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      1st Lt. Lorrayne Kealty, 14th Air Support Operations Squadron, Pope Army Air Field, N.C., speaks with Central and South American air force leaders at the Conference of American Air Chiefs in Panama in June 2019. As a Language Enabled Airman Program scholar, Kealty presented at the conference at the encouragement of her squadron commander, Lt. Col. Christopher Sweeny. Conference attendees were pleasantly surprised by Kealty’s mastery of their native language, choosing to listen to her in person instead of relying on interpreters speaking through their earpieces. (Courtesy photo)Squadron commanders play key role in building alliances through LEAP
                        
                        
                        First Lt. Lorrayne Kealty, 14th Air Support Operations Squadron, Pope Army Airfield, N.C., speaks with Central and South American air force leaders at the Conference of American Air Chiefs in Panama in June 2019. As a Language Enabled Airman Program scholar, Kealty presented at the conference at the encouragement of Lt. Col. Christopher Sweeny, her squadron commander. Conference attendees were pleasantly surprised by Kealty’s mastery of their native language, choosing to listen to her in person instead of relying on interpreters speaking through their earpieces. (U.S. Air Force courtesy photo)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Squadron commanders play key role in building alliances through LEAPPublished Oct. 23, 2019
                    
                    By Howard Ward
                    
                    
                    Air Force Culture and Language Center
            **MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) --**In the **Air Force Culture and Language Center**’s **Language Enabled Airman Program**, the 3,002 scholars currently in the program are utilizing this training to build and strengthen alliances in 96 languages worldwide. The number of scholars is expected to grow following the release of the 2019 active duty selection board.
However, squadron commanders are the key enablers who make the scholars’ efforts possible by investing in their deliberate language development. While accomplishing their missions, the commanders also are winning the future by strengthening partnerships today through these scholars.
Without debate, squadron commanders are the unsung heroes of LEAP. In the language program’s learning model, all educational efforts happen at a time that works for both the scholar and their commander. With constant demands upon squadrons to accomplish missions and the demands of Airmen in their professional and personal lives, balancing the present and the future is no easy task.
First Lt. Lorrayne Kealty and her squadron commander, Lt. Col. Christopher Sweeney, 14th Air Support Operations Squadron, **Pope Army Airfield**, North Carolina, found out firsthand how valuable readily available language skills could be in a quickly changing environment.
Kealty applied for and was accepted into LEAP in 2017. With support from her commander, she completed one eMentor online course and one 28-day overseas immersion, which raised her language skills to a level of functional fluency.
Recently, the 14th ASOS supported a mission that required a technical briefing on a data system. The audience was most of the air service chiefs from Central and South America and **Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein**. Sweeney knew that Kealty was a scholar in LEAP, and because he had invested in her deliberate development, Sweeney passed on the options of hiring a contracted interpreter or allowing the onsite personnel to interpret. Sweeney chose his own Airman to not only deliver the briefing, but deliver it in Spanish.
“I couldn’t think of a better way for the 14th ASOS to connect with our partners than to have one of our own connecting and speaking to them in their own language,” Sweeney said.
Kealty took the stage for the briefing, and when she started speaking their native language, all of the partner nations’ air chiefs took out their earpieces and instantly connected to an American Airman talking about the application of air power.
It was this moment when Sweeney saw return on investment.
“I knew we had made the right decision,” he said.
The ability to connect through the culture and language of key partner nations took this event to a level beyond informative. Kealty made a moment where all in attendance knew they were valued because the Air Force had invested in Airmen who could operate with them seamlessly in their own culture and language.
Sweeney’s investments with LEAP scholars did not start or stop there. They also paid dividends with Staff Sgt. Khalil Chamma, who entered LEAP in 2014. Through the program’s curriculum, and a lot of effort on his own time, he has honed his skills in the Arabic language and culture to a high level. Sweeney was able to leverage those skills during intense training workups prior to deployment and also during a security cooperation event with special operators from Egypt.
“One of the chief of staff of the Air Force’s priorities is strengthening alliances. This is one of our key missions in ASOS, so anything we can do, even at the squadron level, helps support that priority,” Sweeney said.
Chamma’s ability to operate seamlessly with his Egyptian counterparts contributed to developing a high level of interoperability when the U.S. and Egypt were working together on areas of common interest.
“We spend a lot of time doing this with the Army in English, so it only makes sense that we have the capability to do this with allied and coalition partners in foreign languages” Sweeney added.
Sweeney encourages other squadron commanders to invest in the deliberate development of their Airmen enrolled in LEAP.
“It’s important to recognize your willing and able Airmen,” he said. “Fight for them to develop their skills and put them in opportunities to do great things for the Air Force. If you develop the right folks for the right reasons, they will perform magnificently.”
Through 1,056 eMentor courses, 570 overseas immersions and 92 opportunities for applied learning in fiscal year 2019, AFCLC’s staff has managed training for LEAP scholars to be the stars of the show. However, there wouldn’t be a show without supervisors and commanders who are visionary enough, like Sweeney, to see how investment today can provide manifold returns tomorrow.
To learn more about LEAP, visit **www.airuniversity.af.edu/AFCLC/Language-Studies/**.AFWN 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Maxwell AFB 



Air Force Culture and Language Center 



Language Enabled Airman Program 



training 



education 



LEAP 



Pope Army Airfield 



Language 



fluency 



culture 



partnership 



alliance 



eMentor 



Air University 



AFCLC 



overseas immersion 



scholar 



applied learning 



AETC 



Air Education and Training Command Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                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 fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                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 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM 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