AFSOC Priority #3: Transform Training to Optimize Human Performance Published Jan. 26, 2015 By Lt. Gen. Brad Heithold, Commander of Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command Hurlburt Field, Fla. -- Editor's note: This is the third in a series of articles focusing on each of the four AFSOC priorities. Air Commandos, We have some great initiatives in this command. I see them everywhere: in our squadrons, on the flight line, at home and downrange. There is dedication, innovation and true professionalism at every level in AFSOC. It is precisely these initiatives—these great ideas for better ways to get the job done—that we need to capture to keep ourselves at the tip of the spear. We need to institutionalize these initiatives across AFSOC in concert with the deliberate development of our Air Commandos and my staff’s actions. All these efforts together speak directly to our third command priority, to transform training to optimize human performance. We need to make sure that no matter what unit you are assigned to or where you are deployed, you have the best training and education available to seamlessly operate with our joint and partner-nation forces and, ultimately, accomplish our mission effectively. This is not about a bunch of people sitting around at the headquarters, thinking up new ways to do your job. This is not a top-down priority. This is about gathering those best practices that already exist in small pockets across our command, codifying them into standardized AFSOC best practices and spreading them to all of our units around the globe. We are deliberately soliciting your feedback and your ideas through facilitated meetings with stakeholders from each of our weapon systems and through the course reviews from our formal training units. With standardized best practices, we can further develop the kind of high quality, modernized training that we need and that you deserve. Our current training programs are not broken but we are looking to advance our game. My staff is actively engaged in this area, working on everything from quicker fielding of high-fidelity aircraft simulators to incorporating leading-edge industry standards across the board. Our professional training organizations and partners like the Air Force Special Operations Air Warfare Center, the 58th Special Operations Wing, the 919th Special Operations Wing, and the 150th Special Operations Wing are also deeply involved in this transformation. These efforts augment our routine training and flying hour programs, which are the backbone of our force’s readiness. And we are not just looking at our aircrews. We are looking at the training of our maintainers, support personnel and all of our other specialized career fields. We are challenging ourselves to transform training by implementing highest standards. This command is about the Airmen who are committed to being experts at their craft and making educated decisions about how to take risk when necessary. We cannot conduct the mission without you, so I am committed to resourcing the things we need to help you stay on top and give you the best training environment we can possibly provide. We need all of our Air Commandos to understand AFSOC’s unique role and why it is different from your average mission. For us, the “no-fail” mission is routine and there is no, “we’ll get to it tomorrow.” That culture must permeate all of our career fields. You should take pride in knowing that, as an Air Commando, much is expected of you as you execute our nation’s most demanding operations. Air Commandos, we need your help to realize our priority of transforming our training. As I often say, we are going to shoot more, fly more, and train harder than anyone else to make this happen. I know those great ideas and initiatives are out there, so help us share them across the command. Speak up to your supervisor and in your course feedbacks, your mission debriefs and your unit meetings. Bring your experience and knowledge to the table. We are listening.