Professional Military Education For Air Force Officers Comments And Criticisms

Author : John W. Pearse
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 51 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (55 download)

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Download or read book Officer Education written by John W. Pearse and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Air Force Professional Military Education (PME) program is stuck in the academic traditions of the past. In an information era with exponential technological growth, the Air Force PME programs are still teaching linear thinking with a historical orientation. In Air War College, less than 10 out of over 700 contact hours are devoted to future thinking and technology. Air Force leaders are expected to envision the future and adapt to surprise. Are we preparing them for this task? Exponential change refers to a compounded rate of increase. The world has entered a period where an exponential increase in new information and technology will continue through 2035 causing significant changes in society, and thus warfare. Adding complexity are current trends toward conflict that permeates all aspects of society. Some futurists see a transformation from an information age to a virtual age within the next 30 years with as yet indiscernible major changes to a globalized virtual society. Higher education is evolving toward a learner-centered education teaching a workforce committed to lifelong learning. Business seeks people with the ability to apply creative critical thinking and a future orientation in a collaborative environment. The Air Force will require even more of its leaders to anticipate and adapt to rapidly changing threats. As war is a human enterprise, we must transform the way we educate our leaders to prepare them for the complex world of 2035. First, the need for Air Force leaders with discerning vision is critical. Current PME stresses the study of the past as a tool to enlighten the path to the future. Future studies should be incorporated in the curriculum in conjunction with historical study across the continuum of education (COE) to provide Air Force leaders with tools to visualize potential futures. Second, Air Force officers will likely face surprising or unique situations in the future due to the complexity that will permeate future society; they must learn skills to adapt quickly. Decision-making exercises, primarily in the form of wargames, should be added across the COE to build future leader adaptability skills. Third, the exponential increase in technology requires technical literacy for future leaders to thrive. Threats in the future will include unique combinations of readily available advanced commercial technology. Air Force officers need exposure to current and future technology across the COE to open the aperture on the realm of the possible. This should include exposure to industry and the acquisition process. The focus should not be on specific technical skills but on the capabilities and limitations of technology to enable Air Force officers to make educated judgments on the possible implications of future military capabilities and threats. Fourth, lifelong learning must become an inculcated reality. The skill sets and knowledge base officers will require to deal with future challenges necessitates a continuous learning process throughout an officer's career. A broad knowledge base will also be essential to enable future Air Force officers to rapidly adapt to new complex situations. Quality distance learning opportunities are available now from civilian institutions - the Air Force program should at a minimum, emulate them. Finally, these recommendations should not be incorporated individually in a piecemeal fashion. The Air Force requires a comprehensive strategic implementation plan. Air Education and Training Command took a good first step in the On Learning white paper by advocating transformation to a virtual reality enterprise. The content within the virtual reality system needs equal consideration. A chief learning officer (CLO) should be identified and empowered to make immediate changes. The CLO should consider the future operating environment and determine the attributes and skill sets required for current and future Air Force personnel. With the desired outcomes determined, effective approaches and curriculum to develop these characteristics should be developed and communicated in a strategic force development plan. Officers who will lead the Air Force in 2035 are already in the current PME system. The traditional Air Force PME factory must give way to lifelong education across academic disciplines to equip our future leaders with a broad knowledge base. The current in-residence programs are hampered by redundant core courses, which can be covered through mandatory distance learning. PME transformation requires a cultural change within the Air Force that accepts exponential change as a fact of life and in turn values lifelong learning as a necessity for future success. Creating a sense of urgency about the need for transformation is equally necessary. Air Force PME requires urgent action to successfully transform."--Abstract from web site.