MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Three Language Enabled Airman Program Scholars have been selected for the highly competitive Mike Mansfield Fellowship Program. Established by Congress in 1994, the program builds a corps of U.S. federal employees with advanced Japanese proficiency and hands-on experience in Japan’s government to strengthen U.S.-Japan cooperation.
Capt. Claire Park, Capt. John Collins, and U.S. Space Force Capt. Joshua Santini joined the 30th Class of Fellows and will depart for Tokyo, Japan, in July 2026. Their Fellowship in Japan will run through June 2027. Their selection as LEAP Scholars for the Mansfield Fellowship Program demonstrates how the Air Force Culture and Language Center creates a global impact by cultivating mission-ready, language-enabled warfighters. These service members combine cultural fluency with operational readiness and serve as vital links between the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and Indo-Pacific partners. Through their efforts, they ensure that communication, cooperation, and shared purpose remain central to every mission.
The three LEAP Scholars chosen for the Fellowship demonstrate the program’s commitment to developing agile, language-enabled Airmen and Guardians. These service members excel across global theaters. Together, they offer an impressive record of professional language and cultural engagement, including:
- Four Japanese Power Immersions conducted in-country, providing deep linguistic and cultural integration.
- Two Training Partnership Requests focused on operational collaboration with Japanese counterparts.
- Completion of the Integrated Deterrence Course in San Francisco, emphasizing multi-domain deterrence strategies in the Indo-Pacific.
- Two Virtual Language Intensive Training Exercises (LITEs), reinforcing strategic communication and interoperability in digital environments.
- Nine eMentor Courses, ensuring sustained language proficiency and professional development through virtual mentorship.
This extensive preparation highlights the value of LEAP’s “train, sustain, and enhance” model. It equips LEAP Scholars to contribute meaningfully to U.S. national security goals through language and culture.
Park studied Japan since middle school and lived for four years in Misawa. She thought she had a firm grasp of the Japanese language and culture. However, it was only after participating in a LITE in Tokyo that she realized the full potential of that experience.
“Attending the LITE training program in Tokyo truly opened my eyes. It was a humbling experience that revealed gaps in my knowledge and ignited a strong desire to explore the complexities of Japanese policy and strategy. This brings me back to my motivation for applying to the Mansfield program,” Park explained. “I applied for the Mansfield Fellowship because I want to better understand how Japan strategizes acquisition, funds its defense programs, and ties that decision to long-term capability and readiness. Through my career in the Air Force, I’ve learned that readiness isn’t just about having trained personnel or additional aircraft. It’s about developing a force that can respond quickly with minimal ramp-up time, adapt to shifting conditions, and scale operations as needed. That perspective drives my interest in how Japan builds long-term strategic flexibility through its funding structure, capability development, and acquisition decisions, especially as Japan adjusts its defense posture under the newly elected administration.”
For Collins, his journey began with an interest in the language, which solidified during a deployment to Okinawa. Once he was accepted into LEAP, and his language and culture skills grew, he knew the door to more professional opportunities was opening.
“Years of language study, travel, and cultural exploration fueled my passion for Japan and solidified my commitment to strengthening the ties between our two nations. My experience supporting military operations in the Pacific underscored a critical understanding: strong partnerships are the bedrock of national security. Witnessing how the U.S. military establishes and strengthens partnerships and solves complex international challenges only fueled my desire to contribute to the U.S.-Japan alliance,” Collins said. “Now, selected as a Mansfield Fellow, I have a unique opportunity to translate this passion into action alongside other U.S. government officials from various agencies. My goal is to leverage my language skills, cultural knowledge, and operational experience to foster deeper strategic understanding between the U.S. and Japan, especially regarding contingency response capabilities and deterrence operations.”
The Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility represents one of the most strategically complex and vital regions for U.S. defense priorities. Strengthening partnerships with key allies, such as Japan, is essential to maintaining stability, interoperability, and deterrence.
By participating in the Mansfield Fellowship Program, these LEAP Scholars will gain a deeper understanding of Japan’s government and defense institutions. They will also build lasting professional relationships. Their experiences will help the Air Force integrate with Japanese Self-Defense Forces, support Agile Combat Employment (ACE) initiatives, and foster trust and communication between allied forces.
Santini entered the United States Air Force Academy in 2015 with a career goal of merging his two greatest interests: space technologies and a love of Japan. Becoming a Mansfield Fellow as a LEAP Scholar will allow him the perfect opportunity to achieve those goals. As the second Space Force Guardian to be accepted as a Mansfield Fellow, Capt. Santini will be continuing to blaze a trail in how the United States Space Force engages with Japan’s space enterprise – a prospect he’s eagerly looking forward to.
“Japan is one of the most capable space partners we have, yet we only have a fledgling relationship on the defense space side. With this Fellowship, I wish to advance our space security relationship, as many of our goals are similar. Overall, the Fellowship has been a positive experience, and I have gained a great deal of knowledge on how the Japanese government is structured. It has also been a great time getting to know my other cohorts who will be joining me in Japan. These individuals are all from different backgrounds, experiences, and agencies, yet we all have the same overarching goal: advance the U.S.-Japan relationship and establish a more secure environment for both nations to prosper together for many years to come,” Santini said.
Since its inception, the Mansfield Fellowship Program has built a network of professionals shaping U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific. Alumni use their language skills, cultural expertise, and relationships to advance initiatives supporting U.S. and allied interests in this dynamic region. The Mansfield Fellowship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation.