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LEAP translates strategy into action during first-in-a-generation DLE exercise series

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  • U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Mark Fain interprets for members of the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines and Guatemalan paratroops, known as Paracaidistas, on May 16, 2025, at a training base near here during CENTAM Guardian 2025. CENTAM Guardian, an annual, multinational exercise, fosters strong partnerships by enabling combined forces to effectively address shared security challenges. The Air Force’s Language Enabled Airman Program, of which Fain is a member, includes more than 3,700 service members who bridge language and cultural barriers with allies and partners to create a more interoperable, lethal force. (Courtesy photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Elio De Los Santos)

    Spanish LEAP Scholars sharpen the edge of joint force and allied operations

    Spanish isn’t just a language, it’s a cultural bridge spanning continents, histories and identities. And the tasks Spanish LEAP scholars accomplish span nations, skillsets, and military operations.
  • U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Wassem Juakiem, 81st Healthcare Operations Squadron gastroenterologist, maneuvers an endoscope using the control dials during a colonoscopy at Hospital Dr. Gustavo Nelson Collado, in Chitré, Panama, Sept. 19, 2025 during AMISTAD 2025.. U.S. and Panamanian gastroenterologists performed endoscopic procedures that not only reduced delays for patients but also prepared Airmen to adapt with fewer resources. (U.S. Air Force photo by Andrea Jenkins)

    Partnership in Practice: U.S., Panamanian Gastro Teams Tackle Backlog Together

    CHITRÉ, Panama – In a quiet procedure room at Hospital Gustavo Nelson Collado, U.S. Air Force gastroenterologists are working shoulder-to-shoulder with their Panamanian counterparts, exchanging techniques while cutting through a long list of patients who had been waiting years for specialized care.
  • U.S. Air Force Language Enabled Airman Program (LEAP) scholars pose for a group photo during AMISTAD 2025 in La Mesa, Panamá, in September 2025. Their linguistic expertise and cultural knowledge were vital to mission success, allowing providers to focus on patient care. (U.S. Air Force photo by Andrea Jenkins)

    Language as a Force Multiplier: LEAP Scholars Bridge Cultures in Panamá

    LA MESA, Panamá – For U.S. Airmen supporting AMISTAD 2025, medical supplies, advanced procedures and long days of patient care tell only part of the story. Behind the scenes, it’s language—and the Airmen and the guardians who bridge it—that makes the mission possible.
  • Japan Air Self-Defense Force service members pose with U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Julie Tatemoto and Language Enabled Airman Program participant, 51st Operations Support Squadron airfield operations director of operations, Osan Air Base, South Korea, during the U.S. Air Force’s 2025 Department-Level Exercise series at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 22, 2025. LEAP empowers the DLE by enhancing linguistic and cultural interoperability, enabling more effective collaboration and mission success with partners and allies. DLE 2025 is a new way of conducting operations in a contested, dynamic environment to build capabilities, making a stronger, more deterrent force. The DLE encompasses all branches of the Department of Defense, along with Allies and partners, employing more than 400 Joint and coalition aircraft and more than 12,000 members at more than 50 locations across 3,000 miles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jade M. Caldwell)

    LEAP translates strategy into action during first-in-a-generation DLE exercise series

    ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- The streets of Guam were filled with celebration as service members and locals came together for the 81st Guam Liberation Day parade. Flying by in a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, one Airman was a critical link in a multinational chain, coordinating in real time between the U.S. and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. On the ground, hundreds of feet away, another Airman was balancing sortie schedules and cross-cultural timelines, bridging the communication gap between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea Air Force. This wasn’t a day-to-day task for either of them—but it was exactly why both joined the Language Enabled Airman Program.
  • 1st Lt. Aliyah Brown, Logistics Readiness Officer and Portuguese language LEAP Scholar, 735th Air Mobility Squadron, Hickam Air Force Base, interprets the application of Fiber Reinforced Polymer to Portuguese Air Force partners while participating in a LEAP-ACE course at Morón Air Base Spain, 4 February 2025. Conveying US civil engineering techniques in the partner’s native language proved pivotal for accelerating the pace of instruction and enhancing partner interoperability.

