An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

  

Building Bonds: Inter-Pacific Air Forces Academy strengthens leadership, alliances, partnerships

27 November 2024

From Senior Airman Melody Bordeaux,

Enlisted leaders from air forces across the Indo-Pacific region gathered for the Inter-Pacific Air Forces Academy training at the Binnicker Professional Military Education Center on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii from Nov. 11 - 22, 2024.

Enlisted leaders from air forces across the Indo-Pacific region gathered for the Inter-Pacific Air Forces Academy training at the Binnicker Professional Military Education Center on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii from Nov. 11 - 22, 2024.

The training, which focuses on cross-cultural competency, resilience, leadership, and mission command, fosters multinational collaboration and strengthens partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. Participants engage in tailored professional development activities designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for complex joint environments.

Royal Australian Air Force Warrant Officer Anita Godfrey, Pacific Air Forces IPAFA commandant, explained the origins of the program.

“The Inter-Pacific Air Forces Academy is a collaborative endeavor,” Godfrey said. “It was conceptualized during the Senior Enlisted Leader International Summit in 2022 as a way forward to professionally develop the multinational enlisted cadre operating in the Indo-Pacific region together. In 2023, the inaugural IPAFA program was successfully delivered. This year, we designed and delivered IPAFA’s second program, the Inter-Pacific Combined Enlisted Leader Forum.”

Godfrey elaborated the forum enables enlisted leaders to share insights and experiences with one another, identifying commonalities and differences. In turn, enhancing leadership capabilities while building networks among multinational participants.

“IPAFA aims to provide professional development programs that adapt to both the needs of the region and the participants,” explained Godfrey.

Republic of Singapore Air Force 2nd Warrant Officer Yudhish Jayakumaran, 605 Squadron training warrant officer, shared his perspective as a participant, describing the program as an eye-opening opportunity to collaborate with multinational enlisted leaders.

“The bonds we’ve formed here will undoubtedly strengthen our military partnerships,” Yudhish said. “Sharing our experiences and gaining new insights has helped us build strong cross-cultural relationships, which will aid us in leading in complex and evolving environments.”

A key component of IPAFA is its focus on fostering trust and communication among participants, even when faced with challenges like language barriers. Jayakumaran reflected on how the program fosters bonds and emphasizes the importance of working together.

“At the end of the day, we are all people from the force, and that’s what binds us together,” he said. “More importantly, I also feel that the course promotes interoperability between our forces in the Pacific region, where you are learning more about someone’s culture.”

Godfrey expanded on how they don’t all speak the same language, but find other ways to communicate, mirroring a real-world multinational operation.

“Not everyone in the program has the same level of English comprehension, and that was done by design,” Godfrey said. “Because in the real world, you're not going to all speak the same language.”

Activities like resilience-building exercises emphasized collaboration under pressure. Participants worked together to construct models while navigating real-world barriers, such as one team member being unable to speak, another unable to see, another only speaking their native language, and another providing opposing arguments.

“That scenario was my fondest memory, because it gave us a sense of the many challenges and differences,” Yudhish shared. “But if we work together and we recognize strengths and weaknesses, we can get things done.”

The camaraderie built during the program extended beyond the classroom. Participants stayed together in dormitories, simulating the conditions of a joint mission.

“When living together, spending the whole time together, and eating together, it brings us closer,” Yudhish said. “It made a difference. You learn to rely on each other in ways that prepare you for real-world operations.”

The program’s success lies in its ability to bring together leaders from diverse nations and foster mutual understanding, strengthening alliances and partnerships.

“We are all wearing different uniforms, we operate in different environments, but there's always commonality,” Yudhish said. “We all have that same mission of leadership, taking care of people, caring for people, leading them, and developing them.”

CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                      

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Nimitz Carrier Strike Group departs Bremerton for regularly scheduled Indo-Pacific deployment
Sailors man the rails on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the Puget Sound after getting underway for a regularly scheduled Indo-Pacific deployment, March 21, 2025. An integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic and relevant training to ensure the readiness necessary to execute the U.S. Navy’s timeless role across the full spectrum of military operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hannah Kantner)
March 22, 2025 - BREMERTON, Wash. — The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) departed Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, for a regularly scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific, March 21. For five decades, the Nimitz Carrier...

USINDOPACOM Commander Travels to Sri Lanka
Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, participates in an honors ceremony during a visit to Colombo, Sri Lanka, March 21, 2025. The trip reaffirmed the partnership between the U.S. and Sri Lanka, which has contributed to regional security through military cooperation founded on robust people-to-people ties for more than 75 years. USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, prevailing in conflict. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith)
March 22, 2025 - COLUMBO, Sri Lanka — Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, headquartered in Hawaii, visited Sri Lanka from March 19-22, 2025, reaffirming the enduring U.S. and Sri Lanka security partnership...

Freedom Shield 25 successfully concludes
March 20, 2025 - CAMP HUMPHREYS, PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — The United States and the Republic of Korea today concluded Exercise Freedom Shield 25, enhancing combined readiness, strengthening the Alliance’s defense posture, and demonstrating...

U.S. Marines and Singapore Guards Begin the 27th Iteration of Exercise Valiant Mark in Singapore
U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, attached to Marine Rotational Force-Southeast Asia, I Marine Expeditionary Force, conduct the opening ceremony for Valiant Mark 25 on Bedok Camp, Singapore, March 17, 2025. Valiant Mark is an annual, bilateral training exercise designed to enhance interoperability, build mutual defense capabilities, and strengthen military-to-military relationships between the U.S. Marine Corps and Singapore Armed Forces. MRF-SEA is a rotational unit derived from elements of I MEF executing a U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific operational model that involves training events and exchanges with partner military subject matter experts, promotes security goals with Allied and partner nations, and ensures a persistent I MEF stand-in presence west of the international date line. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Shaina Jupiter)
March 20, 2025 - SINGAPORE — U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force-Southeast Asia (MRF-SEA) began Exercise Valiant Mark 2025, alongside the 3rd Battalion Singapore Guards (3 GDS) and 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade (7 SIB), in a ceremony...

Cobra Gold 2025: How PMTEC Shapes Future Operations Through Collaborative Training
PMTEC team members, including Dr Andre Stridiron, Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability Program Manager, meet with Cobra Gold 2025 Counter-UAS participants at the Phu Lam Yai Training Area, Thailand
March 20, 2025 - BANGKOK – U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s J7's Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability (PMTEC) facilitated seamless interagency cooperation during Cobra Gold 25, held in Thailand from February 25-March 7...
Guidance-Card-Icon Dept-Exclusive-Card-Icon