Level III

[41839j]

I am now working on Level III requirements and my specialty track is logistics.  What consists of a command or staff position in this scenario?  Regarding the Corporate Learning Course, none are being offered in my state.  I presume I just need to wait for one to come up?  Thanks

[Eclipse]

I am now working on Level III requirements and my specialty track is logistics.  What consists of a command or staff position in this scenario?  Regarding the Corporate Learning Course, none are being offered in my state.  I presume I just need to wait for one to come up?  Thanks

Command = official posting as a "Commander" (i.e. "of record in eservices") - unit, group, wing, region, national.

Staff = official posting (i.e. "of record in eservices") as a staff officer- unit, group, wing, region, national.

You could always attend CLC in another wing, but yes, you have to wait.  There is an online SLS / CLC that is done in cadres, however
that is supposed to be authorized only in cases where the member has no means to attend an in-face class.

[41839j]

OK, I take it that being the sole supply officer for the squadron does not qualify as either a command of staff position?

[Woodsy]

Sure it does.  Supply Officer = staff position. 

[AdAstra]

We can quibble about the title "Supply Officer" or "Logistics Officer", but in your case you are responsible for all unit logistics. Yes, it qualifies as a staff position.

The intent of the one-year staff service is that you learn logistics by serving in one of the logistics positions: logistics, supply, transportation or aircraft maintenance). For most members, this is at the unit level. Especially in smaller units, one member covers the whole logistics "section." CAPP 206, Specialty Track Study Guide for Logistics Officer, was written in March 1990; the requirements at that time were rather general. The newest study guides for other specialties specify that you serve 12 months as XXX Officer.

I've generally heard fairly good things about the online CLC, which enroll students in cohorts (vis cadres). But I haven't heard how the online course handles the section on Individual Instruction in Staff Specialities. In the resident course, this is a great opportunity to sit with a rated Logistics Officer (in your case) and ask specific questions.

[spacecommand]

Staff specialties, different staff officer positions etc is covered (should have been covered) in SLS. 

A logistics officer is certainly a staff position.  If you  have an assigned position and it is documented (which can usually be seen on eservices under duty position) then in most cases it is a staff position, unless you are the commander.  One issue we had in our Wing was that squadrons did not have official Public Affairs staff position assigned.  What was happening was, squadrons had people who were doing public affairs and enrolled into the specialty track, but they were not assigned the public affairs officer position "duty position" in eservices.

As for CLC, depending on your location, check with neighboring Wings to see when they might offer a CLC course.  Of course, that would mean traveling out of your Wing for typically a whole weekend to do the training.   Online CLC has a backlog of nearly a year from my understanding of waiting.

[Garibaldi]

If anyone needs one, my unit is hosting a CLC in September. I realize that this really pertains only to people in Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma, possibly northern Louisiana (good luck scaling that fence we're erecting!) and southern Missouri, but I thought I'd put it out there.

[EMT-83]

For Level 3, there is no requirement that the staff position needs to be for a Specialty Track that you're enrolled in.

[Eclipse]

OK, I take it that being the sole supply officer for the squadron does not qualify as either a command of staff position?

Of course it does, if you're posted as such.

[lordmonar]

Regarding the Corporate Learning Course, none are being offered in my state.  I presume I just need to wait for one to come up?  Thanks

Let your squaron and/or Group/Wing PDO know that you need the course.  They may just be waiting for enough personnel to "need" it before the schedule it up.

Alternatly......have your commander/PDO offer to host one.  They are wing events...but you can do one at your local squadron.

[AdAstra]

True enough, EMT-83. And the one-year of service need not be in a single staff position. This gives more flexibility to combine various command/staff service for Level V.

But to get the Senior rating required for the Loening Award, staff service must be in that specialty, so it stands to reason.... At least this is the requirement for the more recently-revised training guides. CAPP 206 is a dinosaur, and didn't specifically require service as LG way back in '90.

[Eclipse]

+1 on both.

[lordmonar]

+1 on both.

Eclipse...I'm getting worried about how often we are agreeing with each other lately......isn't that one of the signs of the apocolypse?   

[Eclipse]

+1 on both.

Eclipse...I'm getting worried about how often we are agreeing with each other lately......isn't that one of the signs of the apocolypse?   

Yeah, seriously.

[Critical AOA]

If your wing's CLC availability or schedule doesn't work for you, hit the road.  I am in a squadron in North Mississippi just south of Memphis, TN and I attended CLC in Little Rock, AR last year.  Believe it or not, the folks in AR aren't too bad.... well East Arkansas at least. 

^^^^^^ not so subtle poke at Garibaldi.

[spacecommand]

For Level 3, there is no requirement that the staff position needs to be for a Specialty Track that you're enrolled in.

Yes I know, I was referring to that there were some members who were enrolled into a specialty track but not enrolled into a staff duty position.  Eg, a person wanted to be the PAO and was enrolled into the specialty track, but not assigned the staff duty position of public affairs officer.  It's a mistake that is easily correctable but has happened (at least in our wing) where unit commanders were told "you need a PAO" (in the absence of a PAO the commander fulfills the job) and the unit commanders said "we've had one for a while", but only realized after that the member was only enrolled into the PAO specialty track and not the staff duty position of PAO.

