TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Airman Leadership School is the first level of professional military education in the Air Force and is designed to equip students with the knowledge and professional skills to be effective first-line supervisors.
Four instructors at Tyndall’s Airman Leadership School are charged with teaching their students how to lead Airmen through lessons in leadership theories, effective communication, resource stewardship, military customs and courtesies, and more.
“Since 1939, no battle has been won without effective control over the skies,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Henry, 325th Force Support Squadron ALS instructor. “So in order for us to be the most effective fighting force in the entire world, we need to have the best people on the front lines taking care of Airmen and their families.”
The instructors graduate roughly 290 students each year.
“We provide the students with the skills and knowledge to manage teams and tasks, supervise people and handle the issues and problems that come up in the field,” said Master Sgt. Nicholas Kehoe, ALS commandant. “This is where Airmen really transition into supervisors.”
The concepts taught during the 190 hours of instruction apply not only to the Air Force, but to successful organizations around the world.
“The students can stay in and be a great asset to our Air Force,” Henry said. “But later if they choose to get out, they can go be a leader in any other organization in the world, and they will be successful based on what they learned here.”
For this level of professional military education, Airmen who are set to promote to staff sergeant and senior airmen with at least three years of time in service are eligible to attend.
Eight to 10 seats of each class are held for Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members from around the country. These Airmen join active-duty members from a variety of different career fields. Learning in such a diverse group gives the students a sense of the bigger Air Force picture and a chance to see something from a perspective outside of their unit or job.
Once in the classroom, each student must work with and rely on each other as a team to pass this rigorous course.
“It has been an eye-opening experience,” said Senior Airman Veljulisa Canty, a current student from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. “It has allowed me to understand my leadership skills and how I can improve them as well as understand people better.”
After 24 days in the classroom, the students will return to their units ready to supervise their first Airman, and after a short break, the instructors will be welcoming yet another class.