2nd Air Force creates Technical Training Centers of Excellence Published Oct. 11, 2024 By Senior Airman Katie McKee 82nd TRW Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The 82nd Training Wing held a centers of excellence town hall here Oct. 8 with Dr. Brian Davis, 2nd Air Force chief training officer, to discuss the upcoming transition from Air Education and Training Command to Airman Development Command, and how it will affect technical training. The realignment will allow training bases to focus on producing air-minded warriors as the Air Force operates in an era of Great Power Competition. The new approach is to teach competency-based skills starting at basic military training and then into technical training. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Victor Brunk, 363d Training Squadron munitions instructor, works with Airmen in Training to install CCG onto an A-10 during a BRACER FORGE demonstration to implement hands-on training April 16, 2024, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. BRACER FORGE is a new approach to technical training that focuses on application to real-world situations under Airman Development Command. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rachel Ross) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res Areas of change Davis briefed included the organizational chain of command, center of excellence structures and accelerating curriculum development. “Underneath Second Air Force, we’ll have the five centers of excellence that focus on different Air Force Specialty Codes,” Davis said. Most of the 82nd’s mission will align to the logistics center of excellence. “We know that curriculum will incorporate Airmen foundational competencies, and we will reduce the time from the identification of a training requirement through course modification and execution.” Col. Paul Filcek, commander of the 82nd TW, emphasized the importance of preparing our Airmen as the Air Force’s largest technical training wing. U.S. Air Force Col. Paul Filcek, 82nd Training Wing Commander and Dr. Brian Davis, Second Air Force Chief Training Officer, hosted a Centers of Excellence town hall Oct. 8, 2024, at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Team Sheppard members gathered to hear about the transition from Air Education and Training Command to Airman Development Command that focuses on competency-based skills starting at basic military training and then into technical training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Katie McKee) Photo Details / Download Hi-Res “We have to be ready to execute our mission and continue producing air-minded warriors,” Filcek said. “We produce Airmen at such magnitude here, graduating close to 65,000 Airmen a year with 16,000 coming from Sheppard alone. Centers of excellence will streamline curriculum development and make training more agile, so we can respond quickly to the needs of warfighting commands and deliver the mission-ready Airmen they need.” All five centers of excellence are projected to be established with initial operating capability by Dec. 1.