JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas – Air Education and Training Command has launched a new professional development podcast to help communicate and inform Total Force Airmen across the globe on relevant, timely topics related to the recruiting, training, education and development fields.
The “Developing Mach-21 Airmen” podcast will provide visibility on emerging issues, as well as impactful insight on leadership and lessons learned from the field through conversations with subject matter experts and leaders, in an easy-to-listen to format available on demand.
“This is a great way for us to connect with big “A” Airmen across the Air Force enterprise in a modern, relatable way,” said Chief Master Sgt. Juliet Gudgel, command chief of AETC. “Providing content that is both engaging and useful to the audience, as well as accessible to listeners anywhere, at any time, to further enable them as lifelong learners is the goal.”
While there will be interviews with senior leaders, much of the content will come from Airmen working out in the field across the First Command, allowing them to share their experiences and lessons learned with other Airmen.
“This effort is part of the continuum of learning and helps develop the force,” Gudgel said. “Connecting the Airmen who are accomplishing the day-to-day business of making the AETC mission happen, like our recruiters, our technical training school instructors, instructor pilots, etc., with Airmen out in the operational Air Force is a top priority.”
The first episode features a conversation with Chief Master Sgt. Lee Hoover, 737th Training Group and Air Force Basic Military Training superintendent at JBSA-Lackland, Texas, who goes in-depth on the recent changes to the BMT curriculum designed to improve the lethality and readiness of graduates, a top focus area for Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein. Tech. Sgt. Erik Garza, BMT’s Military Training Instructor of the Year from the 323rd Training Squadron, joins the conversation, providing insight from the MTI perspective on the changes, what leaders can expect from the service’s newest Airmen, and how rewarding it is to inspire and develop Airmen at BMT.
Future episodes are set to cover a wide range of topics, including recruiting and why Airmen should consider it; innovation; Pilot Training Next, which is the Air Force’s experimental approach to learning; how virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed-reality are changing the landscape of technical training, and much more.
New episodes are scheduled for release each month.
The podcasts are available across a variety of mobile digital platforms, including subscription through Apple Podcasts. For Android or Google mobile users, the podcast can be found on their favorite third-party podcast phone application. Additionally, the podcasts can also be accessed on government computers on the “Developing Mach-21 Airmen” page on the AETC website under the "News" tab, as well as on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website.