Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas –
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."