Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Noel attends class with Marines and one international student during the U.S. Marine Corps Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy Advanced Course at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., Sept. 14, 2012. Noel is attending Senior Enlisted Professional Military Education as part of a new program called EPME-Next. Noel is the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs superintendent of force management at the Pentagon. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Brownlow)
Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Noel, right, runs with a Marine during a Professional Military Education (PME) class at Quantico Marine Corp Base, Va., Sept. 14, 2012. Noel is attending the U.S. Marine Corps Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy Advanced Course as part of a new program called EPME-Next. He is the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs superintendent of force management at the Pentagon. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Brownlow)
Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Noel, center, does elevated push-ups with his PME class as part of the U.S. Marine Corps Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy Advanced Course at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., Sept. 14, 2012. Noel is the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs superintendent of force management at the Pentagon. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christina Brownlow)
by Staff Sgt. Amanda Dick
Air Force Public Affairs Agency
10/4/2012 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- As part of a career broadening opportunity, a new nomination and selection process to attend sister-service enlisted professional military education (EPME) courses has been established for senior non-commissioned officers.
"The significance rests with the transformation from a first-come, first-served process to one that incorporates deliberate development and a return on investment," said Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Horn, the chief of Air Force Enlisted Developmental Education. "We owe it to both our Airmen and our Air Force to put this level of rigor into our developmental processes."
To be eligible for sister-service senior NCO courses, Airmen must not only be nominated by their unit, but must also meet the specific criteria of the applicable service. The package must then be submitted through a board process at the unit's major command, where the first cut is made.
From there, packages are sent to an Air Force-level board that determines the selectees who are given final approval by the chief master sergeant of the Air Force. This year the Air Force-level board is scheduled for Oct. 10, and if all goes well, it will be benchmarked as the new selection process.
For Master Sgt. Michael Noel, the chance to attend a joint EPME course was invaluable.
"I wanted a different PME perspective," said Noel, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs office superintendent of force management. "I was really interested to see how other services (work), to see what kinds of issues they talk about when it comes to leadership and management. We all have a common goal to be effective leaders. So, I wanted the challenge of going somewhere else and finding out what I can learn from it. I jumped at the opportunity to attend the Marine advanced course."
Noel attended the U.S. Marine Corps Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy Advanced Course at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., which is one of the approved classes Air Force senior NCOs can attend in place of the Air Force Senior NCO Academy. The course also provides the joint tools needed to become an effective senior enlisted leader.
"Sister-service EPME opportunities provide our Airmen with a perspective that is critical to today's joint warfighter," Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy said. "We're operating more and more in the joint environment, so it makes sense to train and educate that way. This helps us understand our joint partners better."
That joint partnership is exactly what sister-service members hope for.
"I think it's really important for Air Force senior enlisted management, like Master Sergeant Noel, to come here and actually see the type of leadership training we get, to get a better flavor for what we do, especially now that we get more joint," said U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Simmons, from Company I Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion in Hawaii. "He's assimilated right in with the group. It's been great to have him here."
Noel's biggest piece of advice for other senior NCOs in the joint-EPME environment is to have the "right mindset, to go in with an open mind and be willing to listen to those other perspectives."
Other joint PME courses include the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas; the U.S. Navy Senior Enlisted Academy at Newport, R.I.; the U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy at Petaluma, Calif.; and the U.S. Marine Corps courses also located at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Camp Butler, Japan.
Comments
10/10/2012 10:41:00 PM ET I wonder if MSgt Noel is allowed to wear the AF PT uniform? In one of the pictures he is just wearing plain blue shorts and also a marine shirt that has The Gunny on the back. I know when our sister services go to the AF SNCOA they are allowed to wear their PT uniform. Plus he is a MSgt not a Gunny
SNCO Dave, FL
10/10/2012 10:00:55 AM ET JPME The AF needs to fix it's problems with PME first. Lets face it SEJPME and Course 14 were the AF attempt at patching the hoover damn...cheers
Informed , NCO
10/9/2012 8:11:49 PM ET Proud NCO SUNDEV DC....enough said on your comment. My comment was not against the MSgt if it came across that way. Position will drive the selection process just like others. SEJPME should go to Joint Commands first and then to Air Staff. Those deploying. BTW I've been on 11 for the last four years. GO BLUE.
