MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Fifteen commanders from across Civil Air Patrol will hone their leadership skills starting today in the Wing Commanders College at CAP National Headquarters.
The intense, graduate-level course, which runs through Thursday, will prepare the participants — one region commander and 14 wing commanders — to be better commanders as well as members of the CAP Command Council. Participants are selected for the course by their region commander and must be approved by Maj. Gen. Joe Vazquez, CAP’s national commander.
The program focuses on three main blocks of study: leading the organization, wing commander responsibilities and focus lessons. The curriculum features seminars, lectures and hands-on exercises in 20 sessions on such topics as leadership, accountability, expectations of commanders, legislative affairs, media and branding, safety, ethics, legal matters, helping CAP grow, finances and resources.
By the college’s end, participants will have a better understanding of how to select and develop subordinate unit commanders as well as how to manage CAP’s emergency services, aerospace education, cadet, information technology, public affairs, membership development and logistics programs.
For the second straight year, Col. Jon Stokes, who served as California Wing commander from August 2011-September 2015, will be course director.
The college is scheduled to get underway with Vazquez’s presentation on “CAP Command Perspective” this morning.
On Wednesday, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven L. Kwast, the commander and president of Air University at Maxwell AFB, will address the participants on “Ethics and the Commander.” As the senior leader at the intellectual and leadership center of the Air Force, Kwast provides full spectrum education, research and outreach at every level through professional military education, professional continuing education and academic degree granting. Kwast will speak on the importance of servant leadership.
Also scheduled are presentations by CAP-USAF’s commander, Air Force Col. Michael Tyynismaa, and vice commander, Air Force Col. Sammy Pierce; John Salvador, CAP interim chief operating officer; and numerous directors, assistant directors and subject-matter experts at National Headquarters.
The 2016 participants:
North Central Region
Col. Regena Bailey-Aye (Osage City, Kansas)
Hawaii Wing
Col. Patrick Collins (Kaneohe)
Indiana Wing
Col. Philip Argenti (Bloomington)
Kansas Wing
Col. Linette Lahan (Junction City)
Kentucky Wing
Col. David Kantor (Prospect)
Maryland Wing
Col. Joseph Winter (Washington, D.C.)
Minnesota Wing
Col. James Garlough (Apple Valley)
New Hampshire Wing
Col. Kevin Harbison (Milford)
North Carolina Wing
Col. Jason Bailey (Mebane)
North Dakota Wing
Col. John Steiner (Fargo)
Oregon Wing
Col. William Ray (Beaverton)
South Dakota Wing
Col. David Small (Piedmont)
Tennessee Wing
Col. Arlinda Bailey (Johnson City)
Texas Wing
Col. Sean Crandall (Brownsville)
Vermont Wing
Col. Richard Lizzari (Underhill)
Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol’s 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com <http://www.capvolunteernow.com> for more information.