Orlando, Fla.—Air Education and Training Command officials are developing new course work to be incorporated into Basic Military Training that is focused on reinforcing Air Force core values. Newly minted airmen will complete the program, which has been dubbed “transition week,” at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., after graduating from BMT and before moving on to their technical training schools, AETC boss Gen. Robin Rand told reporters during AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here. Rand said he hopes to implement the new program in the early part of Fiscal 2015. “We’re not introducing anything new to them during this transition week,” said Rand. “We’re going to build it around our “Airmen’s Creed.” We’re going to talk about those topics that are fundamental [to the Air Force]: our heritage, our legacy, valor, integrity, what it is to be a good wingman, sexual assault prevention.” The idea is to reinforce topics introduced to in the first eight weeks of BMT, he added. “We’re continuing to make sure we don’t take our eye off the ball and that there is no back-stepping on the progress we have made at BMT,” said Rand.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.