TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. —
The 321st Air Mobility Operation Squadron hosted the second Flight Commander Leadership course at Travis AFB May 13-14, 2024.
This course provided current and future flight commanders with the tools needed to lead with confidence and competence, understand how to best care for their Airmen and be empowered to execute tough decisions as tactical-level leaders.
The program incorporated broad leadership topics such as emotional intelligence, leading change, conflict management, ethical leadership and mission command. The course objective aimed to improve flight-level leader’s understanding of their roles and responsibilities, increase proficiency in key leadership skills and orient them on unit policies, programs and procedures.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bradlee Seehawer, 321st AMOS director of operations, brainstormed the first course held April 29 and May 2.
“His [Seehawer’s] intent was to provide an opportunity to help flight commanders, in both the 621st Contingency Response Wing and 60th Air Mobility Wing, become effective leaders in the squadron by utilizing the wealth of talent and diverse experience we have among the 321st AMOS to help instruct the course,” said Lt. Col. Waleed Ashiq, 321st AMOS assistant operations officer. “Additionally, Seehawer saw this as a unique opportunity to further our ‘Forging Warrior Hearts’ line of effort, as laid out by the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center Commander’s campaign plan.”
Air University created the course curriculum in 2018 at the direction of the Joint Chief of Staff and was administered as a wing commander’s program executed by squadrons who locally determine how to implement the course.
Foundationally, the curriculum content builds upon the roles and responsibilities of command as defined in Air Force Instruction 1-2, Commander’s Responsibilities.
“This was one of the first opportunities that young officers, especially company grade officers, had to lead and manage large teams for a specific mission-readiness purpose in line with their respective unit’s mission,” said Ashiq. “In essence, flight commanders are new squadron commanders who have been entrusted with massive amounts of responsibility and expectation to ensure people and processes are smoothly functioning. This flight commander’s course is a helpful resource to better prepare our flight commanders to succeed in their duties.”
Col. Jeff Krulick, 821st Contingency Response Group commander, and one of the course’s guest speakers, believes the course provides an important mentorship opportunity for tomorrow’s leaders.
“I think having this course, specifically for flight commanders, is super important to be able to spend the time on what it means to be a direct leader in our Air Force, and the influence flight commanders have on Airmen,” said Krulick.
