The chapter welcomed Col. Lauren Courchaine, USAF, as guest speaker during its December luncheon, the last official luncheon of 2022. Col. Courchaine is the commander of the 37th Training Wing, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. In this role, she leads the largest and most diverse training wing in the Air Force and has the privilege of "producing" 93% of all enlisted airmen. Her focus is on developing multi-capable airmen that are instilled with a mindset and "way of thinking" that can overcome adversity in its many forms. She teaches airmen to understand that they are not responsible for one sole duty but could have many responsibilities that require a positive outcome for the mission to be successful. This mindset is necessary for airmen to compete against an adversary that has continuously changed over the last 20 years. Col. Courchaine also mentioned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Generation Z airmen began to enter the schoolhouses.
Considering their digital literacy and, in most cases, tight coupling with digital learning and methods, her team is adapting their training methods to adjust to these subtle nuances. 'It's different, not good nor bad, just different,' she explained. For the Air Force's talented military training instructors, military training leaders and platform instructors, it is motivating to create an environment where every Airman can flourish, no matter what generation they are born into.
Col. Courchaine discussed the Security Cooperation mission and how important it is to the National Defense Strategy. She spoke about the Inter-American Air Forces Academy where they teach South American Air Force students the fundamentals of airpower along with key concepts such as the noncommissioned officer being 'the backbone of any military organization.' She also expounded on the Defense Language Institute English Language Center, where English is being taught to partner nations and explained how students from these nations received the instruction and were hopeful about the future brought together by their close partnerships. Both organizations contribute to the diverse mission in the 37th Training Wing.
She closed with a story about how she and Col. Omar Velasco, USAF, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command A3/6, made a special visit to Colombia to increase cybersecurity understanding from a 'tactical and training' perspective. She spoke about how the United States does this by using the MITRE Attack Matrix, open-source information from the National Security Agency. From there, the 90th Cyber Operations Squadron moves to get a head start with custom tools and scripts in a GitHub repository. The experience allowed Col. Courchaine to be the only women guest speaker. In this role, it was an honor for her to promote the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security. This clearly demonstrates the importance of security cooperation with our partners and allies in the future as we confront our adversaries and maintain our competitive advantage.
In her closing remarks, Col. Courchaine invited members and attendees to attend one of the weekly coin ceremonies, Basic Military Training graduation ceremonies or visit the puppies at the military working dog facility whenever they need to 'refill your cup' and be reminded that we are the greatest Air Force the world has ever known.
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