MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Hundreds of service members, academics, scholars, and professionals in the language, regional expertise, and culture community gathered at Maxwell Air Force Base Oct. 19-21, 2022, to explore the importance of LREC skills to partner interoperability, adversary understanding, and military operations during the seventh Annual Air University LREC symposium.
“Military members are continually challenged to win in a highly complex operating environment. As our focus has shifted from counterinsurgency to integrated deterrence, we must learn more to understand potential adversaries to read their intentions accurately,” AFCLC Director Howard Ward said. “The scale of the theaters also makes interoperability a necessity. Success in both endeavors flows from deep knowledge and skill in LREC.”
Featured speakers for this year’s event included:
• Ambassador (Ret.) Greta Holtz, Chancellor of the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University
• Brig. Gen. Jefferson O’Donnell, Director of Regional Affairs, SAF/IAR
• Brig. Gen. Joshua Olson, Director, Global Reach Programs, SAF/AQ
• Dr. Mark Conversino, Chief Academic Officer, Air University
• Dr. Jason Fritz, Senior Lecturer, Defense Security Cooperation University
Each speaker provided strategic examples of the use and importance of LREC skills in military and defense operations, partnership engagements, and security cooperations.
“Having individuals in military uniforms with language and culture capabilities and leveraging Airmen already embedded in the wing is an added benefit to any mission as was especially critical during Operation Allied Refuge at Ramstein Air Base,” Brig. Gen. Olson said during his presentation.
Topics for this year’s event expanded attendees’ knowledge of LREC skills and capabilities for warfighting, strategic operations, and partner interoperability with themes such as regional expertise and culture in an era of strategic competition; strengthening resilience in military communities; designing LREC instruction to accelerate professional partnership development; and implementing cross-cultural communication on the battlefield.
Many attendees valued the opportunity to connect with other LREC community members and to witness the impact LREC skills have on the Air Force and Department of Defense missions.
“The symposium renewed my faith in the importance of LREC in achieving the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and National Military Strategy,” one attendee said. “LREC is not a ‘nice-to-have,’ but rather a military imperative.”
Students from Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School in Montgomery and Pike Road Intermediate School, who are part of the Alabama-Korea Education and Economic Partnership program, also attended the symposium to learn more about the opportunities available through LREC education.
Join us for the eighth Annual Air University LREC Symposium, scheduled for October 2023, as we discuss the importance of LREC skills in developing a force integrated by design.