NCO academy begins first European ILE

Story and photo by Staff Sgt. Armando Schwier-Morales
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Airmen review course material during the first interactive leadership course in Europe March 3 on Kapaun. The Kisling NCO Academy hosted the class designed to exercise skills learned during the online distance-learning platform, Course 15.
Airmen review course material during the first interactive leadership course in Europe March 3 on Kapaun. The Kisling NCO Academy hosted the class designed to exercise skills learned during the online distance-learning platform, Course 15.

The Kisling NCO Academy kicked off the first interactive leadership course in Europe March 3 on Kapaun.

Intermediate Leadership Experience is part of an Airman’s professional military education and is completed by eligible candidates after they finish the online distance-learning platform, Course 15.
“The Intermediate Leadership Experience course goals say it all,” said Chief Master Sgt. Tamar Dennis, Kisling NCOA commandant. “We develop adaptable NCOs for current and future leadership and management challenges in order to operate (think and act) critically in these complex and ambiguous environments.”

ILE is designed to develop leadership, interpersonal communication, and many other concepts and tools for leaders through guided group discussions, assignments and speeches. ILE is also intended to complement the Course 15 material.

“We have a stellar group of junior noncommissioned officers in (U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa) performing significant Air Force missions,” Dennis said. “We are honored and humbled for the opportunity to prepare them to lead and manage in these ambiguous and complex environments they operate in daily. We do not take this responsibility lightly because the stakes are high once they return to their organizations.”

To get ready for their students, NCOA instructors collaborated for months with the Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education on Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, to ensure both they and their lesson plans were ready for the new students.

“At the center, the instructors where highly motivated, and they got me excited about the course,” Johnson said. “Now I am trying to help get these Airmen to the next level.”
Tech. Sgt. Christopher Johnson, Kisling NCOA instructor, visited the Barnes Center and guided his fellow instructors upon returning.

Professional military education is constantly changing to develop Airmen. According to Johnson, Kisling is proud to be a pioneer and help educate more Airmen to be the best leaders they can be.