The audio content for this piece is presented by the Air & Space Forces Association, which commends and bolsters our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Discover further details at afa.org
AURORA, Colo.—Amidst the ongoing overhaul of Basic Military Training to prioritize a collective “air-focused” ethos above specific occupational roles, Air Force instructional authorities are implementing comparable modifications at the subsequent stage of an enlisted service member’s professional journey: technical training.
Presently, every fortnight at the technical academy, uniformed personnel will engage in a minor drill “which reconnects them with the fundamental essence of being a member of the Air Force,” Major General Matthew Wolfe Davidson, commanding officer of the 2nd Air Force, informed attendees on February 24th at the AFA’s Warfare Symposium.
This program bears the name BRACER FORGE, an echo of PACER FORGE, the culminating agile combat deployment drill encountered by Airmen upon completing foundational military instruction. Similar to PACER FORGE, BRACER FORGE will impel Airmen to execute duties beyond their designated occupational fields for the remainder of their service—specifically assignments involving the “protection, management, creation, and maintenance of aerial capabilities,” Davidson noted.
To illustrate, “should you be an antenna expert … you will be assigned three individuals functioning as air traffic monitors, and your duty will be to guide them in erecting an antenna,” Davidson said. “Thus, we are returning to the principle of guiding fellow personnel. … It reverts to this fundamental understanding: ‘I am primarily an Airman, and I will perform any required task—be it erecting shelters, repairing aircraft, or fueling them.’”
The notion of BRACER FORGE originated in 2024, however, authorities are restructuring and broadening it. The undertaking is in “diverse phases of execution” throughout the five instructional wings responsible for technical education, Davidson mentioned, and every distinct technical training institution is determining the optimal method “to attain those objectives through these strengthening drills.”
The ultimate objective of this idea is to imbue a “profound comprehension and link” among Airmen, ensuring that irrespective of their specific vocation, they bear accountability for fulfilling operational aims, Chief Master Sergeant Colin Fleck, who serves as the command chief for the 2nd Air Force, conveyed.
“One might lack every necessary specialized skill set, yet the assignment must nonetheless be completed,” he stated.
This is the identical philosophy Davidson and Fleck endeavor to ingrain during Basic Military Training. Toward this objective, they introduced BMT 2.0 in October of last year, placing greater importance on physical conditioning and on recruits functioning in small units to safeguard, manage, produce, and maintain aerial capabilities. The subsequent stage of this endeavor, BMT 3.0, is set to commence in April and will feature a simulated airfield, complete with a C-130 transport plane and F-16 combat aircraft. The airbase practice area, slated for full operation by September, will provide recruits with an environment to hone fundamental airfield assistance competencies, including equipping and supplying fuel to planes, mending bomb-affected airstrips, and transferring injured personnel into a transport aircraft for removal.
Subsequent to being briefed on their assignment, Fleck observed, “they must conduct their own hazard assessment to determine the principal dangers, and then report back to the [military training instructor] to confirm their thorough understanding. They allocate responsibilities and carry out the duty.”
Fleck indicated that the primary objective of the airbase practice area is to compel Airmen to collaborate cohesively with rigor and meticulousness when performing duties associated with aerial capabilities.
Implanting that perspective—which commanders have termed ‘air-focused thinking’—represents a profound alteration; Davidson asserted that this marks the “most substantial evolution of foundational military instruction since 1950 … when the shift occurred from an Army-centric BMT to an Air Force-centric BMT,” he conveyed.
With these modifications now permeating technical training as well, “this represents the most profoundly transformative development within the Air Force, as its scope extends beyond merely foundational military instruction,” Davidson stated. “This pertains to redefining the very identity of service members.”
The audio content for this piece is presented by the Air & Space Forces Association, which commends and bolsters our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Discover further details at afa.org