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The voice of the force

I understand Tech. Sgt. Jerry Sutton’s frustration that earning an advanced degree from a civilian institution does not satisfy the requirements of the Air Force enlisted evaluation system for senior rater endorsement and the potential for promotion [“A degree of frustration,” Back Talk, July 2]. It appears on first blush to be an inflexible policy — one that does not recognize the merit of education at some civilian institutions.

Many civilian institutions require completion of public speaking courses. However, at the center of the issue is the Air Force’s need to develop future leaders with the skill to champion the Air Force story. Public speaking competency is a must in our world of instantaneous communication through myriad media channels.

In a 2006 letter to airmen, Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne emphasized the importance of every airman having the skill to be a strategic communicator. In his words, it is critical to build “better relationships with key audiences and the support that is critical to operational success, force modernization and the development of our most precious resource: airmen.”

As an Air Force practitioner in strategic communication, I recognize a critical deficit in communicating to the American public the true and complete capabilities the Air Force brings to the fight. It is vital that we educate our leaders to clearly articulate the sacrifices our total force airmen make every day in fighting and winning the war on terrorism. Our developing leaders — enlisted, officer and civilian — must have professional education tools to lead the Air Force in a proactive direction.

Part of ensuring effective strategic communication at the enlisted level is the speech requirement embedded in the Community College of the Air Force degree requirement, which provides our airmen the basic, functional-level requirements specific to their Air Force Specialty Code. I have gained tremendous personal and professional growth through academic education, including gaining a baccalaureate and three master’s degrees, but my foundation began with a CCAF degree, which gave me a critical perspective of how my career fits the bigger Air Force mission.

Requiring a public speaking course or, alternatively, passing a Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support test on public speaking, is a key part of developing our noncommissioned officers. The CCAF requirement for a public speaking course as a prerequisite to earning an associate degree in applied science is the basis for grooming effective strategic communicators in our NCO corps — already the best in the world.

Ultimately, our Air Force leaders must enable effective strategic communication across the full spectrum of operations, from peacetime to war time, as a force multiplier for commanders.

The writer, a lieutenant colonel, is director of public affairs at Headquarters, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. He has 20 years of experience in public affairs at the wing, unified command, deployed headquarters and Defense Department levels.