DART: New program fast-tracks first-term Airmen to success

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rhett Isbell
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Airmen arriving at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., as their first duty station now participate in, Deployment Airmen Readiness Training (DART), immediately after completing the First-Term Airmen Course.

DART is a week-long program designed to allow first-term Airmen the time and resources needed to not only focus on their operational responsibilities, but their strategic mission as well.

“The goal of the DART program is to get Airmen deployment ready as quickly as possible,” said Tech. Sgt. Joshua McFalls, 19th Force Support Squadron NCO in charge of deployment airmen readiness training. “We get them medically ready and finished with all of their computer based training, so they can concentrate on their upgrade training.”

Air mobility operations depend on motivated, innovative and highly trained Airmen. The DART program equips our Airmen with the proper tools, educational opportunities, skills and support systems to effectively accomplish the mobility mission.

“It gets the base ready to deploy essentially,” said Staff Sgt. Chase Hughes, 19th FSS NCO in charge of the First-Term Airmen Course. “It allows each squadron and individual unit to be ready that much quicker. They don’t have to send out their Airmen to do training every week, and the Airmen can then focus on their CDCs and their job. When that happens, you have a deployment and full force ready Airman as soon as possible.”

The DART program covers 14 CBTs, nine in-person requirements and accomplishes a total of 40 hours of prerequisites for the Airmen. This allows them to dedicate their full time and energy towards accomplishing the mission.