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BMT extended, NCOs to learn new languages
By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
Air Force Print News

ORLANDO, Fla. --
Civilians wanting to be Airmen are going to have to tough it out for an additional two and a half weeks at basic military training, said the Air Force's top general here Feb. 2.

Airmen graduating from BMT are going to be better trained and better equipped to be war fighters, said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley during the Air Force Association's Air Warfare Symposium.

"My belief is that every Airman should be ready the minute they graduate for the air expeditionary force that is today's Air Force," he said. "We demand a lot of those kids when they get out into the field, and they have to be better prepared for the challenges they face out there."

The additional weeks will give more time for Airmen to be trained on war-fighting skills they would encounter in a deployed combat location, such as the use of small arms and emergency medical skills.

Airmen need to have more awareness about the Air Force expeditionary business, General Moseley said.

New Airmen will not be the only ones getting trained for global and expeditionary warfare. Senior noncommissioned officers and field grade officers will soon be required to take up a new language as part of their professional military training.

"Starting next year, the students down at Maxwell (Air Force Base, Ala., home to Air University and the Senior NCO Academy) are going to see a more robust education that is going to prepare them to be leaders in this global war on terror, and that includes language education" General Moseley said. "It is going to be mandatory that they take one of four languages: Arabic, French, Spanish and Chinese. This will enable them to go to other countries, not only in the (Middle East), but in the sub-Sahara, and be able to better work in those regions."

General Moseley said Air Force leaders are seeking ways to make education opportunities more accessible to its force.

"We want to put options out there for distance learning and advanced degrees," he said. "A higher education is of immense value to our Airmen, especially our senior NCOs and junior officers."



Fender

"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it."
George Bernard Shaw

I guess its going to be "40 yrs and Out" THEN.

French and Spanish I can understand in a few years most of us now either of those enought to get by, "How to order food,beer, women, get by" but the other 2?

GIVE ME A BREAK, their is over 40 differant Arabic sub languages, plus Chinese Oh Brother ?thats why they have AFSC's to be translators,besides most people in the world are taught english.
All pilots who fly have to understand english and airtraffic controllers to,speak and know.
Thats the langugage unless its changed since I was in FLT CHECK,that they all used.
The FC pilots would test the controllers,Japanese etc.... all over the Far east on their English skills and understanding certain words and phrases.

I can understand the ""Weapons training" but after basic. Get thru BMT, then send you Tech school and see if you can do your job,then send you to Advance training like the Army does.
Or just station you down south where you can get your weapons training hunting like most of the rest of us had <img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>
But if you grew-up in the big cities, LA, New-York,Chicago ,StL. you already get a pass,your still alive.

One day it'll be just one "Service" back to the Army Air Corps AGAIN.

Goose

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin,
(1706 - 1790)

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