Page 1 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis AFB, June 9 2017
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vol. 1, no. 1 Serving Southern Nevada’s mililtary community, including Nellis, Creech and NTTR June 9, 2017
An Aerotech news And review publicAtion • www.Aerotechnews.com
USAFWS expands curriculum for current era of joint operations
by Senior Airman Kevin Tanenbaum Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum power, the new curriculum focuses on
joint integration and synchronizing ef-
Nellis AFB, Nev. A KC-135, assigned to the 509th Weapons Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., preforms fects across all domains of air, space and
aerial refueling on an F-22 Raptor, assigned to the 433rd Weapons Squadron, Nellis Air cyber space, said Walsh.
For 68 years, the legacy of the United Force Base, Nev., over the Nevada Test and Training Range during the United States Air
States Air Force Weapons School at Force Weapons School’s Deliberate Strike Night, June 16, 2016. DSN is part of the final seven “Now it’s more of a focused event,
Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., has been to day Advanced Integration portion of the Weapons School curriculum; testing stealth and focusing specifically with integrated de-
adapt to the current warfare environ- conventional airframes abilities to conduct attacks during the hours after the sun sets. ployment and planning joint doctrine,â€
ment in order to produce experts in air said Walsh. “Then we give them broader
power and leaders. said Maj. John Walsh, 17th Weapons deal with the 100 missions,†said Walsh. exposure to joint capabilities, allowing
Squadron chief of integration. “Then as students’ progress to the 200, 300 students to incorporate those skills more
The USAFWS has expanded its in- and 400 sets, we continue to grow threats, effectively during flying days.â€
tegration phases for the 17A class and The academic structure is much like the complexity increases and the numbers
beyond by focusing on specific lines of college programs in which students start increase in order to prepare them. Giving Allowing students to grasp these
operation to create these leaders in the at the 100 level and progress to senior-level the students the skill set to move on to the overall processes of joint war fighting
modern era of joint warfare. 400 courses. next level.†beyond their own field of expertise offers
a broader exposure to students.
This change in focus comes directly “We reshuffled the missions and reor- Instead of having students focus solely
from Air Force senior leadership whose ganized everything under lines of opera- on their respective air frames and air “We want our students to understand,
priority is to make students self-suffi- tions with simpler problems sets overall to they’re not going to go out and solve a
cient leaders in all areas of warfare. problem with just their own MDS, or just
air assets,†said Walsh. “There will always
“The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. be a need for air, space cyber assets, there
Army must be ‘joined at the hip’ with non-kinetic effects and joint capabilities
the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps,†said to help solve any problem that we are faced
Gen. David Goldfein, U.S. Air Force with in the future. The changes to WSINT
chief of staff. “In order to do so, the Air better prepare students for that.â€
Force must create leaders who can stand
up and lead these campaigns.†While the change has been difficult,
under the leadership of Col. Michael
The USAFWS has transformed it Drowley, USAFWS commandant, the
method of teaching academics in order entire Weapons School has aligned in
to incorporate these priorities into the strategy to create a curriculum that will
current Weapons School Integration serve to create experts of air power and
design. leaders for the future of warfare.
The primary change to the WSINT “Our strategy is nested in the guidance
curriculum is a building block ap- that flows from the U.S. Constitution to
proach utilized to teach student’s skill the 57th Wing strategy,†said Drowley. “In
sets across specific scenarios, and then addition to our overarching guidance, we
building upon these skills by incorpo- are practitioners of warfare and students
rating larger and more difficult prob- of war. It is foundational to our purpose.â€
lems to solve as the course progresses,
A Combat Controller Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum Maj. Justin Hargrove, 509th
watches as a C-17 assigned Weapons Squadron KC-135
to the 17th Weapons pilot, Fairchild Air Force Base,
Squadron, Nellis Air Force Wash., wears the coveted
Base, Nev., lands on an United States Weapons
airstrip in the Nevada School Graduate Patch
Test and Training Range during Deliberate Strike
during Joint Forcible Entry Night at Nellis Air Force Base,
Exercise, June 16, 2016. The Nev., June 16, 2016. At the
exercise demonstrates conclusion of nearly 400 hours
the Air Force’s ability to of graduate level academics
tactically deliver and and combat training missions,
recover combat forces the Weapons School course
via air drops and combat comes climaxes with a week-
landings in a contested long exercise known as
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum environment. Advanced Integration.
INSIDE: Commentary – 2; News – 3-7; Sports – 11; Lighter Side – 17; Veterans Resources - 18
