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NEWS | May 14, 2015

Chinese officers visit 12th FTW squadrons, AETC headquarters

By Robert Goetz Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Public Affairs

Twenty-two officers from the People's Republic of China journeyed to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph April 27 for a one-day visit, touring two 12th Flying Training Wing squadrons and attending an Air Education and Training Command mission brief.

The officers - instructors and students at the People's Liberation Army Air Force Command College - toured the 435th Fighter Training Squadron and the 559th Flying Training Squadron to learn about the Pilot Instructor Training and Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals pipelines and meet the squadrons' instructor pilots and students.
Lt. Col. Mark Schmidt, 435th FTS commander, said his squadron learned about "shared values and cultural differences."
"Overall, the Chinese delegation visit taught the 435th that, although China and the U.S. do have cultural barriers to work through, common ground on how to properly train and develop Airmen is a great conversation starter," he said.

Schmidt said it was obvious to Capt. Michael Sackenheim, 435th FTS flight commander and team lead for the Chinese delegation visit, that the People's Liberation Army Air Force places "high value on improving how they train pilots in China," while the Chinese officers were impressed by the 435th's "efforts to train pilots and develop leaders through professional development and disciplined flight training."

Lt. Col. Robert Bryant, 559th FTS commander, commented on the interaction between the squadron's officers and their Chinese guests.
"Both the Chinese officers and my team had a great time visiting and realized that we all share a desire to serve our country and execute our mission to the best of our ability," he said. "We look forward to getting another opportunity to build friendships in the future."

After leaving JBSA-Randolph, the Chinese delegation, which was led by Maj. Gen. Han Xing, command college deputy commandant, visited the Pentagon and Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
"The goal of this visit was to promote transparency and increase mutual understanding between our respective service centers of learning," Eric Chan, China Country Director for the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, said.

Chan said the U.S. and Chinese air forces agreed to the visit during the bilaterally coordinated, annual military-to-military discussions held at the Office of the Secretary of Defense-People's Republic of China Ministry of National Defense level.

"This was the second visit by the Chinese Air Force Command College to the U.S. since 2007," he said. "Their prior visit was in 2014 - to Maxwell, the Pentagon and the RAND Corporation. While there is not a formal exchange program in place, the general understanding is that this visit is reciprocal for the annual Air Force Air War College visits to China."
Chan said students from the Chinese Air Force Command College have visited JBSA-Randolph once before, in June 2007.

"It is the goal of both our air forces to enhance practical cooperation in areas of mutual interest, using exchanges of this type to foster greater understanding," he said. "We welcome the Chinese Air Force Command College to future visits, just as the Chinese air force welcomes our Air War College on their annual visits to China."