Air Force’s ‘best of best’ gain higher knowledge, skill Published March 31, 2011 By Capt. Teresa Sullivan Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- Students sharpen their tactical and leadership skills by tackling near-impossible challenges at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. The school is designed to push students to their limits so, when they graduate, they can serve as weapons systems experts and leaders. Students come from one of 22 combat specialties, including fighter pilots, bomber pilots, weapons systems operators, air battle managers, electronic warfare officers, intelligence officers, space officers, intercontinental ballistic missile officers, remotely piloted aircraft pilots, tanker pilots and airlift pilots. To apply, one must be within the top five percent of his or her peers. Once accepted, students will attend the weapons school where a typical "work day" can run anywhere from 12 to 24 hours said Lt. Col. Gary Rose, weapons school deputy commandant. And all of it is to earn the honor of wearing the "patch" and to spend the rest of their careers as premier tactical experts and leaders. In order to attain this level of achievement and responsibility, students are put through the most rigorous academic regimen in the Air Force, according to weapons school leadership and graduates. "The scenarios and problem sets are extreme," Colonel Rose explained. "In order to train to be the best, we give them near-impossible challenges and they learn from both failure and success." For one student, the desire to attend the weapons school started when he was a ROTC cadet in college. "I met a WIC [weapons instructor course] instructor when I was in ROTC and I knew that's what I wanted to do," said Capt. Kevin Sweeney, 16th Weapons Squadron student, who is slated to become the weapons officer at Aviano Air Base, Italy. For another student, making up her mind to apply was a long road that began while she was an intelligence officer for the 13th Fighter Squadron at Misawa Air Base, Japan. One challenge she had to consider included facing the possibility of another assignment apart from her military spouse. She made her decision while recently deployed in Afghanistan with the help of her chain of command and supportive family. "This past spring I was deployed to Afghanistan and, while executing the mission, the prospect of going came to the forefront of my mind," said Capt. Christina Anderson, 19th Weapons Squadron intelligence sensor weapons student. "There I was, with an incredible team of motivated Airmen who wanted to execute at the top of their game and their enthusiasm for knowledge seemed insatiable. I started to reflect on my role in their development. Having been in the Air Force for just over six years and having gone on multiple combat deployments, I felt confident in my ability to motivate a team of people to work toward a common goal." Captain Anderson explained that she had attained a level of "officership" and job knowledge required to do a good job for the intelligence career field and the Air Force, but she had a strong desire to pick it up a notch - to increase her tactical knowledge and leadership skills. "There was only one place I could think of in the Air Force where an intel officer could receive depth and truly become an expert in ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance]...the weapons school," Captain Anderson explained. After graduation, she is slated to serve as the weapons officer at the Distributed Ground Station 3, Osan Air Base, South Korea, which is part of a family of fixed and deployable multi-source ground processing systems that support a range of ISR systems such as the U-2 and remotely piloted vehicles. "As a result, I decided that if I wanted to have the impact on the current fight and the next generation of intel professionals, what better place to gain the expertise than at the weapons school?" To attain the level of knowledge these students seek, they face six months of intense training and education. Captain Sweeney said the most challenging part of the course so far is how mentally tasking it is and the fact that students are constantly on the spot and under pressure. Colonel Rose agreed, stating weapons school graduates are "steel forged by fire." "This is the toughest, most demanding program," the colonel said. "Officers who make it this far were identified at an early age as leaders amongst their peers. They are considered the best of the best. During the course, students are always under the gun, always outnumbered and always under pressure, and the only way to get through it is as a class." "It's a big shift to go from your home unit to weapons school," Captain Sweeney added. "You have to be good to be here. You have to be confident in your abilities." For those looking to take their tactical and leadership skills to the highest level possible, Captain Anderson said the weapons school is unique in the Air Force. Nowhere else will these students have the opportunity to train together with experts from every other weapons system in the force against the most challenging scenarios the instructors can devise. "If you want to be a force multiplier, this is the place for you," Captain Anderson said. "It really is the best training an officer could ever receive, and I had a hard time saying no to that opportunity." The six-month course culminates in a two-week, large-force mission employment exercise, designed to be the most challenging scenario students from all 22 weapons platforms will face at this point in their careers. Upon completing the course, graduates return to their home stations, taking the latest tactics, techniques and procedures to their respective units, upholding the 62-year tradition of excellence associated with the weapons school.
