Naval officer embraces the Air Force culture

  • Published
  • By Cmdr. Christopher Narducci
  • 33rd Flying Training Squadron commander
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  As one of only 15 Navy officers at Vance Air Force Base, I and the 14 other Navy instructor pilots find ourselves in a very unique situation.

We are each assigned to one of the two T-6 primary pilot training squadrons. Although we wear a Navy uniform, we are essentially serving in the Air Force for two years.

Unlike most Navy tours where occasional interoperability with the Air Force may occur, we are completely immersed in the Air Force culture.

I have had a fair share of exposure to the Air Force over my 17-year career. I spent more than 12 months during three deployments flying from both Misawa and Kadena Air Bases in Japan. I also had the opportunity to live on Misawa AB for a year and a half while on a Navy staff tour.

Despite significant time on these overseas Air Force bases, I was still with Navy squadrons, and my Air Force exposure was limited.

In my most recent assignment, I was in a joint command at the Pentagon. While there, I worked for two Air Force colonel division chiefs. All four services were represented on the staff, but we lived in a joint culture that did not take on the personality of any one service.

Despite limited exposure on this and previous assignments, I thought that I had a solid understanding of the Air Force. When I learned that I would be heading to Vance, I thought, "How different could it be?"

It did not take me long to realize that I was completely wrong. As acronyms like OPR, EPR, PRF, RIP, SURF and VML started to fly, I realized that the Air Force and the Navy do business quite differently.

I quickly recognized the fact that although there is a strong Navy influence in the Vance T-6 squadrons, it is minimal compared to the Air Force influence.

The longer I am here, the more I realize that there is a "Navy way" and an "Air Force way" of doing business, and neither way is necessarily right or wrong.

I have learned in most cases that the "Air Force way" is probably best suited for the Air Force and the "Navy way" is best suited for the Navy.

I and my Navy counterparts have the unique opportunity to compare and contrast the different approaches, traditions and culture of each service, from the way we instruct to the way we promote our Sailors and Airmen.

Additionally, our Air Force counterparts routinely hear a sea story or two about how the Navy does it, allowing them to broaden their understanding of the Navy.

I challenge each of you, both Navy and Air Force, to take the time to learn from your joint counterparts. The other Navy instructors and I have a tremendous opportunity to learn and embrace the Air Force culture in which we work.

However, I know that we all can continue to learn more from each other. We all have valuable knowledge to share about each of our services. The more we learn now, the easier it will be to jointly fly and fight in our Fleet/Mission Design Series squadrons.

As challenging fiscal and resource constraints reach further into our military, we will most certainly be called upon to work more jointly to get the mission done. The more we learn now at Vance, the better prepared we will be in less forgiving operational environments.

I feel extremely privileged for my family and I to be a part of the Air Force and Team Vance. It is a tremendous opportunity to experience the customs and traditions of the Air Force on a daily basis.

Last week was the Navy versus Air Force football game. What better opportunity can a Naval Academy graduate ask for then to end an article for an Air Force newspaper with, "Sorry about that 28-10 trouncing - Go Navy!"