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The Ultimate Investment – Mental Health is an Investment in Force Readiness

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  • U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Smith, left, a team leader assigned to the Defense POWMIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Nikola Bozic, center, a linguist attached to DPAA, and Dr. Laurel Freas, right, a forensic anthropologist and scientific recovery expert at DPAA, screen sediment from an ossuary in Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 24, 2024. An ossuary is a container or room used to store the remains of deceased individuals, found in various cultures and historical periods, serving both practical and ceremonial purposes. There are approximately 12 missing personnel in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 72,091 personnel missing from World War II. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. John Miller)

    DPAA Recovery Team Works to Bring Home WWII Service Member in Bosnia and Herzegovina

    A Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) recovery team finished a joint field activity (JFA) in Bosnia and Herzegovina on May 31, 2024. They worked carefully with local officials and the U.S. Embassy to attempt to recover the remains of a U.S. service member missing since World War II. This team, composed of specialists from various fields, is united by a common mission: to bring our fallen heroes back home.
  • Fuerza Aérea de República Dominicana Cabo Zarzuela Cuevas, firefighter, right, and U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Giancarlo Cintron, religious affairs noncommissioned officer, stand on the flight line at San Isidro Air Base, Dominican Republic, Feb. 16, 2023. These members are preparing for exercise Forward Tiger was designed to build on longstanding partnerships throughout the Caribbean and contribute to enhanced military readiness, humanitarian relief, and disaster response capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Christian Little)

    Language-Enabled Airmen bridge cultures, elevate missions

    In the modern interconnected world of cyberspace and AI, it might seem like everything can be done with a click of a button. Yet when faced with the realities of Agile Combat Employment (ACE) and collaboration with global partners or adversaries in distant and austere locations, the significance of swift communication and cultural understanding cannot be overstated.
  • Staff Sgt. Vanesa Wagner eats lunch with instructors and fellow service members at the Spanish Artillery Academy in Sergovia, Spain, while learning how Artillery officer cadets prepare to conduct an Artillery exercise in the field. Wagner participated in a Language Intensive Training Event (LITE) at the academy in early 2024.

    LEAP Scholar’s training in Spain elevates her skills as an Air Force recruiter

    A Spanish Artillery Academy might seem like an unusual place to find a young Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer, but training opportunities that would normally seem unusual happen on a regular basis in the realm of language, regional expertise, and culture. Staff Sgt. Vanesa Wagner’s training in Spain was an example of the Department of the Air Force’s principle of following through on training transformation, and Wagner said the event was valuable to her in several different ways.
  • LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – Staff Sgt. Edgar Bravo, a LEAP Scholar Inter-American Air Forces Academy Instructor, shows a Mexican delegation the use of a virtual reality simulator. This allows users to simulate being at a specific air base of their selection and practice all the techniques to defend and protect their resources.

    LEAP Scholars help solidify and strengthen American partnership with Mexican Air Force

    When Mexico wanted to start a security forces career field in its air force, it looked at several countries to assist them. The presence of Language Enabled Airman Program (LEAP) Scholars, who have backgrounds in security forces, was a big factor in Mexico choosing to partner with the U.S. Air Force.
  • Joint Color Guard members prepare for the Chilean President’s arrival on the Joint Base Andrew’s flightline, March 30, 2016. More than 20 countries are scheduled to arrive for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington, D.C. The summit provides a forum for leaders to reinforce commitments to securing nuclear materials. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nesha Humes)

    Language Enabled Airmen engage the global landscape in Chile

    The Department of the Air Force has a program that’s perfect for meeting our partners and allies in their language and culture, and it’s called the Language Enabled Airmen Program, or LEAP. The Air Force Culture and Language Center’s bench of nearly 4,000 highly skilled, language-enabled Airmen and Guardians have supported global operations in 128 countries in 98 languages since 2017. While many LEAP Scholars do this critical work outside their daily roles, some utilize their innate culture and language skills as part of their Air or Space Force specialty in Language Designated Positions (LDPs).
  • Master Sgt. Oscar Pena, Spanish LEAP Scholar

    LEAP Spotlight: Master Sgt. Oscar Pena

    The Language Enabled Airman Program is an incredible program that was key to my staying in the Air Force. It has allowed me to experience things outside of my career field, work with partner nations, participate in their culture experience, and feel an extremely satisfying sense of fulfillment. Serving in the security cooperation realm and expanding partner nations’ connections has been more gratifying than I ever imagined.
  • (From Left to Right) Air Force Culture and Language Center Director Howard Ward, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Director Kelly McKeague, and Lt. Col. Charlynne McGinnis, a Tagalog LEAP Scholar who has participated in a DPAA mission, at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, where McKeague spoke to a group of students and AFCLC personnel.

    Bringing Heroes Home: LEAP Scholars Enhance DPAA Mission Success

    Suzanne Walker was born the day after her father’s aircraft was shot down over France during World War II. Her father, Army 2nd Lt. James Litherland III, was declared non-recoverable after multiple retrieval attempts at the crash site. Seventy-nine years later, due to the work of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Litherland was returned to his daughter, and given a proper burial with full military honors in 2023.
  • Developing Cultural Competence Course now shortened to 60 minutes.

    AFCLC’s course for Ready Airman Training updated – same value, half the time

    To streamline cultural competence education for the Total Force at an accelerated rate, the Air Force Culture and Language Center modified its Developing Cultural Competence (DCC) course from a projected completion time of 2.5 hours to 60 minutes while maintaining the course’s academic integrity.
  • Members of Team Kirtland participate in a senior enlisted mentorship at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., Oct. 24, 2023. Senior Enlisted Leaders from various roles across Kirtland engaged in one on one discussions with Airmen during the event. (U.S. Air Force photo by A1C Tallon Bratton)

    The Ultimate Investment – Mental Health is an Investment in Force Readiness

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of and reduce the stigma surrounding behavioral health issues and highlight how mental illness and addiction can affect those in our lives. The Department of the Air Force values mentoring and coaching as imperative to implementing the National Security Strategy, which ultimately involves investing in personnel and ensuring force readiness.
  • A participant in the Language Enabled Airmen Postured for Agile Combat Employment tours the 727th Air Mobility Squadron Traffic Management Office at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, May 8, 2024. The course was aimed at increasing communication and cooperation among NATO and regional partnering air forces. (Courtesy photo by Senior Airman Jacob Polk)

    RAF Mildenhall hosts LEAP-ACE: language leaders leading the way

    The 100th Air Refueling Wing hosted a Language Enabled Airman Postured for Agile Combat Employment course at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, from April 29 to May 17, 2024

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    MISSION

    DoD Mission
    To provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security.

    AFCLC Mission
    Enhance partner interoperability and adversary understanding in Airmen through language, regional expertise, and culture education.

    AFCLC Vision
    The “Air Force’s Global Classroom”

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    551 East Maxwell Blvd, Bldg 500
    Maxwell AFB, AL 36112

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