Face of Defense: Airman Returns to San Antonio to Train Next Generation

By Air Force Senior Airman Stormy Archer 502nd Air Base Wing

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, Oct. 27, 2017 — As a basic trainee, Air Force Senior Airman Robert Allore completed his combat arms training at the Medina Training Annex here.

Five years later, Allore finds himself back at the Medina Annex, training the next generation of airmen as a combat arms training instructor with the 37th Training Support Squadron.

“Having the opportunity to instruct basic trainees is outstanding,” Allore said. “I fully remember my [combat arms training and maintenance] experience during [basic military training]. I sat in this very classroom and looked at the exact same blue boards that we have here now.

“To now be on the other side teaching new airmen coming to us from BMT is a very surreal feeling,” he said. “Being able to give them the knowledge that I have and seeing them make progress is what I really enjoy about instructing.”

Passing on Knowledge

As a combat arms instructor, Allore trains basic trainees, airmen preparing for deployment or permanent change of station and airmen requalifying on their weapons.

“I love teaching,” he said. “I like helping people and trying to pass on knowledge and wisdom. I enjoy improving not only myself, but other people as well. This job does exactly that. You have the opportunity to teach multiple people, not just security forces, every career field.”

There are many things Allore enjoys about his job, but what he said he enjoys the most is being able to positively impact someone’s career -- especially if it is someone early in their Air Force career.

“The best things about being here with basic trainees, they are so motivated to learn,” Allore said. “These airmen are the future. To instruct, knowing that these airmen are going to go out and do big things in their career, and having the ability to have a positive impact on someone’s career, even if it is one person, that what makes being here so important to me.”

Allore is hopeful that his time at the Medina Training Annex will help propel him to the next step in his Air Force career.

“I have always wanted to be an instructor, and there is no better place to do that than JBSA-Lackland,” Allore said. “I’m using the skills and tools I have learned here to one day become [a military training instructor].”

For anyone else chasing their dreams in the Air Force, Allore has a few pieces of advice.

“Stay motivated, live by the core values and just keep pushing each and every day,” he said.

U.S., Coalition Forces Refine Amphibious Capabilities

By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Abrey D. Liggins II Marine Expeditionary Force

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., Oct. 27, 2017 — Marines, sailors and coalition forces are working as one to demonstrate and increase combined arms operational proficiency during the naval amphibious exercise Bold Alligator 17 here.

Bold Alligator 17, held Oct. 18 through Oct. 30, is a multinational exercise that focuses on combined training of multiple forces executing complex shaping, amphibious and sea basing operations to improve U.S. and coalition ship-to-shore capabilities.

In addition to U.S. sailors and Marines, military members from Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Mexico, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom are participating in the exercise or observing it from different command elements in the Camp Lejeune area.

“What we’re doing is onloading and offloading gear from U.S. ships,” said Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Codi Mullen, the officer in charge of the beach operations group with 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group. “That will facilitate the exercise that is going on today, which is offloading the gear, then going off to conduct further operations for Bold Alligator.”

The purpose of the exercise was to focus on training side-by-side with allied nations to increase proficiency in combined operations, loading and unloading gear from amphibious vehicles.

Learning a New Perspective

Marine Corps Cpl. Rayquane D. Forte, the staging line noncommissioned officer of the beach operations group with 2nd TSB, 2nd MLG, said that working with foreign countries allows the Marines to see things from a different perspective and find different ways to combine efforts to complete an operation.

Performance can only improve with practice and it’s better to overcome challenging obstacles during training versus a real scenario.

“The critical level of our role is to ensure everything is properly offloaded,” Forte said. “If we don’t send it down correctly, it’ll have to get sent back up [and] restaged, and that just holds up the operation and could result in mission failure.”

By combining efforts to achieve the same goals, the service members used their ability to adapt and overcome to complete the mission.

“It was a great exercise to learn how they work and also they get to know how we work,” Mullen said. “It’s a great initial understanding of how everything will flow once we go from ship to shore.”

Pentagon Spokesperson Urges Congress to End Continuing Resolution Funding

By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2017 — The U.S. Congress must pass a defense spending bill and not another continuing resolution to fund the Defense Department, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said today at a Pentagon news briefing.

White, speaking to reporters with Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Frank McKenzie, the director of the Joint Staff, said the department has been operating under a continuing resolution for more than 1,070 days.

Continuing Resolutions Negatively Impact Readiness

“That’s nearly three years,” White said. “[Defense Secretary Jim Mattis] has said that continuing resolutions negatively impact the readiness of our forces and equipment.”

A continuing resolution is a temporary funding measure that Congress can use to fund the federal government for a limited amount of time.

The longer the continuing resolution replaces a budget, the more damaging it is to DoD, White said.

“We hope the Congress can pass an FY18 budget before Dec. 8, when the continuing resolution ends,” she added.