    Portuguese LEAP Scholars fortify warfighting readiness with allies around the world

    Portugal is well known for its beaches, cuisine, and music, but its effect on geo-politics is more significant than one might expect from a country that occupies less than one percent of Europe’s landmass.
  • 1st Lt. Xue Wang, Chinese Mandarin LEAP Scholar and System Engineering Manager, Wright-Patterson AFB, consults with fellow Language Enabled Airman Program Scholars during the 2024 Polyglot competition sponsored by the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade. (Photo by Mr. Christopher R. Chesser)

    Chinese Mandarin LEAP Scholars Use Their Skills to Increase Combat Credibility

    Whether supporting high-level strategy for the Pentagon or navigating cultural nuances during simulated warfare in the Pacific, Chinese Mandarin Language Enabled Airman Program (LEAP) Scholars have repeatedly displayed their skills when called to action.
  • 82 Cadets were selected for AFCLC's Language Enabled Airman Program.

    82 Cadets Selected for AFCLC’s Language Enabled Airman Program

    After a virtual selection board process in April, the Air Force Culture and Language Center selected 82 Cadets for the Language Enabled Airman Program. Of the 82 Cadets selected, 46 were chosen from the United States Air Force Academy and 36 from the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps in 11 languages. Eight selects will commission into the United States Space Force, while 74 will commission into the United States Air Force.
  • Language Enabled Airman Program participants engage in discussion during the Agile Combat Employment brief at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 15th 2025. As the Air Force continues to build regional partnerships, LEAP ensures Airmen are mission-ready, culturally aware and capable of leading in diverse operational environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel G. Zamora)

    Language, Culture, and Connection: LEAP Scholars Train at Yokota

    Scholars from the Language Enabled Airman Program embedded with units across the 374th Airlift Wing for three weeks, applying cultural and language skills to strengthen partnerships and enhance mission readiness in the Indo-Pacific.
  • Russian LEAP Scholar Capt. Lyudmila Mueller, executive officer for AFIMSC’s Financial Management directorate, volunteered for the Guardian Sphinx 24 exercise as a member of the Department of Defense’s Language Enabled Airman Program. She role played a detainee and was interrogated by military police during the training exercise.

    Russian LEAP Scholars Amplify Mission Success with Versatility

    A hallmark of the Language Enabled Airman Program is having more than 3,700 Airmen and Guardians with specialized skills in language, regional expertise, and cultural proficiency, ready to step in when a crisis hits. Needs arise frequently, sometimes unexpectedly, but these service members are always prepared to respond. Numerous examples from recent years may be found in the Russian LEAP cohort, many who have navigated complex challenges and provided crucial support when it mattered most.
  • U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Karla Pelayo, from the Air Force’s Language Enabled Airman Program, poses May 21, 2025, on Mariscal Zavala military base with Col. Victor Argueta Oscal of the Guatemalan army, who commanded the combined task force in CENTCAM Guardian 2025, and U.S. Army Maj. Brian Hotchkiss, an advisor from the 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade, for whom she interpreted daily. CENTAM Guardian, an annual, multinational exercise, fosters strong partnerships by enabling combined forces to effectively address shared security challenges. The Air Force’s Language Enabled Airman Program, to which Pelayo belongs, includes more than 3,700 service members who bridge language and cultural barriers with allies and partners to create a more interoperable, lethal force. (U.S. Navy photo by Cmdr. Michael Cody)

    Air Force interpreters provide first-time support, extra value in CENTAM Guardian 2025

    GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Eight interpreters from the Air Force’s Language Enabled Airman Program, known as LEAP, supported CENTAM Guardian 2025 in a first for the annual multinational exercise, held from May 12 through May 23 at various locations in Guatemala this year.

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    To provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security.

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    Enhance partner interoperability and adversary understanding in Airmen through language, regional expertise, and culture education.

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