Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Building strategic relationshipsPublished Jan. 12, 2015
                    
                    By Tech. Sgt. Marie Brown
                    
                    
                    U.S. Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs
            **SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNS) --**The Air Force’s ability to continue building partnerships to meet challenges of future warfare directly involves Airmen and Soldiers who are focused on building partnership capacity throughout the region.
As the result of a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the U.S. Air Forces Central Command (AFCENT) Air Warfare Center (AWC) helps facilitate training that prepares Airmen and Soldiers from throughout the region for coalition operations. 
“Our mission is to grow partnerships and interoperability between the UAE, U.S., Gulf Cooperation Council members, and other nations in the region,” said Senior Master Sgt. Timothy Brown, the AFCENT AWC senior enlisted leader. “We do this through multiple venues, such as the Advanced Tactical Leadership Course (ATLC), the UAE Joint Terminal Attack Controller Schoolhouse, and the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Center.”
ATLC is a seven-week course, consisting of two weeks of academics and five weeks of flying, that is designed to train pilots how to become mission commanders. It has garnered prestige in the region, and U.S. participation is of such significant importance that the chief of staff of the Air Force personally approved F-22 Raptors to participate in the most recent course, despite the high demand for sorties supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
“The student mission commander is expected to plan, coordinate, brief, and lead a large force of coalition members against a complex and credible threat array,” Brown said. “They are ultimately responsible for everything that happens from start to finish – including the debrief, which must address lessons identified from execution.” 
A recent graduate of the course, Capt. Christopher Huchingson, from the 968th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron, experienced firsthand the training involved in ATLC. 
“I gained experience, knowledge and confidence on what it takes to lead a team of experts in individual weapons systems,” Huchingson said. “As well as, successfully and sometimes unsuccessfully finding and executing a solution to a tactical problem as one unit.” 
Huchingson said he’s already been able to directly apply what he’s learned in the course to his current operations and knows that he will continue to build upon the foundation of experience and knowledge that was laid during ATLC. 
The AFCENT AWC has been in the UAE since 2003, and there have been 23 ATLCs held since the first one in 2004. The center is unique in that Congress explicitly grants it Title 22 authorities through the National Defense Authorization Act. Title 22 authority allows the AFCENT AWC to provide security assistance training to foreign nationals.
Training is only one piece of what the AFCENT AWC does during the ATLC and other courses. While the training during the course has had a positive impact on Operation Inherent Resolve mission planning, another factor has held just as much weight.
“Building relationships has been the most significant aspect of what we do here,” Brown said. “In coalition operations, we continually find that relationships matter. We can only move at the speed of trust, and we are proud that our efforts have given regional partners the confidence to participate in coalition operations.” 
In particular, the UAE has participated in Operations Enduring Freedom, Unified Protector, and now Inherent Resolve.AFCENT 



Advanced Tactical Leadership Course 



UAE Joint Terminal Attack Controller Schoolhouse 



Integrated Air and Missile Defense Center 



United Arab Emirates 



UAE 



training Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF Kendall visits Bangor ANG Base
                    
                    Vice President Harris congratulates USAFA Class of ‘24
                    
                    Senate confirms Melissa Dalton as next Under Secretary of the Air Force
                    
                    ‘One Team, One Fight’: SecAF visits Keesler AFB
                    
                    SecAF Kendall experiences VISTA of future flight test at Edwards AFBInnovation
                AFSFC reaches final phase of fielding Model Defender gear
                    
                    Around the Air Force: PCS Allowances, Air Task Forces, All-Volunteer Force
                    
                    AFIMSC focuses I-WEPTAC topics on GPC solutions
                    
                    Optimizing AI, Air University hosts Artificial Intelligence Symposium
                    
                    AFIMSC tools deliver data-driven solutions across DAFMAJCOM News
                AFMC to expand AcqDemo workforce
                    
                    AFMC empowers small businesses for Air Force reoptimization
                    
                    Acquisition Instructor Course Class 25A open for nominations
                    
                    Air Guard leaders host 2024 Wing Leader Conference
                    
                    Referral bonuses aim to help fill mission-critical vacancies
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil