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Editorial: Right training, right time

It would be hard to find anyone who thinks annual, Air Force-wide training in protecting the president is a good use of airmen’s time.

In fact, service officials couldn’t really explain how that requirement came about in the first place.

In a downsized Air Force supporting war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is no room to squander a single airman’s time. So the announcement that the service will reduce annual ”ancillary” training from almost nine hours a year to just 90 minutes is good news — especially for commanders, who must ensure that everyone receives the required training.

As Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley has pointed out, for the Air Force to succeed with a smaller force, it will have to become a lot smarter.

A big part of the effort is making sure airmen receive the right training at the right time. Some of the ancillary training won’t be eliminated; it will be shifted to other settings. For example, chemical and biological warfare training will be included in readiness training, which airmen receive regularly through exercises, deployments or permanent changes of station.

The same principal appears to be guiding efforts at the Intelligence Directorate. Some of the training airmen now receive at technical school may instead be provided before an operational assignment where the learned skills will be put to use.

While the Air Force appears to be on the right track, it will be important to monitor results. One change that gives pause, given the military’s history, is the reduction in annual training time devoted to preventing sexual harassment.

Service officials promise it will continue to be a point of emphasis.

The important thing is results. If this or other changes to ancillary training prove ineffective, the service should be prepared to adapt.