LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. – Noncommissioned officers are widely considered to be the backbone of the U.S. armed forces. They lead by example, exuding superior professionalism, competency, and values. Airmen Leadership School is the first level of their professional military education and the first step for every Airman to becoming a noncommissioned officer.
ALS is held at 68 active-duty locations and one Air National Guard location. The school has successfully graduated thousands of U.S. Air Force personnel over the decades, and this is the first time Republic of Singapore Air Force members have graduated ALS in Air Education and Training Command.
“It (ALS) broadens your perspective,” said RSAF Military Expert 1-2 Angel Lim, 425th Fighter Squadron F-16 weapons load crew member. “It gives me a lot of insight in how our leaders think, how I should change my thinking, how to improve myself and to guide my Airmen.”
Lim was one of two RSAF personnel to attend John J. Rhodes ALS Class 24-6, between July and August 2024. She is part of Eagle Flight and was instructed by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jose Beltran III, 56th Force Support Squadron ALS instructor.
“He is quite a fun instructor,” said Lim. “He keeps the class engaged and we are learning a lot from him. We’re all from different specialties and backgrounds, so there’s a lot to learn from one another.”
Beltran taught many key points outlined by AETC to mold Airmen into top-of-the-line supervisors.
“The way that I teach,” said Beltran. “Is I try my best to relate all the information that we teach to their personal lives and how to make them better. Better people, better brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, everything. It is all-encompassing. This translates into becoming better supervisors.”
RSAF Military Expert 1-2 Bala Krishnan Suriyah, 425th FS F-16 crew chief, gleaned leadership skills from his time in Falcon Flight, as well as knowledge about his partners at ALS.
“It’s something we’ve never done before,” said Suriyah. “And it definitely showed me many different perspectives of the people here at Luke. How they function, how they think about different problems. For me, as a Singaporean, I’ve learned a lot about leadership through diplomacy and the integration process here.”
Suriyah describes the culture he has experienced during his time working and learning with U.S. students.
“The most important thing that I have taken away from my experience is the camaraderie that U.S. Airmen have,” said Suriyah. “The way everyone is so open and transparent with one another about how they feel and how they react is definitely a culture shock.”
Suriyah’s experience has also built his confidence in his leadership abilities and presentations.
“The constructive criticism brings the best out of us,” said Suriyah. “Because we’re able to take it in a motivating way, encouraging us to do better. The honesty allows me to be more confident when I work and present for various projects.”
Training between foreign partners allows both the U.S. Air Force and the RSAF to share best practices. Maintainers who train the same way, even if they are from different places, will be able to operate the same way due to these core foundations. Deliberate and consistent training between partner nations is an investment in people and shared capabilities.
“It’s gone so smoothly, it excites me,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Justin Vaughn, 56th FSS ALS commandant. “It just goes to show how good of a relationship we have with our foreign partners.”
Both Lim and Suriyah strive to exemplify the USAF and RSAF shared core value of “excellence.” They and the rest of Class 24-6 demonstrate that relationships and shared education between international partners are vital to sharpening the competitive edge and ensuring collective security.