KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- As service members advance in their careers, they may face varying leadership challenges and responsibilities, requiring military supervisors to not only delegate tasks but also develop their troops into future leaders. To further hone these skills, leaders at Kunsan Air Base attended a workshop presented by the Doolittle Leadership Center from Feb. 3-6, 2026.
Dr. Patrick Donley, an instructor with DLC and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, hosted two, nine-hour workshops at Kunsan Air Base, teaching the Lead, Develop, Care (LDC) model to noncommissioned officers, senior noncommissioned officers, and company and field grade officers. The LDC model gives leaders a proactive framework to better serve their members in a wide range of situations.
“In the class, we specifically try and focus on what is a challenge that you are currently experiencing, and how might this model help you with that experience,” Dr. Donely explained. “Almost without exception, at the end of the final exercise, people say it helped them see in a new way to get after a solution.”
The workshop made U.S. Air Force Maj. Andrew Romey, 8th Fighter Wing Judge Advocate litigation attorney, realize that leadership wasn’t an exact science but could be put in a framework that can point him in a direction to start from.
“I think it’s helpful to view leadership through this lens because it gives you an immediate reference point for dealing with all leadership situations,” Romey stated. “Other leadership workshops I have taken have been too theoretical and not easily translated into actual practice.”
This is the second year the class has been hosted at Kunsan. Over 91 supervisors attended two classes held this year, with a third session for commanders and senior enlisted leaders to reinforce their skills and hear the inputs from their junior leaders across the installation.
“The class taught me that you can’t just lead the way you want to, and that instead you may need to tailor your approach for specific people,” said U.S. Staff Sgt. Chandler Bogert, 8th Maintenance Squadron hydraulic systems craftsman. “I believe this workshop has broadened my range of leadership by breaking down all the characteristics of leadership into three categories and giving me tangible tools to help me critically think about situations to better serve my Airmen.”