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      Sheppard190626-F-PQ209-0185
                        
                        
                        Maintainers from the Chadian, Nigerian and Ethiopian air forces pose for a photo at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, June 6, 2019. The 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., sent 15 maintainers from the Chadian, Nigerian and Ethiopian air forces to Sheppard AFB’s aircraft maintenance training environment for a three-week C-130 training course. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Madeleine E. Remillard)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Sheppard AFB hosts international partners for C-130 maintenance trainingPublished June 27, 2019
                    
                    By Airman 1st Class Madeleine E. Remillard/82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
                    
                    
                    82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
            **SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) --**In military operations, it has been proven that working together with partner nations allows the Air Force to embody Air Force senior leader’s message of “stronger together.”
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein, a graduate of the 80th Flying Training Wing’s Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program and instructor pilot at Sheppard AFB, recently reiterated that thought in the video “Blue: Stronger Together.”
“Every time I’ve gone into combat for the last 28 years, we’ve been there side to side with our allies and partners,” Goldfein said. “I’ve never been in a single fight where I’ve done it alone.”
Sheppard AFB has been at the forefront of creating and developing strong international relationships as the largest and most diverse technical and pilot training installation in the Air Force. Training, developing and inspiring warriors is Sheppard AFB’s mission, which goes hand in hand with that of the 818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey; to organize, train and equip Airmen executing Air Force operations, strengthening alliances and attracting new partners.
To combine these forces, the 818th MSAS sent 15 maintainers from the Chadian, Nigerian and Ethiopian air forces to Sheppard AFB’s aircraft maintenance training environment for a three-week C-130 training course.
Maj. Thomas D. Sena, team leader for the MSAS mission and assistant director of operations, said an initial assessment is accomplished to help air advisors understand the needs of each student attending the training, regardless of rank.
“The ranks vary from airman first class, to master sergeant, to first lieutenant so there can be a significant difference in skill levels,” he said. “To bridge that gap, we break up into teams. We have four subject matter experts from MSAS, four augmentees and one from the contingency response group. These instructors will work with each student to get them training in a way they understand and can take back home with them.”
The first two days of the course consist of lectures translated by the air advisors and the remaining two and a half weeks are hands-on training.
Sena said the knowledge the Airmen receive here is extremely valuable to them when they get back to their home country, but so are the relationships they’ve built during training.
“It’s very common for myself and other air advisors to see these students again,” he said. “When we go downrange, we’ll plan to go to the countries that have C-130’s and see the ways they’ve built upon what we taught them.”
Sena said despite the language barriers between the Airmen from different parts of Africa, they find ways to interact with each other and even learn from one another often using hand gestures and other means of communications. In essence, it’s creating partnerships among the participating countries that took part in the international training.LR Sheppard AFB 



Air Education and Training Command 



AETC 



82nd Training Wing 



82nd TRW 



Air Force 



Air Force Chief of Staff 



CSAF 



Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein 



Gen. David L. Goldfein 



80th Flying Training Wing 



80th FTW 



EURO-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training 



818th Mobility Support Advisory Squadron 



818th MSAS 



JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst 



joint base 



Air Force Base 



maintainers 



C-130 



AF 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