German Reserve Airman visits AFRC through exchange program

Published July 31, 2017
By Staff Sgt. Ciara Gosier
Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A German Air Force officer recently visited the Air Force Reserve Command, June 3 through 17, as part of the Military Reserve Exchange Program.

According to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the purpose of the program is to provide participants with training opportunities that broaden their professional development and increase their knowledge of other Reserve forces.

Lt. Lea Bauer, a personnel reserve officer with the German Air Force Headquarters, was one who firsthand, experienced the chance to step outside her comfort zone.

“Normally the rank selected is a captain, I am the youngest and first person selected as a lieutenant [from Germany] to participant in this program,” said Bauer. “So I had the added pressure and expectations to live up to, but this also meant my hard work paid off.”

The program is an avenue of fostering international cooperation contacts and enduring friendships with our allies that strengthen our links to build partnership capacity.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Kira Cooper, the chief of force development at AFRC, also a first-time participant, said she highly encourages other units to host officers for this program if given the chance.

“We had the opportunity to learn from each other and share how our processes translate [from GAF to USAF],” said Cooper. “Our experience showed us a lot of differences and similarities of both Air forces in the personnel career field and how they aligned.”

“This is a dynamic program,” she said. “I wish it wasn’t yearly, and something a lot more of our Reservists had more exposure to.”

For Bauer, this program showed how working partnerships as well as friendship can be the difference in an entire occurrence.

“It’s important that people get to know each other from different nations,” said Bauer. “Trying new things and meeting new people is important to continue the international friendship, it has to have a beginning.”

Bauer said these kinds of programs are beneficial for growth and garnering the relationships vital in international support, they demonstrate continued support to NATO members and their families.

“You have to experience things for yourself,” said Bauer. “It’s not enough to know how something is by being told, just get out there and experience it for yourself.”