While the environments of ongoing military operations across the globe are constantly changing, instructors at the Air Force’s Expeditionary Operations School here strive to ensure their lessons prepare airmen for today’s battlefields, not yesterday’s.
That’s why Air Force Lt. Col. Mike Morales visited the school July 27, fresh off a yearlong assignment commanding an air advisor squadron in Afghanistan. During his visit with students and instructors from the Air Advisor Flight and the Advanced Study of Air Mobility program, Morales relayed the rewards and challenges of serving as an air advisor and working hand-in-hand with Afghanistan’s airmen.
‘Opportunities Are Endless’
He emphasized that air advising isn’t just about following instructions or checklists.
“The great thing about advising is that there is a lot of grey area, and it’s off the beaten path,” he said. “The opportunities are endless, but it’s not without its challenges and frustrations.”
He encouraged current students to dive into national defense strategy, because air advisors do much more than mentor their counterparts on their primary duties -- they represent the United States.
“Advising is never about the skills only,” he said. “No one is ever just a wrench-turner.”
Morales said air advisors are making progress with Afghanistan’s airmen, especially those at the tactical level, but it is important for advisors to understand they can’t rigidly copy-and-paste the U.S. Air Force.
“We’re not trying to make them like us,” he said, noting that trying to forcefully overcome cultural differences rarely proves successful. “Sometimes we have to agree to disagree, and the learning can only go so far.”
Firsthand Account
While Morales’s visit was intended for students to get a firsthand account from someone recently in their position, many of the school’s instructors listened attentively to the presentation as well.
There is a special benefit to the school’s instructors absorbing what their returning students have to say, said instructor David Ronan.
“The students here today will hear him tell his stories, but we can tell his stories over and over again to future students,” Ronan said.
Ronan said he and his fellow instructors appreciate when former students offer feedback because it provides insight into demonstrated curricular strengths and opportunities for curricular improvement.
“It helps me reset my heading indicator,” he said.
Overall, Morales’s experiences validated several key points of the air advisor curriculum, Ronan said, especially the emphasis on relational skills and positive attitudes -- intangibles that are key to the success of an air advisor.
Morales was recently selected to the White House Fellows program, a prestigious program in which select individuals spend a year working as full-time with senior White House staff, cabinet secretaries and other top-ranking government officials.