Legal Education for New Squadron Commanders

Arguably the position of squadron commander is the most important leadership position in the Air Force. So important, the Air Force instituted a formal process of selecting squadron commander candidates by a "competitive" board process. Due to the importance of the squadron commander position in the disciplinary and legal processes, the squadron commander should receive standardized, deliberate legal education. As the research will show, of all the key positions in the squadron legal process, the squadron commander receives the least amount of formal legal education. The only education squadron commanders normally receive after selection is conducted by the MAJCOM. These MAJCOM squadron commander courses do not provided the standardized, deliberate legal education critical for these leaders. Based on MAJCOM course analysis, subject matter expert interviews, and survey of recent squadron commanders, the research identifies topics that should be covered in squadron commander courses before new squadron commanders take command. This paper's further recommendations include examining recommended legal topics in a distant learning course format, course ownership by the Air Force Judge Advocate General School, and providing a feedback process through the Air Command and Staff College's Commanders Connection.