OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- The 51st Fighter Wing has introduced a three-day First Term Enlisted Course aimed at equipping U.S. Air Force Airmen and U.S. Space Force Guardians with essential training and resources to be successful at their first duty station of Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.
FTEC was previously a week-long program titled, “First Term Airman Course.” The change in name signifies that the program applies not only to Airmen, but Guardians as well. The condensing of the course provides Airmen and Guardians with the most critical information as they arrive at their first duty station, and gets them back to work at their units in an expedited and effective manner.
“On average, in-processing can take up to a month,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Royce Sims, 51st Force Support Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of FTEC. “FTEC expedites the process of Airmen and Guardians getting back to their units and executing the ‘Fight Tonight’ mission.”
The FTEC syllabus includes uniform inspections, a question and answer session with 51st FW leadership, eight hours of resiliency training, and a scavenger hunt that gets the Airmen and Guardians visiting important base resources.
“As a newcomer to the military, there’s a lot of information that we have to process,” said Airman 1st Class Tylor Chism, 51st Security Forces Squadron Defender. “FTEC has provided me with answers to questions that I might not have known to ask, or where to ask.”
In its commitment to excellence, the 51st FW’s implementation of the streamlined FTEC underscores its dedication to equipping Airmen and Guardians with the skills necessary for success in executing the mission.