KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Second Air Force, which oversees Basic Military Training and technical training for 93% of the U.S. Air Force, welcomed a new agency, 1 Jan., dedicated to the modernization of training and education delivery across its five training wings.
Detachment 23 realigned under Second Air Force from Air Education and Training Command and will help drive "Technical Training Transformation", the effort to bring education methods and infrastructure into the 21st Century.
DET 23, previously known as "Maintenance Next", expanded from a program dedicated to revamping maintenance training into driving technical training transformation across the Second Air Force enterprise.
"If we want airplanes to fly, every AFSC matters. Behind every pilot in the air, there are a thousand people who may never touch airplanes, and they make sure we have a relevant war fighting capability," said Maj. Jesse Johnson, DET 23 commander. "2021 was the first year we saw high school graduates who grew up in a completely technologically saturated education experience. The majority of schools across the country have adopted a large amount of technology into their teaching modalities, yet here in the Air Force, we are still using outdated teaching methods and technologies."
Using a variety of education techniques in each student's training offers the opportunity for learning to be tailored to the individual. It also helps to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses.
"Every single learning objective needs to be built using various modalities, whether digital or not, so we reach the true ability of every learner," said Johnson.
E-books, videos, virtual reality, and other study materials are being developed to ensure all learning styles are incorporated into the learning environment. DET 23 is focused on enhancing training across the spectrum of AFSCs. This involves utilizing curriculum developers to share requirements and determine what content can and should be converted into virtual or digital formats.
"DET 23 joins Second Air Force at a critical juncture in our efforts to transform across the enterprise to a 6th Generation Learning Environment," said Maj. Gen. Michele Edmondson, Second Air Force commander. "We need all of the innovative tools and partnerships they bring to the table in our endeavors as we work to develop the Airmen we need for tomorrow’s fight. We could not be more excited to welcome DET 23 to the Second Air Force family."
The team formalized and celebrated the realignment of DET 23 under 2 AF during a ceremony Feb. 8, 2023.