One of the initiatives that has been coming down from SOCOM has been the vital importance of continuing education and training, particularly for enlisted personnel. What initiatives have you seen AFSOC adopting to support this mandate, and how important is it in your opinion as the command’s top enlisted advisor?

The FY 15-18 USSOCOM Commander’s Training and Education Guidance [CTEG] states NCO education remains a top priority. AFSOC has designated an O-6-level lead to USSOCOM for education, Dr. Julie Crutchfield, who monitors our status towards meeting the goals set forth in the CTEG. Dr. Crutchfield also oversees AFSOC’s Community College of the Air Force [CCAF] Affiliated School progress and status. She chairs the CCAF Affiliated Schools Advisory Panel and is a member of the CCAF Policy Council. She works closely with Mrs. Alicia Spurling, AFSOC’s Language, Regional Education and Culture program manager. AFSOC’s status towards meeting the education goals contained in the CTEG is going very well, considering the guidance was not published until December 2014. The status of each goal is addressed below:

• Components and JSOU [Joint Special Operations University] will continue to identify and develop education programs that support our NCOs as they earn credits needed for completing degrees, while continually exploring opportunities for increased SOF-centric education:

All AFSOC enlisted members can work towards the associate degree programs offered by CCAF. We are taking advantage of expanded opportunities to attend courses offered by JSOU and have provided inputs to rank the topics we would like to see added or expanded. Enlisted personnel can earn either lower-level credit transferable to CCAF or upper-level credit applicable to a bachelor’s degree when they complete Command Education Program courses offered online and in residence by JSOU. AFSOC-affiliated schools attended primarily by enlisted members currently teach 41 courses that award a combined 223 semester hours of SOF-centric credit. AFSOC also has a strong enlisted professional development program and offers John C. Maxwell courses on a monthly basis. Additionally, an AFSOC-enlisted aviator was competitively selected to attend the SOF-centric master’s program taught by National Defense University at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, a first for the command.

• Foreign Language, Regional Expertise and Culture Education and Training:

AFSOC teaches five regional courses, two culture courses, and nine different languages, with potential to expand, if required. The command’s language proficiency goals for FY 15 are for 50 percent of personnel in language coded billets to achieve the 1/1/1 level. By Feb. 15, 65 percent were level 1/1/1 and 29 percent were level 2/2/2. Additional members are currently in language training, which should bring our 1/1/1 total to 81 percent by the end of the fiscal year.

• The academic degree goal for NCOs is to earn a bachelor’s degree by the grade of E-9 [chief master sergeant]. Over 62 percent of AFSOC’s chief master sergeants have a bachelor’s degree. 100 percent have an associate degree and nearly 22 percent have earned master’s degrees. Over 98 percent of the lieutenant colonels have their master’s degrees. AFSOC leads all of the components in meeting the degree goals for both enlisted personnel and officers.

From your point of view, what things do you feel AFSOC, SOCOM, and DOD need to invest in to ensure that the personnel base of the command remains solid over the next several decades? What do you feel AFSOC needs to ask for to make sure that the “human capital” is properly taken care of?

I want to point out that our first Special Operations Forces Truth is that humans are more important than hardware. Our people are, and will always be, our greatest asset. Without our Air Commandos, we can’t conduct our mission. What we need to continue to invest in to make sure that the “human capital” is properly taken care of is an environment that promotes resiliency and enhanced individual development in areas such as education and promotion opportunities. We also give our personnel the opportunity for balance within their personal lives.

You’ve had a long career with lots of flight time and experience. What were the best of times that you experienced? And what were the toughest challenges?

The absolute best time, when it comes to mission, was flying operations in OEF [Operation Enduring Freedom] and OIF [Operation Iraqi Freedom]. I would say that going into the war, we weren’t exactly sure what to expect, but even though those first few years of deployments were very tough, it was some of the most challenging yet rewarding time for me and my teammates in the MC-130P, as well as all AFSOC platforms. The camaraderie and flying was the best and we were being asked to do so much for the joint SOF team. The toughest challenge was losing teammates along the way … whether it is my aircrew brothers or operators from AFSOC or one of the other components; it never gets easier. In SOF, we are family, and losing one of our own regardless of your tribe or service is personal. Those were the toughest times and they still are.

The commander and I, the HQ staff, and the command teams have only been at our strategic action plan for about six good months. We continue to drive to realize our vision of how to better prioritize taskings, lead our people, and manage our resources in order to a have an elite, well-balanced, healthy, and content force.

For you personally, is AFSOC still “fun” for you to work and serve within? Or are there different metrics for someone like yourself with a career spanning decades for why you have “stayed in?”

I stay in because I love to serve. They say if you do something you like, you never work a day in your life. It’s true. I really feel that my real job is taking care of airmen and making sure that everyone treats each other with dignity and respect. I know I’m doing my job if I’m working hard for my airmen and their families, improving resiliency, giving time and predictability back to their lives, and ensuring a safe and secure environment. Also, I think we have to recognize that as SELs, it’s not about us; it’s about our service and giving back to those that will follow in our footsteps and lead the men and women of tomorrow. I walk into work every day with a smile on my face because I have the best job in the Air Force.

As you serve in what will likely be your final assignment in the U.S. Air Force, what is your “from the flight line” view of AFSOC, especially from a personnel standpoint, as it begins to move into the middle of the 21st century?

Here is my assessment of how we are doing with creating an environment for our airmen and families to thrive … and I spend a lot of time on this area. We are doing well but there is much room for improvement. “Well” lends itself to average, and we never want to be average in anything we do. We want to be awesome … all around. Our people are crushing the mission … as will always be the case, but are we crushing our people as well? I don’t think we are, but the jury is still out. I am hearing and seeing good things and I think we are on the right track. The commander and I, the HQ staff, and the command teams have only been at our strategic action plan for about six good months. We continue to drive to realize our vision of how to better prioritize taskings, lead our people, and manage our resources in order to a have an elite, well-balanced, healthy, and content force. Until that day comes, we – all leaders – will work day and night to take care of this command and its airmen.

This interview first appeared in The Year in Special Operations 2015-2016 Edition publication.