MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Alabama –
Air University expanded its Agile professional military education effort during fiscal year 2026, delivering developmental education opportunities to 315 officers across five locations while allowing participants to remain connected to their units and mission requirements.
The effort included four cohorts representing more than 40 career fields and multiple components of the Total Force. Cohorts were conducted in the Indo-Pacific region, Europe and the continental United States, bringing together active-duty Airmen, Air National Guard members, Air Force Reservists, Department of the Air Force civilians, Guardians and international partners.
One example is Agile Air Command and Staff College, which allows officers to complete developmental education requirements while remaining connected to the missions, teams and challenges they support every day.
Most of the coursework is completed from officers' duty locations before they come together for a capstone focused on operational planning and execution. The model allows participants to apply lessons in real time while continuing to support mission requirements. Working through realistic scenarios, officers assess challenges, develop options and present recommendations in a senior leader environment.
"We often talk about operationalizing PME, and that's exactly what Agile ACSC does," said Lt. Col. Evan Hatter, Agile ACSC capstone course director. "Instead of pulling officers away from the fight for extended periods, we're bringing professional military education to operational locations and connecting learning directly to the challenges participants face in their daily missions."
Lt. Col. Jennifer Nash, Agile ACSC deputy director, said officers are drawn to the program because it remains connected to the work they are already doing.
"Professional military education should prepare officers for the environment they're going to lead in," Nash said. "Agile ACSC connects learning directly to operational problem-solving while allowing officers to remain engaged with their units. That's why we've seen continued demand for the program across the Total Force."
Officers also met with senior leaders from across the Air Force and Air Reserve Component.
Speaking to officers attending Air University's Air Reserve Component Seminar, Brig. Gen. Joseph D. Janik, mobilization assistant to the Air University commander and president, discussed leadership, organizational culture and mission effectiveness.
"Culture drives behavior, and behavior produces results," Janik said.
Janik encouraged officers to establish clear priorities, communicate intent and create conditions that allow teams to execute effectively. He emphasized that leaders shape culture, and culture ultimately shapes performance.
Officers also engaged with Brig. Gen. Adria Zuccaro, chief of staff for air, Wisconsin National Guard and Guard Advisor, Air University commander and president, who discussed readiness across the operational reserve force and the importance of the families and employers who support military service.
Across focus groups conducted following the first two completed cohorts, all participants recommended the approach. Officers cited the ability to complete developmental education requirements while staying connected to their missions and the organizations they support every day.
Air University's first Agile PME cohort graduated 79 officers at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. A second cohort graduated 83 officers through simultaneous capstones at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and RAF Lakenheath, England. The current Air Reserve Component Seminar cohort includes 98 officers and represents the first all-Guard and Reserve implementation of Agile PME. Another cohort at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, includes the initiative's first joint-service participant and marks its expansion into Air Combat Command.