Fifty airmen graduated Airman Leadership School at Kadena AB, Japan, this week as part of the first wave of test cases experimenting with a brand-new personalized development curriculum. “The focus is more on the individual,” said Kadena ALS commandant MSgt. Mark James, in a release on July 10, the day of the graduation. “If you’re not sure of who you are as a person or the kind of leader you are, then it’s tough to translate that to your subordinates,” he added. The new course material profiles the individual leadership style of senior airmen and staff sergeants through personality testing, instead of using historical case studies. “It challenges the students in a new way,” said TSgt. Damean Moore, ALS instructor. “We’re trying to produce better quality [non-commissioned officers] to take care of our airmen.” Kadena is the only air base in the Pacific region—and one of only seven bases Air Force-wide—implementing the new curriculum on a trial basis. (Kadena report by SSgt. Darnell Cannady)
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.