For the fourth time, Sandia National Labs Military Liaison is sponsoring a fellow in the prestigious U.S. Air Force Education with Industry program. The highly selective program pairs participants with industry leaders in their career field.
Sandia’s Military Liaison group is sponsoring Capt. Jose “PR” Perez-Rodriguez, who is also the fourth 21M munitions maintenance officer ever selected for Education with Industry.
“I am very grateful and honored of having been selected for this program, especially after being able to do it with one of the national leading labs in the industry,” PR said.
PR has extensive experience leading logistics and maintenance technicians in numerous countries, including Iraq, Turkey and Germany. Additionally, PR was the Special Weapons Flight Commander in the 898th Munitions Squadron team.
“Capt. Perez-Rodriguez is one of the strongest maintenance officers I have ever worked with in 40 years,” said Mark Meyer, a systems engineer and PR’s Sandia coordinator.
Understanding industry
Education with Industry is administered by the Air Force Institute of Technology on behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, Acquisition. The program sends Air Force officers and enlisted personnel on a 10-month career-broadening tour with a selected company to learn cutting-edge technology and innovative management processes. The Education with Industry program began in 1947, the same year the Air Force was established.
In the 75th Education with Industry class, over 40 companies, such as Boeing Co., Delta Air Lines and Google LLC, will support nearly 80 fellows hand-picked by a personnel board in an extremely competitive process. Air Force personnel in the program develop a more thorough understanding of commercial industry and can better interpret Air Force needs in industry terms, resulting in more effective and efficient maintenance processes.
During PR’s first couple of weeks in Military Liaison, he has already gained hands-on experience with a B61-12 Type 3 trainer, assisted with facilitating and training over 100 students from all over the U.S. nuclear enterprise and took the lead to conduct nuclear stockpile orientation training during a visit from the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, U.S. Strategic Command, as well as for the new commander of the 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base.
“I have experienced a monumental increase in knowledge and understanding of the nuclear enterprise, and I look forward to the remainder of the program as I continue to increase my growth to become a better advocate for this community,” PR said.
“Our goal is to immerse PR into Sandia mission areas such as stockpile sustainment, annual assessment, as well as research and development for life extension programs here and at other locations such as Pantex, Y-12, Savannah River Site and Kansas City National Security Campus,” Mark said. “When he returns to the United States Air Force after 10 months, he will have a much better understanding of how his military requirements for nuclear weapons, test gear, handling gear and publications are translated into operational stockpile systems.
“As a future 21M munitions maintenance senior leader, PR will use this Education with Industry experience to enhance mission readiness and combat capability for the land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and air delivered systems, which is two-thirds of the U.S. nuclear triad deterrent mission,” Mark said.
Sandia employees wishing to help with PR’s training can locate him through the Labs’ employee directory.