The Air Force Starts Here

Dan Hawkins from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs team sits down to talk all things RAT with Col. Rick Kend, 375th Air Mobility Wing deputy commander at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, along with Lt. Col. Johnathan McGill, Mobility Air Force division chief at HAF/A3 in the Pentagon who oversees the RAT portfolio as part of his duties, and Bob Remey, HQ AETC Training branch chi...

Chief Master Sgt. Stefan Blazier, Air University command chief, sits down with Chief Master Sgt. Lee Hoover, 42nd Air Base Wing command chief, and discusses Hoover's decision to join the military, highlights and favorite assignments during his career, why he stayed in the Air Force, and the importance of family and loving them today.

Tech Training Transformation podcast with Dr. Major Jesse Johnson, Det. 23 commander and Tech. Sgt. Casey Michalski, Det. 23 curriculum engineer and C-130-J subject matter expert on the new re-engineered crew chief fundamentals course.

Dan Hawkins from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs team spoke virtually with Mr. Harold Ward, director of the Air Force Culture and Language Center at Air University, discussing how language, regional expertise and culture education helps the Air Force to fly, fight and win by enabling the agile combat employment concept, commonly referred to as ACE.

Dan Hawkins from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs team spoke virtually with Capt. Ashley Bird, 33rd Flying Training Squadron executive officer at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, about her journey to the military through ROTC at Purdue University, the path to becoming a pilot, the pros and cons of being a force generator instructor pilot, and her personal life being military ma...

Airmen across the service can hear first-hand about upcoming changes to enlisted professional military education being made to develop the combat-ready Airmen we need for today’s strategic competition environment is the focus of the latest episode of "The Air Force Starts Here," released Aug. 24, 2022. Dan Hawkins from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs team spoke with Chief Mas...

Dan Hawkins from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs team talks with Dr. Lauren Scharff, U.S. Air Force Academy professor of behavioral science, and John Reifenberg, AETC force development policy specialist, about the science behind both the growth and fixed mindsets, how the Academy and AETC are incorporating the growth mindset into training and education, and how it applies to...

On this episode of the Air Force Starts Here podcast, Lt. Gaby Gosco from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs team sits down with Floyd McKinney and Demetrius Stewart from the HQ AETC Learning Services division to discuss myTraining. The myTraining system, "powered by myLearning," is replacing the Total Force Training Record, or TFTR, for Airmen and Guardians and provides the cap...

On this episode of the Air Force Starts Here Podcast we discuss the Arnold Group, Air Education and Training Command's premier think tank, and their role of serving as the catalyst for innovation, pooling their wide experience to produce studies and answer the hard-hitting questions on Force Development and the future of education and training.

On episode 59 of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast, Miriam Thurber from the Air Education and Training Command team speaks with Brig. General Shawn Campbell and Dr. Alex Barelka on the Air Force's foundational competency, Developing Organizations.

On episode 58 of the “The Air Force Starts Here” podcast, Dan Hawkins from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs teams talks with Dana Horn from the HQ AETC/A3PB Learning Professional branch about the recent launch of their learning professionals communities of practice. Topics discussed include the why and how the Communities of Practice on MilSuite have been formed to support the...

Episode 57 of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast focused on the third group of the Air Force foundational competencies - Developing Ideas. In this episode, Jamal Qaiyyim, foundational competencies branch chief at Headquarters Air Education and Training Command, shared his insight on ways the A3/J team creates road maps for Airmen to better prepare them for the future. He was joined by Lt. Gen. Cl...

In this episode of The Air Force Starts Here podcast we discuss the Air Force foundational competencies "Developing Others" category. The Air Force has identified 24 Airman's foundational competencies for all Airmen, as part of a systematic competency-based approach to develop the force. Developing Others is one of the four categorized groups for foundational competencies. The following competenci...

Tech Training Transformation podcast with Dr. Maj. Jesse Johnsonn, Det. 23 commander and Tech Sgt. Casey Michalski, Det. 23 curriculum engineer and C-130J subject matter expert where they discuss the re-engineered crew chief fundamentals course into a VR experience.

On this edition of the pod, Dan Hawkins from the AETC public affairs team sits down virtually to talk modernization with Ms. Lindsey Fredman and Chief Master Sgt. Jennifer Bye from the Air Force Career Development Academy, along with Master Sgts. Nikita Gunter, Steffan Gray and Dylan Peterson to discuss AFCDA's on-going effort to reimagine the service's Career Development Courses (CDCs) design and...

In episode 53 of The Air Force Starts Here podcast we discuss the decision to open Air Force basic military training graduation to guests starting July 22, 2021. Col. Jeffrey Pixley, commander of the 737th Training Group, joins Jennifer Gonzalez, AETC public affairs, and speaks about balancing the risk to mission, force and community.

Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of AETC, sits down with Brig. Gen. Brenda Cartier to discuss LGBTQ+ issues and initiatives in the Air Force.

Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of AETC, sits down with Brig. Gen. Brenda Cartier to discuss LGBTQ+ issues and initiatives in the Air Force.

The Air Force has identified 24 Airman's foundational competencies for all Airmen, as part of a systematic competency-based approach to develop the force. These foundational competencies are universally applicable to all Airmen and are categorized into four groups: Developing Self, Developing Others, Developing Ideas and Developing Organizations. In this episode of The Air Force Starts Here podcas...

In episode 50 of "The Air Force Starts Here," we take a look back at how the COVID-19 pandemic and changed Air Force training. Gary Boyd, Air Education and Training Command historian, speaks with Maj. Gen. John J. DeGoes, who is the former 59th Medical Wing commander, and has been credited by Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of AETC, as a pivotal leader in fighting through the pandemic.

DAWN-ED is a Department of the Air Force-funded degree program that provides up to 15 eligible Airmen and Guardians an opportunity to pursue a master’s degree or doctorate from a university of choice. Officers have until June 25, 2021, to apply for the 2022 academic year. Tune in to episode 48 of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast, to learn more about the application process. Dr. Steven Hansen, D...

In episode 48 of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast, we celebrate Women’s History Month 2021 with four of the first-ever women to graduate Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training here in 1977. Capt. Kayshel Trudell from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs team spoke with these trailblazers from UPT class 77-08. Joining the discussion was retired Col. Kathleen Cosand and retired L...

On episode 47 of "The Air Force Starts Here," Staff Sgt. Keith James from the Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs team sat down with Chief Master Sgt. Erik Thompson, AETC command chief to discuss the importance of force generators. Force Generators consist of recruiters, instructors and training leaders. These voluntary assignments are demanding opportunities, but offer positive care...

On episode 46 of the "The Air Force Starts Here" Dan Hawkins from the Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs team sat down with Floyd McKinney, Adam Rusmussen and Lt. Col. Hien Nguyen from the HQ AETC/A3G to talk in-depth about "myLearning." The new secure learning management system (LMS) will enable student learning, automation and reporting for roughly 800,000 Total Force users in thr...

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas - In episode 45 of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast, we discuss a new force development tool for Air and Space Force professionals to grow professionally. The Developmental Special Experience (DSE) Catalog is a consolidated list of available learning activities outside the scope of formal training. It simplifies research efforts to find training opportunit...