AETC Commander speaks to future operators Published July 24, 2009 By Carl Poteat Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Approximately 300 attendees came together for a Future Operators Symposium to explore the direction for developing future leaders as Air Force operators in the 21st Century. Gen. Stephen R. Lorenz, commander, Air Education and Training Command, opened the symposium on Tuesday. The Air Force Research Institute sponsored the symposium that included attendees and experts in many key functional areas, including air (manned and unmanned), space, cyberspace (communications and network operations), special operations, combat systems officer, air battle manager and enlisted operator. To properly define a future operator, General Lorenz suggested having functional experts who are operating in the field meet at Air University and discuss new ideas. As the "intellectual and leadership center of the Air Force," Air University is built around ideas and is designed for events such as the Future Operators Symposium where people and facilitators from diverse backgrounds can converge to develop plans for the future, the general said. General Lorenz opened the symposium by challenging current Air Force operator paradigms. Such challenges are necessary, he continued, because of two emerging dynamics within the force. First, the number of graduates from career fields traditionally considered as 'operators' is getting smaller and smaller with each passing year. At the same time, space and cyberspace have joined air as a critical war-fighting domain. Our future leaders must be proficient across all three domains. "Fifty years ago we were operating in one dimension, which was air," he said "Then we started operating in space, and now we're operating in cyberspace to support the Joint Force Commander." Concerning the future operators, the 'who, what and how' questions are most relevant. The general said he is asking 'who will they be, what will they do, and how will they be trained and educated.' General Lorenz challenged the symposium to develop a strategic vision to help guide the development of the 'new' operator and tomorrow's leader. The general expects that the symposium will provide a basis for recommendations to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force to help guide and provide ideas for the way forward in defining the Air Force operator of the 21st Century.