(upbeat music) (indistinct dialogue) - [Announcer] The air force has announced the creation of a new information operations technical training school. - [Soldier] The first command, simply must arm our air men to out train, out perform, out partner, out innovate any potential adversary. - [Announcer] Air force basic military training has an updated curriculum with a new focus on readiness and lethality. The first command, the air force starts here. (bang) - [Sergeant Keith] Hello everybody, and welcome to the Air Force Starts Here, podcast. I am your host for this professional development podcast. Staff Sergeant Keith James from the AETC public affairs team. As you know, this podcast is dedicated to bringing total force, Big A airman tips, tricks and lessons learned from the recruiting training and education worlds. In this episode, we're discussing voluntary, developmental special duty positions that help build, teach and aid airman to lead, allowing the air force to continue to be the world's greatest which we call, force generators. Force generators consist of recruiters, instructors, training, leaders and airmen who develop the airmen we need. Join us to discuss force generators and their importance of ensuring the air force of tomorrow is Air Education and Training Command's command chief, Chief Master Sergeant, Eric Thompson. Thank you for joining us. (whirl sound) - [Sergeant Thompson] Hey, good morning. It's pretty awesome to be with you. - [Sergeant Keith] So to begin, highlighting our first generators is a major priority. As we know, they maintain our competitive edge over our adversaries. But can you elaborate as to why it's important to you? - [Sergeant Thompson] Yeah, thanks. Thanks for the opportunity to spend time with you guys today and talk about a really important topic. It's going to be a long answer, I'm sorry. There's not a short answer to this one but it's because it's important. General Brown in his accelerate change or lose in action orders, highlighted that airman as one of the first action orders, is one of the most important action orders that we could possibly get after. General Web in his priorities of advance, enhance, transform and cultivate made advancing force generation one of his first priorities because of the importance of it. And in that is, valuing force generators because of the role that they play. I think it's important for me to champion the boss's priorities and champion our chief of staff's priorities and make sure that we're taking care of the things that we need to take care of and focusing our effort, our effort, excuse me, where those efforts can a: be best utilized and b: our most important. Force generators are absolutely part of that. And our air force needs to understand that that role is important, that that role is valued and that they understand that there's no way that we can create the air force of tomorrow, the air force of 2040, without incredible airmen filling these force generation roles. Our force generators do great work every day, in tough conditions, and they absolutely deserve to be highlighted and recognized for the incredible contribution they make to our air force. - [Sergeant Keith] Thank you, chief. And for my next question. Why should the air force value force generators and these special duty assignments? - [Sergeant Thompson] Well, you know, there's really two aspects to that question I think, or two answers to that question. The first one is that, as I said before, we're creating the air force of 2040 today, right? The air force that we create today is not the air force that's going to fight tomorrow. It's going to be the air force that's going to fight all the way through 2040. As we create this next generation, we have to not create a 1982 or a 1992 or a 2002 air force. We have to create a 2022, 2030 to 2042 air force. And we have to instill in these young men and women both officer and enlisted, and even our civilian airmen, the requirements, capabilities and expectations that our air force is going to have as we go forward towards the future fight, great power competition and the things that our country needs us to do. That's one aspect of it. I think the other aspect of it is the reward for our airman that volunteer to fill these force generation roles. Our air force should value the leadership skills, the training skills, and the development that we put into these airmen during the time that AETC has them to fill these roles. - [Sergeant Keith] And how do force generators lay the foundation for developing the airmen that we need? - [Sergeant Thompson] Well, it starts obviously with the national security strategy and national defense strategy, right? That defines what it is that our country needs our air force to be able to do. Underneath that, we have the accelerate change or lose charge given to us by a chief staff of the air force, General Brown and then the emergent concepts of agile combat employment, multifunctional airmen, multi-capable airmen, i.e, how are we going to employ and deploy in the future? We have to take this amazing generation of young men and women that are joining our air force, both officer and enlisted, and build upon the education, talent and skills that they have, to create agile war fighters. Agile war fighters that can take commander's intent and then go execute. Agile war fighters that can deploy and be ready to deploy, at a moment's notice and go do great things. And that's going to require us to continue to pour a lot of development and training into these folks. That's where force generators come in. - [Sergeant Keith] And what should airmen who fill these voluntary positions know if they're undecided about what these positions offer and how it can affect their careers? - [Sergeant Thompson] Yeah. So first off, they should know that this is important work. The importance of taking care of the seed corn to use an agricultural or a farming analogy is critical, right? If you don't