9/7/2014 - OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The first rounds of service members are graduating from the new Korean Readiness Orientation program here.
The new policy, enacted July 1 by Lt. Gen. Marc Jouas, 7th Air Force commander, requires all active duty Airmen assigned to or attached for duty to 7th AF to complete a number of activities within their first 30 days on station.
The new policy is about maintaining readiness through knowledge of the operational mission on the Korean peninsula, said Jouas in a 7th Air Force press release.
"Airmen must understand the threat when they come here," said Jouas. "We have a serious mission with a serious enemy, and we must be ready to contend with that by utilizing personal resiliency and a readiness orientation program."
In addition to arming newcomers with the knowledge of why they are here, the program also intends to inspire Airmen to build on their long-standing partnership with the Republic of Korea through respect and understanding of their host nation's history.
Airman 1st Class Iris Claudio, 51st FW executive administrator, arrived here July 18, said she benefited from the KRO.
"I think it's a good program," said Claudio. "I think hearing the (51st FW) Commander speak firsthand about what we do gave me a better understanding of what we're here for."
Additionally, Claudio said the program gave her the opportunity to network and make friends.
"I've been out in town, gone on a lot of hikes and met a lot of people," she said. "There are a lot of things to do here other than going out and partying."
The KRO prescribes conditions for all 7th AF personnel to follow in their first 30 days on station such as receiving a 7th AF classified mission brief, issued all wartime gear, trained on their wartime role, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response training, alcohol awareness and accountability training and getting a formal feedback by their supervisor. While in the KRO program, personnel are also restricted from purchasing or consuming alcohol. Furthermore, all 51st Fighter Wing personnel, E4 and below, must develop a "51st Fighter Wing Flightplan," or goals worksheet (optional for others), detailing their goals while stationed here. Members in the KRO program must also observe an adjusted curfew from 10 p.m. - 5 a.m., instead of the standard 7th AF curfew of 1 a.m. - 5 a.m.
Staff Sgt. Joel Gardner, a 51st Comptroller Squadron budget analyst, said it was harder staying in with the adjusted curfew while all of his friends were out, but he used the time to play sports.
"It wasn't really that bad," he said. "I was fine and got through because I had basketball and movies on the weekends. Other squadron events, like going aways, made the time go by fast."
Gardner also said the briefings he had to attend during the orientation helped him understand the base's mission, in a broad sense, better.
Above all, the program is about maintaining readiness and changing the culture of an assignment in Korea.
"I believe that Team Osan and quite honestly most military personnel in Korea understand that it's time for us to change our legacy perception of what an assignment to Korea holds," said Chief Master Sgt. Terrence Greene, in a July 4 interview with the 7th AF newspaper, the Crimson Sky. "It's time we as U.S. military catch up to the changed Korean landscape and let go of those out-of-date beliefs from years ago. We will need continued bold leadership and strong policies at all levels to reinforce these changes as we turn the tide."
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