LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Professional military education helps Airmen develop the management and leadership skills needed to become Air Force professionals and the senior leaders of tomorrow.
For nearly six decades, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., has been the Air Force staple for developing company grade officers at Squadron Officer College, known as one of the service's premier leadership-development institutions. The Inter-American Air Forces Academy's 837th Training Squadron has built upon this proud heritage and taken it a step further with the development of the International Squadron Officer School.
Recently, Airmen from the 837th TRS spent many hours on a self-help project preparing the leadership reaction course on Lackland's Training Annex to host ISOS, beginning Oct. 16.
The ISOS course will train 18 students from nine Latin American countries, including four U.S. Air Force officers.
Allowing Air Force officers to attend this course and participate alongside coalition partners will aid in building partnership strategy, increase Inter-American cohesiveness, and aid in the unilateral approach in developing strong, professional allies.
Capt. Fernando Castañeda, an exchange officer from El Salvador, is no stranger to this partnership setting of education and training. He is a graduate of undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin AFB and one of the ISOS instructors assigned to IAAFA.
"ISOS strengthens the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the Latin American countries and the U.S. as it prepares them to be part of a coalition. It allows the U.S. Air Force captains to have a real cross-cultural experience and learn more about their allied partners," said Capt. Castañeda.
The ISOS course, commonly known as the captain's course, is designed to enhance military education which prepares officers from different countries, branches and backgrounds for leadership.
In addition to following the same guidelines as the SOS course taught at Maxwell AFB, the course has instituted an additional block of instruction in which students travel to Washington, D.C., to visit the cornerstone of the U.S. Government infrastructure. Students will visit government buildings, monuments and museums while experiencing U.S. culture, history and lifestyle.
The key partnerships that surface from this cross-cultural experience will echo throughout the future as the U.S. continues to focus on regional threats of narco-terrorism, human-trafficking and the joint response to humanitarian efforts within the Americas.