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      Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson visited AFWERX-Austin June 27, 2018. During her visit to Texas, Wilson learned more about the mission at AFWERX-Austin, Pilot Training Next, 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph and Basic Military Training Wing at JBSA-Lackland. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Gwendalyn Smith)SecAF Wilson talk innovation across JBSA, Austin
                        
                        
                        Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson visited AFWERX-Austin June 27, 2018. During her visit to Texas, Wilson learned more about the mission at AFWERX-Austin, Pilot Training Next, 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph and Basic Military Training Wing at JBSA-Lackland. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Gwendalyn Smith)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

SecAF Wilson talks Air Force innovation across JBSA, AustinPublished July 2, 2018
                    
                    By Senior Airman Stormy Archer
                    
                    
                    502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
            **JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AFNS) --**Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson visited AFWERX-Austin, Pilot Training Next and Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, June 27-29, 2018, to see firsthand the focus Airmen in the area are placing on improving readiness, cost-effective modernization and developing exceptional leaders.
Her first stop was AFWERX-Austin, the Air Force’s newest public innovation and collaboration hub focused on bridging external communities and the Air Force to create mutually-beneficial partnerships.
“We recognize that the bureaucracy doesn’t always allow innovation to happen, and that’s one of the reasons for creating things like AFWERX,” Wilson said. “To take some of the innovative capacities of the people who work in high-tech companies who can help the Air Force connect with a community that has a university partner, where we’re very likely to find entrepreneurial talent and ideas, a supportive local government, a business and innovation culture and try to connect and embed as part of a team.”
Wilson also toured the Pilot Training Next facility at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin.
Pilot Training Next is a program to explore and potentially prototype a training environment that integrates various technologies to produce pilots in an accelerated, cost efficient, learning-focused manner. The training uses immersive technology to see how Airmen can learn more effectively.
“Technology has changed quite a bit, but the syllabus for pilot training had not significantly changed in about 20 years,” Wilson said. “The Air Force is partnering with industry and educators to build a training environment that integrates today’s latest technology to improve pilot training.”
The next stop for Wilson was a visit to Joint Base San Antonio.
At JBSA-Randolph, Wilson met with members of the 12th Flying Training Wing to discuss the pilot instructor training, introduction to fighter fundamentals, weapons systems officer training and remotely piloted aircraft pilot and basic sensor operator training missions.
While at JBSA-Lackland, Wilson had the opportunity to engage with new Airmen and their families, and also serve as the reviewing official during the Basic Military Training graduation parade. There she welcomed 628 new Airmen into the Air Force.
“To our newest Airmen, every one of you comes here with a story,” Wilson said. “You bring with you your history and your family’s history to our nation’s defense, and you are now part of our story as Airmen in the greatest Air Force in the world.”AETC 



Air Education and Training Command 



JBSA 



Austin 



Joint Base San Antonio 



SecAF 



SAF 



AFwerX 



Pilot Training Next 



readiness 



modernization Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 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