FORT RUCKER, Ala. (May 22, 2015) -- In years past, the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence was named an Institution of Excellence by the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, and now Fort Rucker is hoping to continue that trend.
A TRADOC accreditation team visited the installation last week in order to evaluate the installation to ensure operations and training are in line with the 28 Army Enterprise Accreditation Standards, according to Richard Knapp, USAACE Quality Assurance Office director.
"While the team was here, they did training observations of both our professional military education and our flight courses, and they reviewed the supporting documentation for our courses to make sure it was in line with (those standards)," said Knapp. "The accreditation process is a three-year cycle for all of the TRADOC centers of excellence … which covers facilities, the training, military manpower, civilian manning and all of the core functions of a center of excellence."
During its time here, the accreditation team took part in an orientation flight, which gave the team an idea of the scale of Fort Rucker's operation. Team members also took part in focus groups with instructors of the Warrant Officer Advanced Course, as well as with NCO Academy supervisors.
The evaluation is a way for these centers of excellence, like USAACE, to ensure that quality education and training is occurring across the installation, as well as to find ways to further improve it, said the quality assurance officer. In this case, a team of subject-matter experts from outside the institution observed, assessed and evaluated the installation based on a set group of standards related to Fort Rucker's education and training goals, academic instruction, development of and support to instruction, its administrative processes, policies and functions, and its overall effectiveness, Knapp said.
The process is meant to assure the TRADOC commander that USAACE fully meets the training and education competency requirements of a TRADOC Institution of Learning across various domains: doctrine, the management and effectiveness of doctrine development; organization, the effectiveness of USAACE and its oversight of warfighting functions; training, how the installation prepares trainees and leaders at Fort Rucker; leadership and education, how leaders are prepared and educated; personnel, the status or use of USAACE personnel to accomplish missions and functions; and facilities, the status, use and care of installation real property to support training and missions, he added.
In preparation for the accreditation process, Fort Rucker participated in a comprehensive "self-assessment" program involving all organizations and staff elements established by the quality assurance office -- the oversight agency for the USAACE accreditation efforts -- according to Knapp.
The visit is complete, but now the team will evaluate and present Fort Rucker with its written results and reveal the level of accreditation received: candidate for accreditation, probationary accreditation, full accreditation and institution of excellence, which Fort Rucker is striving for.
"Friday they gave us their initial impressions to the command group and some of the supporting staff," said Knapp, adding that there were many positives that the team observed. "One of the positive things they looked at was our use of simulation and the directorate of simulation. Many years we were focused on support to the operational force, but as we started to draw down in overseas operations, we've shifted our focus to supporting our professional military education, such as the Captains Career Course, the NCO Academy and things like that."
Although the process can be daunting and even stressful at times, Knapp said it's a necessary one that only serves to improve the training Soldiers receive.
"Although it can be a stressful week, it really reflects a six-month effort with our command group," he said. "Really, it's a learning opportunity and it's really focused on making sure we're giving the best training we possibly can for our Soldiers. This effort really helps with that."
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