The Air Force Starts Here DVIDS

The Air Force has identified 24 Airman's foundational competencies for all Airmen, as part of a systematic competency-based approach to develop the force.

These foundational competencies are universally applicable to all Airmen and are categorized into four groups: Developing Self, Developing Others, Developing Ideas and Developing Organizations.

In this episode of The Air Force Starts Here podcast, we explore the Airman's Foundational Competencies.

In episode 50 of "The Air Force Starts Here," we take a look back at how the COVID-19 pandemic and changed Air Force training. Gary Boyd, Air Education and Training Command historian, speaks with Maj. Gen. John J. DeGoes, who is the former 59th Medical Wing commander, and has been credited by Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of AETC, as a pivotal leader in fighting through the pandemic.

DAWN-ED is a Department of the Air Force-funded degree program that provides up to 15 eligible Airmen and Guardians an opportunity to pursue a master’s degree or doctorate from a university of choice. Officers have until June 25, 2021, to apply for the 2022 academic year.

Tune in to episode 48 of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast, to learn more about the application process. Dr. Steven Hansen, DAWN-ED program manager, provides specifics on the program and application process. Capt. Ciara Figliuolo, from the 558th Flying Training Squadron and participant in the DAWN-ED master’s program last year, who will attend Carnegie Mellon University’s Master of Science in artificial intelligence and innovation program is also a guest on the podcast.

In episode 48 of "The Air Force Starts Here" podcast, we celebrate Women’s History Month 2021 with four of the first-ever women to graduate Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training here in 1977.

Capt. Kayshel Trudell from the Air Education and Training Command public affairs team spoke with these trailblazers from UPT class 77-08.

Joining the discussion was retired Col. Kathleen Cosand and retired Lt. Cols Mary Donahue, Sandra Scott and Mary Livingston who attended UPT from August 1976 to September 1977. These women left their mark on the pages of history and have opened doors for women pilots and Airmen for generations to come. Diversity in all forms makes the Air Force better and it’s more than race, gender and ethnicity, it’s about leveraging unique strengths, perspectives and experiences. Women serving past, present and future bring unique warfighting capabilities to our nation.

On episode 47 of "The Air Force Starts Here," Staff Sgt. Keith James from the Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs team sat down with Chief Master Sgt. Erik Thompson, AETC command chief to discuss the importance of force generators. Force Generators consist of recruiters, instructors and training leaders. These voluntary assignments are demanding opportunities, but offer positive career broadening experiences for Airmen to mature and grow as leaders.

On episode 46 of the "The Air Force Starts Here" Dan Hawkins from the Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs team sat down with Floyd McKinney, Adam Rusmussen and Lt. Col. Hien Nguyen from the HQ AETC/A3G to talk in-depth about "myLearning." The new secure learning management system (LMS) will enable student learning, automation and reporting for roughly 800,000 Total Force users in three phases, with the first phase consisting of a modernized and interactive training platform that allows Airmen to access training modules previously found on the Advanced Distributed Learning Service (ADLS). The LMS is part of Air Education and Training Command’s efforts to aggressively and cost-effectively modernize education and training to develop the Airmen we need.