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Preparing contingency response leaders: Course develops command and control Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Veuril McDavid
  • U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center Public Affairs
FORT DIX, N.J. --  Master Sgt. Chris Sherman says his students "influence world events." It's his way of saying he's training leaders. 

Sergeant Sherman teaches the Mobility Air Forces Mobile Command and Control (C2) Leadership Course at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center here. The course teaches Airmen, both officer and enlisted, to become better leaders as contingency response element (CRE) commanders, or contingency response team (CRT) chiefs.

"Our goal is to prepare them and their unit for a variety of mission scenarios in advance," said Sergeant Sherman whose course falls under the center's Mobility Operations School. "This will help them be successful when they arrive at any deployed location."

Airmen attending the course must be assigned to a contingency response wing, contingency response group, or airlift control flight. Students usually are in upgrade training to CRE commander or operations officer or CRT chief.

"Primarily, our students are pilots, navigators, loadmasters and boom operators," Sergeant Sherman said. "However, the course can teach Airmen in any Air Force specialty who are assigned to those units."

For the contingency response community, Sergeant Sherman said every mission is different. Students have to learn every possible aspect of what they could face as contingency response leaders.

"One mission might be opening an airbase and another might be humanitarian support in the United States or overseas," he said. "Another mission could be to support the president's travel to foreign countries. It's important for this course to concentrate on core items, which are similar in all those missions."

The MAF Mobile C2 Course lasts seven academic days and has been a part of the Expeditionary Center curriculum for more than 10 years. Sergeant Sherman said the focused training in the course hits subjects such as Air Force doctrine, pre-mission planning, deployment, employment, mission management, reporting, force protection, airfield surveying, financial planning and deployed legal responsibilities.

"This course is a melting pot of what is successful at the Expeditionary Center," Sergeant Sherman said. "The students do a lot of work researching information for mission planning purposes. They also get some practical application, like in our media interview practice. We also go to the aircraft parking ramp and discuss what they can learn from the 'boots on the ground.'"

Tech. Sgt. Andrea Inmon, a February course graduate and a KC-135 instructor boom operator/ramp coordinator with the 36th Mobility Response Squadron, Andersen Air Base, Guam, said she believes the course has improved her abilities as a leader.

"I believe the course improved my skills through the hands-on and tabletop sessions conducted in class," Sergeant Inmon said. "This has allowed me to not only learn about my job, but also have examples to relate it to when I'm out in the field."

Maj. Kristen McCabe, also a February course graduate and a flight nurse from the 615th Contingency Operations Support Group at Travis AFB, Calif., added, "The training at the U.S Air Force Expeditionary Center made me more aware of capabilities and limitations to better prepare for deployments through training and preparation."

On leadership skills, Major McCabe said, "The course provides the knowledge base of how to better support Airmen on the ground. The training sets the tone to lead those Airmen -- especially those going to establish an air base and therefore set the tone for operations."

Senior Master Sgt. Greg Lucas, an airfield services manager from the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Contingency Response Group at Louisville who also graduated the course in February, said he's looking forward to implementing the skills he's gained.
"I will be able to use the information gained from the course to further my skills as a leader and to help my Airmen lead," Sergeant Lucas said. "I believe the more information an individual can learn, the better prepared we will be in our careers as both workers and leaders."

Becoming a better mobility team leader is what the course is all about, Sergeant Sherman said. And he knows they'll do their leading all throughout the world.

"It's rewarding to see my students out there influencing world events," Sergeant Sherman said. "Whether it's the mission to Tiblisi, Georgia, delivering relief supplies to Darfur, or supporting our citizens during Hurricane Ike -- my students are there leading those air mobility support operations. It's leaders in action."