[Woodsy]

Staff specialties, different staff officer positions etc is covered (should have been covered) in SLS. 

Online CLC has a backlog of nearly a year from my understanding of waiting.

I've been told that they're getting faster and the current expected wait time is 3-4 months.  They've added several online CLC instructors recently so they're able to do many more courses at a time now. 

[Eclipse]

Staff specialties, different staff officer positions etc is covered (should have been covered) in SLS. 

Online CLC has a backlog of nearly a year from my understanding of waiting.

I've been told that they're getting faster and the current expected wait time is 3-4 months.  They've added several online CLC instructors recently so they're able to do many more courses at a time now.

In 3-4 months you could just plan an in-face one.

[Woodsy]

Staff specialties, different staff officer positions etc is covered (should have been covered) in SLS. 

Online CLC has a backlog of nearly a year from my understanding of waiting.

I've been told that they're getting faster and the current expected wait time is 3-4 months.  They've added several online CLC instructors recently so they're able to do many more courses at a time now.

In 3-4 months you could just plan an in-face one.

Easier said than done.  Someone has to actually organize and teach the class. 

[Eclipse]

Easier said than done.  Someone has to actually organize and teach the class.

All you need is a couple of experienced people to volunteer to be directors, and a few experienced
members to lead the classes.  The curriculum is canned, and actually pretty good, being mostly discussion.

Maybe you'd start a trend?

Every wing ought to be doing 3-4 a year. 

[Woodsy]

Easier said than done.  Someone has to actually organize and teach the class.

All you need is a couple of experienced people to volunteer to be directors, and a few experienced
members to lead the classes.  The curriculum is canned, and actually pretty good, being mostly discussion.

Maybe you'd start a trend?

Every wing ought to be doing 3-4 a year.

The problem we've had here in FLWG lately is lack of qualified and willing instructors.  Our Wing PDO resigned and left CAP about a year ago and the position was just filled about a month ago (by an excellent member, so I'm sure we'll be seeing lots of classes coming up.)   A couple of the usual instructors have had medical issues and have been unable to do it.  We've also aged ourselves out, so to say, in that many of the long-time active members who often directed these courses are getting along in years and are cutting their activities down.  What we need to do is start getting people trained up on teaching these classes.

Forgive me for digressing here, but while we're on the age topic... 

I've long been a big proponent of getting some young blood involved at wing level. We need guys with energy and passion that are physically and mentally active and able to do these things.  We have 3 people at the director level (myself included) in our late 20's.  It really adds a great balance.  We are respected by the older guys and learn a lot from them, as they do from us.  We often find ourselves helping out in other directorates because we have the energy to do so.  We can run on 2 hours of sleep from one part of the state to another for a weekend event and get home and back to work Monday without it taking much of a toll. We are a great resource for the wing and usually willing to do whatever we can, anywhere, to help. 

I believe CAP as a whole needs to make an effort to recruit (and then actively involve from the beginning) some "young blood."  It also helps mitigate the "aging out" issue, so that replacements are always available and already know what they're doing.  Sure, we get the cadets who cross over to the dark side., but I have found that working with 21 and 22 year old cadets with LT or Captain's bars, that they often still have the mindset of a cadet, and that is not always a good thing when it comes to administration and the like.  We need to be out recruiting at young professionals groups, chamber of commerce, sports leagues, and other areas where active, healthy, energetic people hang out.

Another observation:  I've seen a few sub-30's attend a squadron meeting after hearing about CAP at the local flight school or FBO, only to never be seen again.  I've talked to a few of them and asked why they decided not to join, and they said it's because that except for myself, they felt like they were the only person under 60 in the room. They enjoyed hearing the war stories from Viet Nam but they just did not feel like CAP had anything for them.  We need to freshen CAP up a bit and make it interesting for the younger crowd. 

How do we do this?

I think I'll start a thread about that...  Tips from a young buck to the veterans.  Remember, learning is a 2 way street.

[spacecommand]

In all of FLWG with groups that are bigger than some Wings, you guys can't find one person to be a director of a CLC course?

I'm not sure about FLWG, but courses like SLS or CLC don't need to be initiated by Wing, at least not where I am. 

For example, my unit had some folks who needed CLC, instead of waiting around for Wing to initiate a CLC course, which happens once a year or so, we decided to host one. Of course we can't hold a local CLC for just our members only, so we informed Wing that we would like to host a CLC for all members of the Wing to be held at our unit location.  Wing had no problem with this and began to PR it around.  One of our experienced members volunteered to be the course director and after announcing about 4 other people from around the Wing volunteered to be instructors for the various modules.  Course instructors and directors get credit as well for Level 4 or 5. 

[Woodsy]

In all of FLWG with groups that are bigger than some Wings, you guys can't find one person to be a director of a CLC course?

Oh no, we have quite a few classes every year.  I'd just like to see double quite a few 

Groups can do CLC, but it just tends to be the same group of people that do them.

[Angus]

Took a little bit but my Level III finally posted.  Now if I'm very lucky and a very good boy I might be able to finish Level IV this year too.  Just two tasks left  to do to complete it. 

Edit was to better clariify my original statement.