Academy NCO attends Air War College

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Veronica Ward
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  An operations flight chief from the 98th Flying Training Squadron is enrolled in Air War College, an Air Force professional military school educating senior officers to serve as strategic national security leaders.

Master Sgt. David Siemiet, also a lieutenant colonel in the Civil Air Patrol, said his CAP position allowed him to enroll in the AWC, closed to enlisted Airmen since it was established in 1946.

"The Civil Air Patrol is a voluntary organization that is also the official auxiliary of the Air Force," Siemiet said. "I have been an active member for 22 years, with most of that time focused on mentorship and leadership development of our cadet corps. It is a hobby in which I continue to serve the Air Force and the community, and is personally a very rewarding program to be a part of."

The AWC develops the knowledge, skills and attitudes of its students significant to the profession of arms, with an emphasis on air and space power, according to the AWC website.

"I was administratively removed from the course three separate times because the AWC staff at Maxwell Air Force Base (Ala.) thought my attendance was a mistake and disenrolled me," Siemiet said.

Siemiet took part in distance learning - AWC correspondence - during the course of a year even though it wasn't required, taking a break to attend the Marine Corps Senior NCO Academy and focus on completing his master's degree.

"It was an opportunity to learn more about how our senior leaders train and tie in the very different enlisted and officer perspectives," he said. "Enlisted education is dramatically different in nearly every aspect to officer professional military education and I thought this would be a unique opportunity to help senior NCOs bridge that gap. It has already helped me relate better to my officer leadership."

Some courses required for AWC distance learning include Foundations of Strategy, International Security Studies and Warfighting.

Siemiet said AWC should be available to all senior NCOs to expand the knowledge and experience they offer senior leaders.

"I am better equipped to represent the enlisted force to the commander and act more effectively in integrating enlisted members and their capabilities into the larger operational and strategic picture," he said.