First four complete Air Force warrant officer instructor course
The two-week course prepares the cadre responsible for training the Air Force's reestablished warrant officer corps. Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jason Godwin, the Air Force senior warrant officer and the service's first chief warrant officer 5, presided over the graduation ceremony at WOTS.
WOTS created the program to prepare instructors to develop warrant officers, whose responsibilities differ from those of commissioned officers and enlisted Airmen. Instead of following traditional Military Training Instructor or Military Training Leader models, the school prepares instructors to mentor future warrant officers in squadron, group and joint environments.
"Before the sunset of the Air Force warrant officer in the 1980s, no formal training course existed for warrant officers or for those responsible for instructing them," said Maj. Chris Smith, WOTS director of operations. "So, we are charting a new course for our service."
During eight days of instruction, students completed a curriculum based on Air Education and Training Command best practices. The curriculum includes material from the Academic Instructor Course, Basic Instructor Course and Principles of Adult Education.
The course has three phases: train, advise and coach. Students first learn the WOTS curriculum, grading standards, evaluation process and learning management systems. They then apply those skills during extracurricular and scenario-based training, including installation rucks, flight leadership exercises and the Leadership Reaction Course. In the final phase, students practice coaching techniques through guided discussions and asynchronous learning before mentoring warrant officer candidates.
"It's a whole different thought process than any other course you would teach," said Master Sgt. Ryan Lawrence, WOTS instructor. "It's how you train somebody who has that technical ability into that next level, more of an advising, integrated role inside of an organization."
The inaugural class included noncommissioned officers, senior noncommissioned officers and one warrant officer. The four graduates were:
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan Miller, chief technical advisor assigned to the 26th Network Operations Squadron, graduated from the inaugural WOTS Class 25-01 and became the first warrant officer to complete AFTAC. When he assumes instructor duties, he will become the Air Force's first AFTAC-certified warrant officer.
Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Johnson was selected to serve as the WOTS senior enlisted leader.
Master Sgt. Ernest Brown was assigned to WOTS through the Developmental Special Duty program to serve on the instructor cadre.
Tech. Sgt. Staci Starks-Miller was selected for a future assignment to the schoolhouse.
The initial WOTS instructor cadre completed the Army's Warrant Officer Instructor Course at Fort Novosel, Alabama. The Air Force then developed AFTAC to qualify its own instructors with a curriculum tailored to the service's culture and mission.
"The end goal is for this schoolhouse to be taught by warrant officers," Lawrence said. "What we got out of the Army course, more than anything, was credibility. Now this course is our own, and it will continue to evolve based on the feedback and performance of these first graduates."
The graduates' certifications give WOTS an Air Force-specific way to prepare instructors as the service rebuilds its warrant officer corps.
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