U.S. Airman attends 1st RAAF multi-national junior enlisted leadership forum in Australia

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Matthew McGovern
  • Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs

An Airman with the 36th Wing from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, recently returned from the first Pacific Rim Junior Enlisted Leadership Forum in Canberra, Australia.

Tech. Sgt. Luis Reyes, 36th Wing Command Chief executive assistant, represented the U.S. Air Force as the only U.S. Airmen attending the three day venue Sept. 28 through 30.

“It was an amazing experience; the hospitality of the host nation was beyond superb,” Reyes said. “The interaction with the other nations was extremely beneficial, and I was able to gain some insight into how they approach the subject of leadership PME.”

Reyes joined Airmen from 12 countries to share experiences, learn about each other’s leadership techniques and improve leadership growth and partnerships. During the venues timeframe, Reyes also had the opportunity to spend time out of the classroom with the students.

“We bonded over breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he said. “During our time together we also learned each other’s backgrounds, cultures, and shared our similarities and differences in leadership styles. I also learned we all had something in common -- we understood the importance of leadership, taking care of our Airmen and the significance of followership.”

Allied Airmen sharing skills like these were goals of Chief Master Sgt. Buddy Hutchison, Pacific Air Forces command chief, who helped coordinate the event.  Other goals of the forum were to provide participants with the “information and tools, with the focus being on leadership development to grow tomorrow’s senior enlisted leaders,” Hutchison said.

Junior Enlisted NCOs from Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United States participated in the forum.