Philippine Airmen attend professional military education at Hickam

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo
  • Air Force Print News
The Hickam Professional Military Education center is hosting Philippine Air Force students at its Airman Leadership School to help them develop a program of their own.

After an assessment by Air Force senior noncommissioned officers from Pacific Air Forces, the Philippine Air Force expressed the need to set up their own leadership school. A working group then developed a plan for training opportunities.

“This assessment was extremely successful and will bolster their development of their enlisted force and foster lasting relationships with the Philippine Air Force,” said Chief Master Sgt. Jerol Mariotti, commandant of the Hickam Professional Military Education Center.

Four Philippine instructor/students and the Philippine Air Force command sergeant major are currently attending an ALS class. They will send an additional five students in the future. The 10 new instructors will then write their own curriculum and set up a Philippine Airman leadership school for fiscal 2007.

“It’s a big help to us,” said the Philippine Air Force Command Sgt. Maj. Cesar Soloria. "We learned a lot about leadership. We do things a little different in paperwork and evaluations; ALS is helping us develop more and starting innovations that can be adjusted to our system."

The plan that the Philippine Air Force develops will allow the U.S. Air Force to contribute to the Philippine defense reform. This will help them improve the armed forces of the Philippines, and in turn aid PACAF and PACOM in the war on terrorism.

“Air Force PME is truly an outstanding attribute of the enlisted force. With the leadership tools we can put in their tool box and the more capable they are, the more capable we are,” said Chief Master Sgt. Rodney McKinley, Pacific Air Forces Command chief.