MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Two Montgomery Police Department sergeants graduated from Airman Leadership School May 21, 2026, at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, cementing a growing partnership to develop military and civilian leaders together.
The 42d Air Base Wing and Montgomery Police Department have a rich history of cooperation. According to base leadership, this initiative was born from a deliberate effort to train emerging leaders from both organizations, together.
“Our Airmen thrive in a learning environment with multiple perspectives and experience,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ryan McConnell, Maxwell-Gunter Airman Leadership School commandant. “These future supervisors were able to hear and discuss how other inter-governmental agencies operate and see the similarities and differences in how personnel are developed.”
The MPD sergeants, Robert Hubbard and Adam Wright, brought unique insights from their high-stakes profession, enriching the classroom environment. Their real-world accounts of policing were particularly valuable.
“Our MPD partners deal with high-stress and often life-threatening situations,” said McConnell. “Sergeant Hubbard and Sergeant Wright’s presence enriched the classroom experience with their stories of resilience and grit.”
For the police sergeants, the five-week course offered an opportunity to strengthen their leadership abilities while gaining insight into Air Force culture and professional development.
“It's been really good. It's very eye opening,” said Sgt. Adam Wright, a 15-year veteran of the Montgomery Police Department. “I learned a lot. Not only about the Air Force, but also just about leadership in general.”
The course focuses on developing frontline supervisors through instruction on communication, conflict management and team leadership. Hubbard said those lessons provided practical tools he plans to apply within his department.
“Learning how to talk to your subordinates, learning how to get them to actually understand what leadership is actually asking and what the mission is,” Hubbard explained. “And then kind of reestablishing our core values for what we have for the Montgomery Police Department.”
The partnership also served as a practical example of Joint, Interagency, Intergovernmental and Multinational operations, a key component of the ALS curriculum. By learning alongside civilian law enforcement professionals, Airmen gained firsthand experience collaborating across agencies.
Both sergeants plan to meet with their chain of command to discuss implementing what they have learned.
“Several things that we picked up that, we're going to go back and talk about and try to implement, at least on a shift level, and maybe even a department level as well,” Wright said.
The collaboration has been hailed as a success, highlighting the mutual respect between Maxwell-Gunter and the Montgomery community.