23 Jul 2021

AFCLC, AF Cyber College host cyber LITE training event

In August 2020, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. wrote in his strategic plan entitled Accelerate Change or Lose, “We must empower our incredible Airmen to solve any problem. We must place value in multicapable and adaptable team builders and courageous problem solvers that demonstrate value in diversity of thought, ingenuity and initiative.” In keeping with Brown’s mandate of “Accelerate Change or Lose,” the Air Force Culture and Language Center is co-hosting a cyber educational event July 20-29, 2021, to take a closer look at cyber operations in today’s era of global strategic competition.

12 Jul 2021

LEAP Spotlight:1st Lt. James Kiesewetter

“A question I’ve often thought about — what does being a part of another culture look and feel like? For me, learning German started when the U.S. Air Force Academy chose what language I would take for one year: German. I fell in love with learning a language, and here I am more than five years later. I have spent about half of my adult life in Germany, studied in Germany, and have wonderful German friends who will be in my life forever.

12 Jul 2021

LEAP Spotlight with Maj. Wesley Meredith

“I joined the Language Enabled Airman Program in 2010 for Swahili, which I learned while growing up and going to school in Kenya. I started with a limited knowledge of Swahili, but through LEAP, I grew my language capabilities. I went on my first Language Intensive Training Event in 2015 to Tanzania. I have been able to go on two more LITEs for Swahili since then, and each time I have returned with an improved proficiency and confidence in the language. Combined with the eMentor courses, LEAP enabled me to maintain and grow my proficiency in Swahili year to year.

12 Jul 2021

LEAP Spotlight: Tech. Sgt. Emmanuel Franco-Heredia

Tech. Sgt. Emmanuel Franco-Heredia completed his master’s degree in Logistics and Transportations in 2018. During that time, he also learned about the Language Enabled Airman Program offered by the Air Force Culture and Language Center.

9 Jul 2021

Advanced LEAP Scholars Host Virtual Subject Matter Expert Exchange

Through the Training Partnership Request program, Spanish Language Enabled Airman Program scholar Master Sgt. Victor Perez recently provided language support to a Search and Rescue Subject Matter Expert Exchange between the U.S. Air Force, the Mexican Air Force, the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA in Spanish), and Integral Aerial Surveillance Systems (SIVA in Spanish). The TPR program allows the Air Force Culture and Language Center to pair advanced LEAP scholars with partner organizations to host advanced Language Intensive Training Events.

6 Jul 2021

LEAP Spotlight: Capt. Maira Garza

Language Enabled Airman Program Scholar Capt. Maira Garza is currently providing Spanish language support to the 12th Air Force in Guatemala for a site survey supporting Resolute Sentinel Exercise Related Construction and Humanitarian Assistance Program projects. During this Training Partnership Request, Capt. Garza worked with Guatemalan Emergency Response Agencies, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and various Department of Defense representatives.

6 Jul 2021

LEAP Scholars and FAOs Support U.S. Army Units in DEFENDER-Europe 21

DEFENDER-Europe 21 is a large-scale U.S. Army-led exercise designed to build readiness and interoperability between the United States, NATO allies, and partner militaries.

6 Jul 2021

LEAP Scholar Helps Bring Home Fallen U.S. Soldiers

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, “from September 1944 to February 1945, soldiers from at least nine U.S. divisions battled German forces in the Hürtgen Forest, a roughly 70 sq. mi. area of wooded, hilly terrain in Germany near the Belgian border. It was one of the U.S. Army's longest battles during World War II and led to more than 24,000 American casualties. The DPAA’s Hürtgen Forest Project has helped lead to the recovery and identification of more than 30 American soldiers previously missing from combat there… more than 160 service members [are] still unaccounted-for from that campaign.”

6 Jul 2021

LEAP Scholars and FAOs Support Exercise African Lion 21

U.S. Africa Command’s Exercise African Lion 21 is a joint, multi-national exercise in Morocco, Tunisia, and Senegal linked to U.S. European Command’s Exercise Defender 21 to counter malign influence in North Africa and increase interoperability.

29 Jun 2021

LEAP Spotlight with Capt. Abdulaziz Ali

“Fostering America’s talents. This is America’s strength; they draw talents from all parts of the population. I’ve heard some variation of this sentiment from several high-ranking officers during exercise SILENT WARRIOR 20 in Garmisch, Germany. Hosted by SOCAFRICA, the Joint-Combined Exercise brought together African Partner Nations and a host of panelists for a weeklong forum to discuss some of the lessons learned, successes, and challenges countering Violent Extremist Organizations on the African continent. APNs could articulate both the logistical challenges, from basic training and equipping, to the complex social, economic, and political factors that contribute to the growth of VEOs. It was a tremendous vignette that demonstrated how we need to collaborate closely with our partners in developing objectives and long-term solutions to shared security threats.