An innovative change in educating deploying Services officers and senior NCOs is in full swing at the Air Force Institute of Technology's Civil Engineer and Services School. The Services Contingency Course is an intense one-week session in which management teams of officers and SNCOs receive “just in time” education before deploying as expeditionary Services Commanders and Superintendents. This course was developed less than two years ago in response to the increasing operations tempo and need for teams to train as a component rather than individuals. Services experts from HQ AF, CENTAF, and ACC met at AFIT to lay out their vision for the course; the AFIT Services faculty translated that into an intense 40 hour curriculum and offered the first course in less than 90 days.

Feedback from around the career field indicated that, due to the dynamic nature of the services mission in the deployed environment, “just in time” education would be most effective. As a result, the course is offered immediately prior to each AEF cycle, and is jointly taught by functional experts from HQ AF, ACC, the AF Services Agency, CENTAF, and recently deployed commanders. These personnel work contingency issues on a daily basis and are best situated to share current processes and issues.

The curriculum opens with a review of Services Doctrine—a reminder of what Services troops “bring to the fight” and how critical they are as a part of AF Agile Combat Support. Services key personnel learn to better define capabilities and therefore advocate for senior level support. Students are then quickly brought up-to-speed on planning factors and the latest issues in the AOR across the spectrum of Services operations, from food service, lodging, and fitness/recreation, to mortuary affairs. The complexities of operating and networking in a deployed setting are also discussed in depth, with an emphasis on resource management. Strategic, operational and tactical levels of Services agile combat support capability provide a consistent framework for the week's lessons.

In addition to Services experts, instructors from other key functional areas, such as contracting, logistics, and AAFES, present ideas on how to best coordinate their support. Finally, a recently deployed Services or Mission Support Group Commander serves as a “senior mentor” to the class, injecting lessons learned from a leadership perspective while tying together the lesson material with first-hand experience. Students display what they have learned during a capstone exercise in which they build a comprehensive response to a typical contingency sustainment scenario, such as a base build-up or mission change. Teams brief their proposed plan and receive feedback from the faculty, guest instructors, and the senior mentor. As they leave the course, students are fully prepared to face the long days and daunting challenges of a contingency environment.

Student critiques and comments from commanders attest to the fact that the AFIT faculty and the guest lecturers have again hit the “bull's eye” by giving students practical lessons in subjects they face in the field every day.