SUNDEV , DC
10/9/2012 2:51:27 PM ET @KO...the reason those wickets are in place is to make sure we send the right people to represent the AF. If the individual cannot get through the application process which is not that tough by the way then how can we expect them to make it through a school with new terminology and thought processes. There are PT factors also when looking at applicants.
Me, Still Here
10/9/2012 12:41:50 PM ET If it's so valuable why the tiresome approval process for interested SNCOs? I accept the fact their must be some oversight in regards to selection, but I am personally discouraged by any process that has to run through that many wickets.
KO, MN
10/9/2012 10:57:24 AM ET Funny how we tend to crucify our own -- I do happen to know MSgt Noel from when he was a PME instructor himself... and I do believe he was chosen for this course before he even arrived at the Pentagon. If you use common sense, you'll realize that the high-speed folks who earn development opportunities such as this are usually the ones who also earn spots on Air Staff -- which btw is NOT a cushy job, it's a work your toosh off environment with absolutely no opportunity to fail. And Public Affairs is in a 1-1 deployment ratio... so I can't think of anyone more suited to attend a course with our sister service brethren than the man who is now responsible for deploying those assets into theater/joint service environments.
Proud NCO, Andrews AFB Md.
10/9/2012 10:29:32 AM ET @Jim...Educate yourself please. Almost any SNCO eligible to attend these schools can apply and most likely be accepted. Either MSgt Noel did the research or someone informed him of the opportunity. Either way, he went through the application process and was accepted. Any crew chief, cop TACP, personnelist, etc, can apply and very likely attend as the AF has trouble filling some of these schools.
Me, Here
10/9/2012 10:26:12 AM ET MSgt Noel previously was an NCOA instructor and oversaw the curriculum for information taught. I am pretty sure that had more to do with why he was selected to attend a sister sevice academy and see how other branches do things. People complaining just to complain...
Brad, DC
10/9/2012 9:44:55 AM ET @Arnie For JET taskings...an airman is an airman is an airman. Fat skinny or otherwise. Just meet the requirments.@SUNDEV All of us have to work somewhere and the Pentagon is where MSgt Noel works. @Jim Take a look at recent taskings and you'll see that PA gets OTW more than many other AFSCs. The USMC has support personnel just like the USAF and guess where their SNCOs go for PME...Yes Quantico.
Maj , TX
10/8/2012 10:21:28 PM ET The Air Force needs to fix its own PME issues before it starts worrying about who attends sister service PME.
Mbb, JB Andrews
10/8/2012 7:32:21 AM ET Recommend to change the article's title to Invaluable. My experience at the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy was amazing. Its more than understanding our sister-service capabilities what they contribute to the fight etc.. Its the communicationknowledge sharing with our joint senior enlisted leaders that strengthen our ability to take care of our Airmen.SMSgt SaenzUSN SEA Class 168Gold Group
SMSgt Mario Saenz, Lajes Field Azores
10/5/2012 2:21:05 AM ET Why does the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs superintendent of force management at the Pentagon need to go to a Joint PME Would it not be better to send someone who has boots on the ground with the sister services to attend this instead of someone at the Pentagon
jim, TX
10/4/2012 5:38:36 PM ET Geez......I wonder why MSgt Noel was chosen Its nice to be assigned to executive places. This process will most likely become similar to the EPR process.
SUNDEV, DC
10/4/2012 3:08:38 PM ET Very interesting. The Air Force will send only the best to attend training behind a desk with the other services, but any fat slob can fill a JET deployment putting joint service lives at risk.
