Photo By Master Sgt. Regina Young | U.S. Air Force Airmen from the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center University,...... read more read more
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MCGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn.— The I.G. Brown Training and Education Center’s Chief Master Sgt. Paul H. Lankford Enlisted Professional Military Education Center cadre utilized their virtual campus expertise to assist the EPME enterprise during the government shutdown. On October 7–8 they hosted two virtual training sessions, preparing the commandants and cadre from four other NCO academies for the transition to virtual course delivery.
When the Barnes Center for Enlisted Education faced travel restrictions due to the lapse in appropriations, leaders began discussing how to keep classes running. In response to these discussions, they quickly decided to shift from in-residence instruction to virtual instruction.
“It started with a conversation,” said Chief Master Sgt. Paul Butts, Commandant, Lankford EPME Center. “After a meeting with the Barnes Center, commandants from all of the NCOA schoolhouses connected through a Microsoft Teams meeting to plan the way forward for virtual delivery.”
Lankford’s team isn’t new to virtual instruction. When COVID forced EPME schoolhouses online, they transitioned to virtual delivery for an extended period. But all those experienced instructors eventually moved on. Lankford, as the only Air National Guard EPME center, leveraged its understanding of Guard and Reserve structures to continue offering Airman Leadership School and Noncommissioned Officer Academy courses online even after the pandemic ended. This sustained experience positioned the team to lead and support the other academies during the shutdown.
“The unpredictability and stress of being an instructor were amplified by the shutdown, which forced us to pivot to virtual instruction,” said Master Sgt. Devin Brewer, superintendent of resources at the Lankford EPME Center. “When Chief Butts asked us to create in-service training for virtual teaching, we jumped at the opportunity.”
Chief Butts and his team hosted two virtual training sessions that guided participants through every step of the process—from setting up classes and assigning Airmen to flights, to communicating with students and delivering EPME curriculum. They also demonstrated how to adapt practical exercises and activities that are typically held in a classroom to a virtual setting.
Lankford led the way as the TEC University team set up a virtual panel and broadcast it via the Air University Microsoft Teams environment. According to Chief Butts, “The session was so successful that they [virtual attendees] wanted more time, so we had another session the next day.”
Afterwards, he checked in with his peers to see how their teams were feeling about conducting NCOA virtually. The response was that their teams are getting set up, geared up, feeling confident and ready since interacting and learning from our team of instructors here at Lankford.
The lapse of appropriations also created a second challenge. In addition to travel restrictions, drill-status Airmen from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve could not be put on orders to attend EPME, even virtually. As a result, the Lankford EPME Center’s Airman Leadership School class was in jeopardy of being cancelled. Chief Butts identified and leveraged a need across the Air Force by engaging with the EPME Executive Council to open additional seats to the active component Air Force, allowing airmen assigned to geographically separated units, who typically attend ALS in a travel status, to attend ALS virtually.
“I believe the TEC cadre filled a critical void of uncertainty during the enterprise-wide transition to virtual delivery for both ALS and NCOA,” said Master Sgt. Nichole Kutsor, instructor at the Lankford Center.
“This effort truly showcased our leadership attributes of agility, discipline, and credibility. As instructors, we were both capable and eager to share our knowledge and experience in the virtual learning environment. Ultimately, we remain one team, one fight, united in purpose no matter where we serve across the globe,” Kutsor added.
The I.G. Brown Training and Education Center includes three divisions: the Chief Master Sgt. Paul H. Lankford Enlisted Professional Military Education Center, the TEC-University Video Production and Learning Development Division, and the Mission Support Division. Together, they represent all components of the Regular Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, and civil service members—working side by side to develop today’s Airmen for tomorrow’s fight.
| Date Taken: | 10.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2025 12:27 |
| Story ID: | 550285 |
| Location: | LOUISVILLE, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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