Mobility students take ASAM classroom abroad

Published June 1, 2012
By 1st Lt. Sybil Taunton
U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center Public Affairs

YOKOTA AIR BASEJapan -- Advanced Study of Air Mobility students from the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center applied classroom theories to operational realities during visits with military units throughout U.S. Pacific Command May 6 through 18.

The students were able to discuss a wide range of mobility challenges being faced by all military branches operating within USPACOM as they stopped at Yongsan Army Garrison and Osan Air Base in Korea; Yokota Air Base in Japan; as well as Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Wheeler Army Air Field and Camp Smith in Hawaii.

"It's very beneficial for us to be able to travel like this because we get the opportunity to see global mobility operations first-hand and meet with commanders in person to have open conversations that don't happen during formal briefings or meetings," said Maj. Shanon Anderson, Advanced Study of Air Mobility student.

The ASAM program is a 13-month course of study in Global Reach concepts. Graduates earn an Air Force Institute of Technology accredited Master of Science in Logistics degree.

Prospective candidates for the course go through a highly-competitive central designation board process before being selected to attend the program. The curriculum comprises of four additional components including EC courses, Air Command and Staff College courses, a graduate research project and site visits such as the trip to the pacific.

"We see ASAM graduates at every juncture of this trip who have risen to various levels of leadership," said Rudy Becker, director of the EC's Mobility Operations School. "General Folgeman's original vision for ASAM was to create future mobility leaders and to provide logistics experts to combatant commanders. As the program has matured, we've realized both visions - there are a number of commanders who are demonstrating the value of the program with regards to its original vision. These graduates have had direct impact on the success of various operations."

Elaborating on more recent operations, Becker discussed how ASAM alumni who are now serving as commanders of units like air mobility wings and contingency response wings played major roles during OPERATION Tomodachi during which the Air Force provided assistance during the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011. Response efforts for this operation were discussed at every stop along the Pacific tour, as each unit played a key logistical role in ensuring effective rapid mobility operations took place.

The students discussed OPERATION Tomodachi along with other Air Force mobility operations, and how ASAM graduates can apply their degrees and future leadership positions to influence logistical decision making during a meeting with Lt. Gen. Burton M. Field, 5th Air Force commander operating at Yokota Air Base challenged the students by asking rhetorical questions involving response to global operations and knowing what resources are available at any given moment.

"Advanced Study of Air Mobility - you men and women are going to be tasked with answering the hard questions, so you should start thinking about solutions now," said Field. "We need thoughtful leaders."

Students take on assignments upon graduation serving the DOD, warfighting commanders, joint staff, headquarters Air Force, Air Mobility Command, Strategic Command, doctrine centers, the NATO, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, and the United Nations.

"The credibility of the program is such that we consistently get requests from hiring authorities who want to hire our graduates, including senior leaders who are ASAM graduates themselves," said Becker.

Contact the EC public affairs office at 754-7013 for more information about the Advanced Study of Air Mobility course.