Photo By Van Ha | Airman Leadership School Class 26-F poses for a group photo following their graduation...... read more read more
LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — Airmen and Guardians from Los Angeles Air Force Base and Vandenberg Space Force Base graduated from Airman Leadership School during a joint ceremony on Aug. 6, marking the completion of a collaborative course designed to forge frontline supervisors and strengthen ties across Southern California installations.
The five-week course brought service members from both bases together after Vandenberg SFB dispatched an instructor to LAAFB. By optimizing operational efficiency and elevating personnel integration, the joint cohort bridged boundaries to strengthen cross-installation partnerships while upholding unit heritage. Throughout 26 duty days, students engaged in a curriculum focused on communication, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking. These are cornerstones of base workforce superiority and mission readiness.
"It was 26 duty days out here equipping the Airmen and Guardians at LA Air Force Base with the tools they need to become first-line supervisors in the Air and Space Forces," said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. David Cerda, an instructor for the Chief Master Sgt. Arthur Hicks Airman Leadership School at Vandenberg SFB.
Airman Leadership School, or ALS, serves as a mandatory professional military education milestone for enlisted personnel preparing to assume the responsibilities of noncommissioned officers. Beyond classroom theory, the course focuses on real-world problem-solving, aligning with Space Base Delta 3’s objectives to cultivate strategic leadership and improve quality of life across the force.
"It's easy to be a supervisor on paper. In the real world, it is a lot more difficult," Cerda said. "What do we do when things get hard? We have to use our critical thinking to make the right decision because it directly affects people's lives."
The joint instruction environment reflects SBD 3’s mission to provide resilient infrastructure and support services that enhance base workforce superiority.
Addressing the graduating class, Col. Steven E. Slagle, commander, SBD 3, emphasized that graduation represents the beginning of a higher standard of accountability. "ALS is an inflection point in your career," Slagle said. "It isn't the finish line. It's the starting line. It's the first step in becoming a frontline leader that our Air and Space Forces will depend on every single day moving forward."
Slagle noted that while the course equips graduates with essential leadership frameworks, true leadership depends on personal choices in challenging environments. He urged the new frontline supervisors to lead with character and composure as mission requirements continue to evolve across air and space domains.
"There'll be moments where the checklist ends and the plan changes, when the script no longer fits the situation," Slagle said. "That's where leadership begins."
As the graduates return to their respective work centers across LAAFB and Vandenberg SFB, they carry forward elevated leadership responsibilities, a shared heritage of service, and an expanded network of peers spanning both installations.
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.18.2026 15:45 |
| Story ID: | 572371 |
| Location: | EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 8 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, "Where Leadership Begins": Airmen and Guardians Graduate from Collaborative Leadership School, by Leilani Rodriguez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