take care of your seed corn, you will not be able to have a crop the next season. Every farmer knows that. We know as an organization, as an enterprise, that if we don't take care of the people coming into our air force, that we will not have a great air force coming out of it. So, please don't for a second misunderstand how important this work is. The number two thing they should know, is that this will improve you. This will make you a better airman, a better leader, a better follower, and it'll give you experiences that you will not get anywhere else. And then the last part is that, this is not a one and done. It will be a continuous development process throughout your time as a force generator. So, you come and see us for a couple of years, for three years. We're not just going to spend a little bit of time pouring into you, we're going to keep pouring into you the whole time and make sure that you're able to play at the top of your game. - [Sergeant Keith] What skills and benefits will airmen earn and gain from volunteering for these positions? - [Sergeant Thompson] Yeah. So, number one, we're going to teach you leadership and followership skills. And I say both of those, because they're two sides of the same coin. You cannot be a good leader without being a good follower. So, we're going to teach you those incredible skills. Maybe you don't have great leadership capability or you have anxiety about being a leader now, standing up in front of a large group of people and helping direct them and lead them. We are going to give you the tools, the skills, the training, and the encouragement and support that you need to go do that. I've talked to folks in the MTI, MTL recruiting career fields, tech training instructors, PME instructors, who have told me that five years ago, two years ago, even three months ago, they never thought that they would be able to get up in front of a group of people the way that they can now, command an audience, get the job done, get their message across and ensure that their learners are learning. So, that's number one. Number two, we're going to teach you public speaking, public presence, how to be a force in the room. And then most importantly, we're going to teach you organizational and time management skills. You cannot do this job, you cannot be effective in this job, without good organizational and time management skills. And we're going to give you that capability. - [Sergeant Keith] And to go along with that, what are some of the myths or misconceptions about becoming a force generator? - [Sergeant Thompson] Yeah, there's a lot of them out there. Number one is that it's just a big factory. It's a big assembly line. And all we're doing is turning out airmen. We bring in civilians in one end, turn out airmen in the other end, and we don't care about the people working in the assembly line. That's one myth. That's absolutely not true. We care deeply about our force generators and want to make sure that our force generators are recognized and rewarded for the great work that they do. Another myth is that special duties will hurt your career because you're coming out of your primary AFSC for a period of time. That's also not accurate. In fact, the numbers show that being involved, being assigned in a developmental special duty, actually is beneficial to your career long-term. Commanders value the airmen that we develop here in AETC that are doing force generation roles. And then the last myth is that it'll put you behind in promotions, and that's also not accurate. The numbers bear that out, that by and large, airmen officer enlisted that are in special duty, instructor, recruiter, and special duty roles actually benefit on the promotion front in the out years. - [Sergeant Keith] And then, as you say, special duties require an airman to leave their current career field for some time. Is there any thing in place to help better prepare them to return to the career field after they're done being a force generator? - [Sergeant Thompson] Yeah. So, that's a really, really important question. So, there is some aspect of this in place but it's a work in progress. So, let me tell you what we're trying to do, right? So, I believe as the command chief for education and training command that we should have a very deliberate four step process for our special duty, for our force generator airmen. Number one, your hiring and onboarding, should be world-class. It should be transparent. You should know exactly what's going on in the application process. It should be easy to apply and your supervisor and commanders should be involved in not only the application process, but in letting you know whether you've been selected or not selected this cycle for a force generation special duty role. That's number one. Number two, your training and tools should be the best that they can be. We should give you everything you need to be successful. I think we're killing it on number two right now. Number three, we should continue to develop you throughout the time that you're in a developmental special duty role. So, it's not a once and done, there's continuous training, classes and everything to not only keep you at the top of your force generation game, but to prepare you to be a leader, when you go back to your AFSC in the air force. And then number four, we should have a world-class off boarding program. And that off boarding program should include how to transition from a special duty force generation role back to your operational AFSC, as well as, getting you prepared to do that with whatever training is required. - [Sergeant Keith] And what should the airman who is filling the force generator position know about their role in creating the air force of 2040? - [Sergeant Thompson] Yeah. So, this is, you've hit one of my taglines there. And I say this quite a bit that, we're not creating the air force for today. We created that air force 10 years ago. We're creating the air force of 