MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- In March, the Air Force Culture and Language Center completed its first Pre-Assignment Acculturation Course for U.S. Southern Command or SOUTHCOM. PACs are designed to prepare Air Force general officers, group commanders/senior staff officers, and command chiefs for key overseas operational and staff assignments with formal, tailored instruction on culture/region and some focus on language/communication skills.
“From an execution perspective, the PAC went as well as we could have hoped for but, at the end of the day, what matters is what the students thought and how they see the course material helping them as they settle into their positions at 12th Air Force,” said Brig. Gen. (ret.) Dr. Daniel Uribe, AFCLC’s SOUTHCOM faculty specialist. “My goal was to develop a course that met the students where they were and provided value-added and enduring understandings of the region. I hope we hit the mark.”
According to the incoming 12th Air Force Chief of Staff Col. Pamela Alley and Command Chief Dennis Fuselier, the course was a bullseye.
“I think the course will give me a broader understanding of different topics pertinent to what I’ll be doing for Air Force. I did some online training in the past, but this brought different topics to life by having four of our SOUTHCOM strategic partners involved,” Alley said. “I think when I have the opportunity to host visitors or engage with our counterparts in Latin American countries in the Caribbean, this training will come into play.”
Fuselier called the course “outstanding” and “absolutely what I needed to be better prepared to serve as the Air Forces Southern Senior Enlisted Leader supporting the SOUTHCOM mission in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Working together with our partner nations to counter threats, build regional capacity for a secure, free, and prosperous Western Hemisphere starts with relationships – they are the foundation for success. This course has provided me historical and cultural awareness that are truly invaluable. My favorite part was taking what I learned and using it in the key leadership engagement scenario at the end. It brought everything together and was very exciting,” Fuselier said.