Following rave reviews by officers attending courses stateside at Maxwell AFB, Ala., Air University offered its first international negotiation course in Brussels, Belgium, for US military officers assigned to NATO and the US mission to the European Union as well as to some allied European officers. Working with the US general counsel office in Brussels, Stef Eisen, director of the Air Force Negotiation Center of Excellence at Maxwell, taught the inaugural, one-day course last month to more than 20 US and allied officers. The course focused on the unique challenges of cross-cultural strategy and conflict management. Since modern operations are often conducted in coalitions, “successfully accomplishing the mission in this environment demands the ability to collaborate and influence—in short, the ability to negotiate,” highlighted Eisen. “We all negotiate every day, but as an American community in Brussels, negotiations can be even more critical,” he noted. (Maxwell release)
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
