By Tech. Sgt. Joshua Strang, Air Education and Training
Command Public Affairs / Published January 23, 2015
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) -- Air Force
basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph-Lackland will soon
restructure its current eight-and-a-half-week course to make room for a new
five-day program called Capstone Week, beginning Jan. 27 with trainees entering
BMT.
"Our basic military training today does a tremendous
job developing young men and women into Airmen,” said Chief Master Sgt. of the
Air Force James A. Cody. “But as we looked at the current structure, we saw an
opportunity to further enhance those Airmanship skills with a final week
focused entirely on character development. These are core skills every Airman
needs to be successful in our Air Force."
The first Capstone Week, which will culminate the BMT
experience, begins March 23.
Capstone week’s purpose is to give the Air Force one more
critical tool to further develop professional, resilient Airmen who are
inspired by heritage, committed to its core values, and motivated to deliver
airpower. While BMT will still provide new Airmen the same high level of
military and physical training, Capstone Week serves to specifically
concentrate on character building.
"We developed Capstone Week to better prepare Airmen
for their first assignments by reinforcing our core values of integrity,
service and excellence through an interactive environment emphasizing character
development, the profession of arms, and our Air Force heritage,” said Gen.
Robin Rand, the Air Education and Training Command commander. “The course
focuses on the importance of every Airman treating each other with respect and
dignity, better preparing them to become skilled warriors ready to do our
nation's business."
Capstone Week will provide instruction and promote
discussion among Airmen in a more interactive forum than the highly-structured
BMT curriculum, according to Kevin Adelsen, the AETC Capstone Week program
manager. Some key areas that Capstone Week will cover, include wingmanship,
resiliency, leadership and followership, sexual assault prevention and
response, the warrior ethos, and how Airmen can balance their personal and
professional lives.
Adelsen said BMT schedule adjustments allowed for condensing
the current training to make room for the Capstone transition period.
"We'll retain all current BMT requirements in the first
seven-and-a-half weeks and use the Capstone Week to reinforce and expand on
previous training," Adelsen said.
Following the traditional Airman's parade at the end of
BMT’s first seven-and-a-half weeks, trainees will transition that weekend to a
Capstone squadron. Airmen will move into a revamped training facility on
Lackland and experience Capstone Week in an environment far different from that
of the first part of BMT, according to Adelsen.
Capstone will be a BMT graduation requirement, Adelsen
added. Immediately following Capstone, Airmen will travel to their designated
technical training locations across the United States.
"BMT's Capstone Week will ensure Air Force basic
training remains a center of excellence and our Airmen remain the best fighting
force in the world," said Chief Master Sgt. Gerardo Tapia, the AETC
command chief. "It's a fantastic and innovative way to ensure we prepare
Airmen to become men and women of character - great wingmen, leaders, citizens
and warriors. This is not going to be the 'last' week of BMT, but rather the
first week of the rest of their Air Force careers.
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