Exchange officer trains CEs, builds partnerships

  • Published
  • By John Burt
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla --  Among the Air Force and civilian personnel of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Readiness Directorate here, there is a distinctly different dark-green uniform with a maple leaf patch.

Maj. David Jane is the chief of contingency training at AFCEC's Tyndall location. He's also a construction engineer officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force.

As part of the Air Force-Canadian Forces Exchange Program, he is the thirteenth Canadian forces officer assigned to his position at Tyndall and is on the second year of a three-year assignment.

The exchange program began in the late 1970s with a request by Canadian forces to have a Canadian construction engineer officer work in the United States to gain expertise on Air Force readiness and training.

"It began during the Cold War," Jane said. "The first Canadian exchange officer came down in 1981. Both nations were heavily involved in NATO operations in Europe. The massive military of the United States greatly benefits Canada and this exchange program helps Canadian forces keep pace with new technology and maintain capabilities in preparation for joint operations. The United States also benefits by having a NATO ally that has like-training, equipment and capabilities."

Jane's counterpart, a U.S. Air Force major, is assigned to Royal Canadian Air Force headquarters in Winnipeg, Canada.

At AFCEC, Jane manages the contingency training program for Air Force civil engineers. The program encompasses the Silver Flag deployment training program, curriculum and scheduling of students from across the Air Force. His job also includes overseeing mission-essential equipment training, which covers contingency equipment.

"This equipment includes the reverse osmosis water purification unit, mobile aircraft arresting system, emergency airfield lighting," Jane said. "This equipment is not available at every station for the Airmen to train on. We've set up training locations across the Air Force for them to maintain critical deployment skills."

Jane began his career as an enlisted firefighter in 1989.

"In the Canadian armed forces, all aircraft, whether at a base or supporting a naval ship, belong to the Royal Canadian Air Force," he said. "Firefighters who support those flight operations are also Canadian air force personnel."

In 2002, Jane was selected to be commissioned as a construction engineer officer as part of a program that chooses experienced NCOs and makes them officers to capture and use their technical and practical experience to benefit the construction engineer officer career field.

Jane has already made a big difference during his 18 months as head of the contingency training program. Previously, in the area of mission essential equipment training, the courses weren't standardized. Curriculum was being taught differently at various locations and major commands would have to call each training site to inquire about class schedule and availability. Jane and his AFCEC team standardized the lesson plans and created one website where MAJCOMs could have visibility on course schedules and the ability to register their students. These improvements made a big difference in helping meet training requirements.

"Our class attendance in the first few months after implementation was through the roof," he said. "That's a success story. At the end of the day, if we're not delivering enough training, our capabilities are diminished. Knowing that we made some changes to make the deploying CEs more prepared and more capable was very rewarding for me. It's an honor to get to do this."

The chief of AFCEC's Readiness Directorate appreciates Jane's efforts to improve contingency training for the civil engineering community.

"Major Jane's work to standardize and deliver a better training program ensures our engineers head down range with the skill sets they need to operate, defend and survive in hostile environments," said Col. Mike Mendoza. "Our successful exchange program with Canada has delivered great results like these for many years. Our two nations' mutual cooperation ensures we can operate effectively in a joint environment."

During a recent visit, his Canadian exchange program supervisor was impressed with Jane's role in the Air Force CE contingency training program.

"None of our other exchange officers in the United States have this degree of responsibility," Jane explained. "But it's worked this way for over 30 years and it works well."

"I've had a great career," Jane said. "As a firefighter, I was assigned to a naval vessel and had the chance to circumnavigate the world. I've done an exchange on a U.S. aircraft carrier while in the Persian Gulf and, of course, I'm glad to have this opportunity with the Air Force. My advice to the next Canadian exchange officer is to jump in with both feet. Get immersed in the Air Force and take some time to get out of the readiness world and meet other people. There are so many great people with great experience and knowledge here at AFCEC and across the Air Force."