Air Advisor Academy stands up at JB MDL

  • Published
  • By Bill Addison
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
6/15/2012 - JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The U.S. Air Force Air Advisor Academy officially stood up during an activation ceremony 10 a.m. Tuesday here.

Special Order G-12-13 directed the USAF Air Advisor Academy activation May 1 in order to produce trained, educated and qualified Airmen to help build global air, space and cyber partnerships.

The nation's security is dependent upon our success in building global partnerships and partner capacity, and countering irregular asymmetric threats according to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz.

An air advisor is an Airman specially trained and educated to apply aviation expertise to assess, train, advise, assist and equip foreign personnel in the development and application of aviation resources to meet that nation's needs in support of U.S. interests.

The Air Advisor Academy will report to the Air Education and Training Command's 37th Training Wing, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.

"The mission of the Air Advisor Academy has a big future in that the skill-set air advisors bring to the fight is highly sought after in all areas of responsibility," said Col. Eric Axelbank, 37th Training Wing commander.

"The Warhawks welcome the Air Advisor Academy and look forward to building a world-class training platform focused on the training standard of excellence."

The students come from a variety of backgrounds from helicopter pilots to aviation mechanics, medical personnel to weathermen and everything in between.

"Our students are not brand new to the Air Force," said Col. J. Olaf Holm, Air Advisor Academy commandant. "They have years of experience in their particular fields and most already have several combat deployments under their belts."

Holm commented during the ceremony on the evolution of the air advisor course into what is now an Academy. He noted the academy currently provides training for Central, African and Southern Commands, and is expanding to cover European and Pacific Commands.

"We're truly global, we're not just focused on one area," said Holm.

Col. James Garrett, 37th training wing vice commander, who served with Holm as an air advisor in Afghanistan, presided over Tuesday's ceremony.

Garrett and Holm uncased the academy's guidon for the first time as part of the ceremony,.

"The activation of this brings the Air Advisor Academy into the largest and most diverse training wing in the Air Force," said Garrett. "(Olaf), welcome to team Warhawk."