2040. We're going to create the air force that's going to fight a great power competition fight, if it's required. They should know that what they do is critically important in executing our national security strategy, our national defense strategy, and ensuring that the United States air force is the best air force in the world. There is no air force that is like ours. And the strength of our air force is absolutely our airmen. The airplanes are cool. The technology is fascinating. The guns are neat. So, what makes our air force the envy of the world, is the training, education and development of our officer enlisted and civilian airman core. And the majority of that occurs right here in Air Education and Training Command. - [Sergeant Keith] So chief, just to pile on to that. So, back in February, we started a Instagram takeover for the force generators, which allows a force generator at a specific location to take over our Instagram and post a day in the life of. And we began some very positive feedback about it. And people seem to like to engage with them. Did the response to that surprise you? - [Sergeant Thompson] Well so, I mean, I'll be honest. I didn't know what to expect because I'd never seen an Instagram takeover. I thought the idea was really cool. I think it's great that people are out there getting engaged. And I think it was a great idea to give the people actually doing the jobs, the ability to drive the bus, so to speak, on the messaging so that we get that honest messaging out there. It doesn't seem like it's shaped or curated or anything like that. It's "Hey, these are the people actually doing the work and they're talking about the great stuff that it brings." And I think the other thing that you guys are doing is this great video series, on Facebook as well on the value of force generators and what it's like to walk a mile in their shoes. So, I think it's a great opportunity for our force out there to see what's really going on in the first command and understand how they can contribute. - [Sergeant Keith] Do you recall any of the instructors and trainers and force generators that throughout your career? And if so, can you explain about the impact they had on you growing and becoming the airman you are today? - [Sergeant Thompson] I can tell you about my military training instructor, when I went through basic training. It was Senior Airman Marlon Carcamo. And he just retired actually as the Chief Master Sergeant, about two and a half years ago. I will remember him for the rest of my life. I remember my tech training instructor or my MTL, excuse me, Senior Airman, Wendell Snell, right? He was a pivotal, like this was, obviously I went to BMT a couple of years ago, but he made an indelible mark on me as a young airman. I can remember my tech training instructors. I remember my PME instructors. I remember these force generators that had a hand and helped shaping me as an airman throughout my entire career. If you want to be involved with shaping and molding and creating airmen, being a force generator is the way to do it. - [Sergeant Keith] For those who are interested in becoming a force generator, how would one go about that? - [Sergeant Thompson] Yeah, let me tell you, if you have, if there are listeners out there that are interested in doing one of these force generation roles, let us know, we will work it out so that you can either come TDY, go virtual, spend some time either, virtually or in person with the force generators that you think you want to join. So, if you want to be an MTI at Lackland, or you want to be an MTL at one of our awesome tech training locations, or you're interested in being a tech training instructor or a PME instructor, let us know, and we'll let you team up with them, so that you can see what it's like to walk a mile in their boots. And they can talk to you honestly and openly about what the good things are and the bad things are. I'm not going to say that everything is great and rosy, there's ups and downs with everything. But let us get you the information, so that you can make an informed decision about these jobs. - [Sergeant Keith] And to wrap up, do you have any final thoughts? - [Sergeant Thompson] Yeah. I mean, I think first off, I'd like to say thanks for the opportunity to get the word out. This is probably one of the most important things that I feel I'm doing during my time in Air Education and Training Command is ensuring that our airmen out there understand how much we value force generators, how we need great airmen to come to AETC and do these critically important jobs. And that I want to train you and develop you just like you're training and developing the next generation of our airmen. And then when you're done, I want to make sure that our air force is taking care of you. We should be doing the right things when it comes to assignments, when it comes to promotions, when it comes to development, to make sure that you are recognized for the awesome work that you do in a force generation capacity. - [Sergeant Keith] Thank you for your time and thank you for listening. If you're interested in learning more about becoming a force generator in the first command, visit the Developmental Special Experience Catalog on MyVECTOR. The catalog provides details on instructor positions and how you can apply. Also, be sure to check out the value of force generators, page, by searching for the keyword, hashtag tomorrow's air force, where you can see all the video and print products on force generators. Thank you for the subscribe, stream or download. As a reminder, you can follow Air Education and Training Command, an AETC command team on social media. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. You can also catch up on the latest news across the command on our website at aetc.af.mil From our entire AETC public affairs team, I am staff Sergeant Keith James, and I will talk to you next time on the Air Force Starts Here. (upbeat music)