MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Brig. Gen. Jennifer Short, Deputy Director for Strategic Planning and Policy at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, recently completed the Air Force Culture and Language Center’s Pre-deployment/Pre-assignment Acculturation Course.
PAC is designed to prepare Air Force general officers, colonels, and chiefs for key overseas operational and staff assignments across the globe, with formal, tailored instruction on culture, region, language. and communication skills. The program has 83 general-officer alumni including Short.
Short is the first female general officer to complete the course. She said the instructors were true experts, and while she enjoyed the history component of the discussions, the combination of military, politics, and culture were invaluable.
“The discussions were tailored to me and my specific duties, so it was very helpful to have the cultural components focused for a professional woman,” Short said. “As a female in the military, I bring a different perspective as well, and this helps show why diversity is vital to deepening relationships and understanding throughout the region.”
The course exceeded her expectations in that it was truly in-depth and not just surface-level information.
“At Indo-Pacific Command, we are committed to working closely with our allies and partners and we need to understand their needs. This course helped me understand what their challenges are from their point of view,” she said.
Short said she came into the course feeling secure in her knowledge of the Indo-Pacific region because she’d served several tours there, but it’s a course she’d recommend even if someone thought they were an experienced traveler.
“I don’t think learning ever stops, and this course helped me increase my understanding of the Indo-Pacific much more than I expected,” Short said. “As the priority theater, having a deeper and more meaningful understanding of these Indo-Pacific nations and their cultures and needs is critical to advancing our own national security.”