Maj. Julie Petrina, an ANG C-130J pilot, noted Monday at the AFA conference that the Maryland Guard had to educate mission planners in the theater about the C-130J’s capabilities. Compared to older E and H model Hercules, the C-130Js fly faster, can offload quicker, and the stretched versions (making up about half the force in-theater) can carry larger loads. The mission planners in Southwest Asia didn’t initially understand the J model capabilities, however, and would schedule them to fly slower missions with smaller-than-ideal loads. “They don’t understand our capability,” Petrina said. The education process is still ongoing.
The Air Force plans to offer virtual enlisted Foundations courses Airmen can take at their convenience as part of a larger effort to modernize enlisted professional military education, or EPME.