Air Force crew chiefs launched more than 10,000 aircraft sorties in the first 10 days alone. And of course, there are more recent examples of Air Force personnel effectively using their training to support our National Security Objective by being prepared to execute peace time ops, humanitarian relief missions, or combat operations throughout the world. On any given day, over 14,000 Air Force men and women help make up the 40,000 or so American forces deployed in support of real world contingency operations and unique military operations other than war such as drug interdiction, disaster relief, counter-terrorism and various international peacekeeping efforts. Many of these deployments come with little advance notice. We believe quality training establishes the force multiplier and framework by which our forces operate and further reflects the needs and demands of real world missions in support of national defense.
Training is an investment for the future and the key to readiness.
When American forces deploy to foreign lands, they take with them the skills, knowledge, and mindset they need to do their jobs. All of these are learned through training. In 1993, resulting from the study, ATC was redesignated AETC with a new education and training structure. As such, it opened for business with several principal intentions. The first of these, and perhaps the biggest, centered on bringing much of the initial skills training under one umbrella and producing a mission ready product for the command's customers.