ANG Command Chief-hosted SNCO Enhancement Course reinvigorates enlisted leaders

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Morgan R. Whitehouse
  • Air National Guard
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Maryland --  Two pioneer classes participated in the Air National Guard’s first Senior Noncommissioned Officer Enhancement Course at the Air National Guard Readiness Center, Joint Base Andrews, Md., July 13-15, 2021, and August 31-September 2, 2021.

Hosted by ANG Command Chief Master Sgt. Maurice L. Williams, the SNCO Enhancement Course is designed to inspire and reinvigorate the Air Guard’s top tier enlisted leaders stationed across the 50 states, three territories and District of Columbia.

According to Williams, before the SNCO Enhancement Course was created, there was a lack of professional military education opportunities for ANG master and senior master sergeants between SNCO Academy and the Chief Master Sergeant Orientation Course.

“The primary goals here are to fill the PME gap and develop our enlisted leaders’ ‘Strategic IQ,’ or their ability to see the big picture,” said Williams. “Understanding what affects our country at the national-level, the capabilities of our near-peer adversaries and where each Airmen fits in the five Air Force core missions helps our enlisted leaders’ decision-making as well as empowers them to leverage their skills and position to the fullest.”

Curriculum topics covered a variety of concepts including manpower, force management and development, contemporary base issues, team dynamics, finding work-life balance, and more.

“[This course] challenged us to re-evaluate the way we conduct ourselves as SNCOs, better capitalize on our time and manage our workload, and identify the challenges we will face while working to develop the next generation of Airmen,” said Senior Master Sgt. William C. Jones, superintendent, 187th Civil Engineer Squadron, 187th Fighter Wing, Alabama National Guard.

A capstone project marked the course’s culmination as teams presented their ideas to accelerate positive, impactful, force-wide change to a panel of National Guard Bureau leaders.

“At the beginning of our the capstone, something I noticed is that our team started off only talking about changes at a low level, the squadron and wing level,” Master Sgt. Tricia Shivers, first sergeant, 138th Attack Squadron, 174th Attack Wing, New York National Guard. "But, as we continued to work together, we realized we weren’t talking at the national-level. This project was about looking beyond our wings or what’s happening in our state. [The capstone] taught us to think bigger, broader and learn how to use strategic thinking to make changes for the future.”

“Education is the great equalizer,” said Williams. “When we invest in ourselves, we can develop others because we have something to offer. As we mentor others, the team gets stronger and organization grows. In the process of the organization growing, we leverage innovative, develop new ideas and building the future of our Air National Guard.”

In accordance with Department of Defense COVID-19 social distancing protocol, seat allocations between the two courses were limited to one service member from each of the 54 states and territories. Masks were also mandatory throughout its duration.

Prerequisites to attend the SNCO Enhancement Course include:

E-7 with minimum 11 years in service, completed SNCO Academy, and Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education I

or,

E-8 with minimum 14 years in service, competed SNCO Academy, and completed Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Military Education II

For more information on the SNCO Enhancement Course, contact your unit’s Force Development Office, Base Training Manager, or Unit Training Manager.