enlisted Airmen to become UAS operators. Air Marshal Bryant said he hopes to help close the gap in junior pilot billets by moving more toward UAS. 

"General Lorenz and I had a fantastic discussion on the way forward for military flying training systems in the round and in particular how we might make more of the opportunities that simulation affords total," said Air Marshal Bryant. 

"When it comes to future technologies we're in a brave new world where I'm inheriting a remodeling of the U.K. flying training system which is going to happen over the next eight years. General Lorenz's insights on future technologies has been useful." 

Air Marshal Bryant said he is excited about how AETC and the RAF plan to develop strategic leaders. 

"I talked to General Lorenz about the cooperation we have at our advanced command and staff college, not least in how we go about developing more strategic leaders," he said. "AETC has been very generous about inviting us into [Air University's School of Advanced Air and Space Studies] program from which we are now reaping the benefits from a number of graduates." 

According to the air marshal, a grasp of strategy isn't the only asset valuable in our Air Force leaders. 

He said professionalism, integrity, leading by example and being with the people are most important. 

"General Lorenz has spoken about the ability to go out and look your people in the face, to take the temperature, you just have to go and walk around," he said. "If you lose contact with the reality that is out there, then the decisions and the activities that you are trying to engender just won't have the right effect. And we'll end up losing the people." 

Air Marshal Bryant said retention is a focus of his. 

"You have to understand the people and the problems. What's irritating them? What's driving them out of the service, if that is the case. And then how can I go about fixing it?" 

While both the U.S. and the U.K. share similarities in training and leadership goals, Air Marshal Bryant pointed out cultural differences between service members in the RAF and those in the USAF. 

"While Americans tend to throw their chest back and exude national pride we, historically, have a rather lower key approach in the U.K.," said Air Marshal Bryant, "There is, a pride that exudes from being in the American services, and not just the Air Force, you have a great sense of patriotism and pride in service." 

Air Marshal Bryant says he would like to have some of the things, which he recognizes and admires, gently transferred into the U.K. culture. 

Whether it's sharing cultures, training or new technologies, AETC continues to work with senior leaders from our foreign military partners in order to create unrivaled air power and develop today's Airmen ... for tomorrow.