We live in a world of constant change. Air Force Civil Engineers have been transforming as we balance the garrison and expeditionary missions worldwide. In doing so, we have asked our Civil Engineer Senior Noncommissioned Officers to take on more responsibility--to lead shops, elements, and even flights outside of their realm of experience. The Civil Engineering community was looking for ways to prepare for these changes. The creation of MGT 570 Civil Engineer Superintendents Course is just one way CE SNCOs rose to meet this challenge.

The Civil Engineering community was fortunate to have CMSgt (Ret) Mike Doris, Chief of Enlisted Matters 2000-2005, among its many strategic visionaries. As he stated, “Our Senior NCOs were being called upon more and more to step up into flight level responsibilities due to a shortage of officers, and we weren't preparing them very well to take on those tasks.” Although CE SNCOs received professional military education, they were missing specific information to help them in their new leadership challenges. This issue was brought to light by heavy deployments when a SNCO assumed flight chief’s responsibilities while the incumbent deployed or when they would be the senior enlisted member of a deploying team. CE needed a course to assist SNCOs in developing a strategic mind set to think beyond shop-level requirements.

The initial Education Working Group (EWG) for MGT 570 convened in 2002 and decided we should teach the following topics: doctrine and mission, organizational structure, supporting agencies, personnel, resources, CE flights, and applied leadership and management techniques. To present this information, the course director brings in topical experts to include the Air Force Civil Engineer and numerous MAJCOM, direct reporting units, and field operating agency representatives from around the Air Force. The EWG wanted to ensure the class covered a broad range of AFSCs and experiences with equal representation across the MAJCOMs. Each class consists of 29 Active Duty SNCOs, one WS-12 or higher, three Air National Guard SNCOs, and three Air Force Reserve SNCOs. Since its inception, the class has graduated 644 students.

By using the feedback received from students, the class continues to evolve in order to remain relevant in these times of flux. For instance, as we move into Joint Basing and deploy together more in the future, the students expressed a desire to learn more about the other services’ engineering units. So, we partnered with the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) to host a joint panel to discuss engineering perspectives. The panel consisted of a senior enlisted representative from all of the service’s engineering organizations. Based on class feedback, the panel was very beneficial to the class as well as the members of the panel. The sharing of information was invaluable. It became clear that all services operate in similar ways, with each service bringing a unique competency to the fight. SAME has expressed an interest in continuing to support this class. In fact, they give all the graduates one free annual membership.

The course incorporates real-world discussion to aid our Civil Engineers here and abroad. As the current Chief of Enlisted Matters CMSgt Pat Abbott states, “The greatest advantage to the course has to be the networking and sharing of ideas and issues that these senior enlisted leaders must navigate on a daily basis at home and in the AOR.” It is clear the Civil Engineering community remains on the forefront of transformation…Engineers Lead the Way!