The Air Force’s Ira C. Eaker Center for Professional Development at Maxwell AFB, Ala., recently established an online resource center to assist civilians with their professional development, according to a base release. The Civilian Development Resource Center is a flexible development tool that provides “access to development roadmaps, learning programs, and thousands of no-cost courses, books, videos, job aids, simulations, articles and more,” stated the release. It allows users to access courses required for professional certifications and custom-pace themselves as they go through different stages of their careers. “The civilian workforce is one of the Air Force’s greatest assets,” said Russell Frasz, director of the airman force development directorate at Maxwell. “Continuously developing oneself is a personal responsibility for all airmen.” The new resource center helps the Air Force maintain its edge, by “assisting personnel to develop their professional competencies in an efficient and cost-conscious manner,” he added.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.