KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Senior enlisted leaders from various branches of the armed forces came together to participate in a four-day joint weather workshop here, March 11 - 14.
The joint weather workshop is an annual event organized by Headquarters Air Force and the 577th Weather Wing, where SELs hold discussions over the initial skills training course for weather, fostering continued communication and coordination.
“We address joint issues, concerns and highlight ongoing, future evolutions of our shared training,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jason Pierce, 335th Training Squadron training manager. “Each service shares the cost of running this initial skills pipeline, so we collaborate on what weather forecasting and observing skills each force requires of its graduates.”
The workshop places SELs in a similar environment to students taking the weather IST course. Similar to the classroom, the United States Marine Corps, Navy and Coast Guard partners bring their personal experiences and unique service culture to the discussion, providing valuable insight to further develop the IST course.
“We learn from our joint partners everyday,” said Pierce. “As for our students and instructors, not only do they grow in their knowledge of our career field, but they also expand their ability to critically, creatively and strategically think about various dynamic situations they will inevitably encounter in the field.”
The joint environment also affords Airmen the opportunity to further connect its priorities to the Department of the Air Force’s push for reoptimization in the strategic environment.
Not only do weather Airmen graduate their IST courses with foundational skills, but as warfighters that compete in information warfare and in the air, space and cyber domain as well.
“Aligning our efforts across the joint force is key to ensuring we are ready for the Great Power Competition,” said Pierce. “The Air Force is just one part of the military instrument of national power. For mission success, we must work with our sister services to ensure that the DAF is ready to go after our shared national objectives during this time of consequence and beyond.”