FY 2025 Training Plan

Commander's Intent

Washington Wing will continue with an organized training program to aid in identifying needed air and ground crew SQTR (Specialty Qualification Training Record) requirements, practice air and ground skills needed to conduct SAR operations, and seek to train for expected future customer demands for CAP support from state, local and federal agencies. Additional training emphasis will be placed on developing cooperative training with ORWG, IDWG and CAWG, as part of the Regions move toward greater intra-Wing cooperation.

The FY2025 training program will increase the Wing’s ability to effectively respond to local and multi jurisdiction emergencies covering multiple counties, states and regions. In addition, the training plan will focus on the integration of new equipment such as  the WALDO Camera System and the integration of the capabilities offered by the introduction of sUAS technology. The goal is to develop a minimum of 3 aircrews for each of the aircraft assigned to the Wing as well as being able to sustain an active mission for 3 to 10 days. 

Washington Wing strives to achieve National CAP goals and Regional Goals for active Mission Pilots, ES training for Cadets and other qualified personnel by SQTR training certification and then allowing qualified pilots to maintain instrument currency, annual CAPF 70-5 qualification and CAPF 70-91 biennial qualification and allow aircrew to also maintain airborne skills in the areas of Mission Observer, Mission Scanner and Airborne Photographer. The FY2024 Training Plan will continue more directed training to achieve these goals. There will also be a continuation of structured Wing-wide training of new Mission Pilots, Mission Observers and Mission Scanners plus certification of Mountain Flying skills and Ground team FEMA damage assessment training, ground photography in cooperation with WSDOT/EMD. We also will continue the training of Aerial/Ground team Photographers in a 1 day ground school followed by a 1 day flight/ground testing regime in FY25. In FY25 the WAWG will develop 3 fully capable Waldo Aircrew teams and implement  6 -10 additional SUAS teams for Aerial/Ground Photography and  develop a real time video capability using starlink. 

The East side has significantly fewer capable resources than the West. During FY24, WAWG added additional capability and will continue to focus on increasing base, aircrew and ground team resource capacity in FY25. This may include cross training with IDWG resources as available to assist with teaching and evaluating our members. Units need to be provided with the resources to train locally, whether or not evaluators are present. 

All teachers who desire a flight should be provided an opportunity to fly, provided funding is available. 

In FY24, key schools were held including an NCPSC and MFC.  This will continue in FY25 with additional emphasis on mission base staff and IC training.

Objectives, Goals, and Tasks

CAP National

1. (Goal) Maintain and grow mission capability – CAP must maintain its existing force, and truly increase the number of mission qualified personnel it has to answer day-to-day mission requirements and develop the capacity to sustain operations lasting longer than a few days.

a. (Objective) CAP must maintain and grow our numbers of mission qualified personnel.

i. (Task) Regular exercises should be conducted to prepare aircrews, ground teams, and incident staff to support typical missions.

ii. (Task) Wings should conduct schools at least annually for aircrews, ground teams, and incident staff. Wings are encouraged to work together to pool resources and train together across Wing boundaries whenever reasonably possible. Utilize virtual training capabilities where practical.

iii. (Task) Units need to be empowered to conduct training at the lowest level possible to feed trainees into the qualification pipeline.

iv. (Task) Conduct CAPFs 5 & 91 flight evaluations for manned and unmanned aircraft as appropriate.

v. (Task) Provide onboarding training for new pilots to orient them to the CAP flying programs and put them on a path towards mission qualification to meet critical organization needs.

vi. (Task) Conduct return to flight training for previously qualified pilots to return them to qualified status.

b. (Objective) Qualified personnel must remain proficient.

i. (Task) Conduct small training missions focused in specific specialty areas so that aircrews, ground teams, sUAS pilots and technicians, and incident staff can remain current and learn from each other.

ii. (Task) Encourage both funded and unfunded use of pilot proficiency profiles and self-conducted pilot proficiency flight guidelines by pilots with instructors and other crew members where possible.

c. (Objective) Maintain and grow the pool of qualified supervisors, evaluators, instructors, check pilots and check pilot examiners to ensure new personnel have leaders and mentors prepared to help them progress through qualification tracks.

i. (Task) Conduct National Check Pilot Standardization Courses.

ii. (Task) Conduct Flight Clinics. Each Wing should conduct at least one clinic annually

iii. (Task) Conduct evaluation skills training for all skills evaluators (SETs).

iv. (Task) Conduct training programs to upgrade commercial pilots to instructor pilots.

v. (Task) Conduct training programs to upgrade private pilots to commercial pilots.

vi. (Task) Conduct training programs to keep instrument rated pilots current.

vii. (Task) Conduct training to provide instrument ratings to those that are not currently instrument rated.

2. (Goal) Enhance CAP’s interoperability – in order to create a seamless operating capability, we must work more closely with our geographic neighbors (OneCAP) and implement best practices from across our wings and regions both internally and externally. This will build our CAP capacity and increase our relevance with customers. We are only value added if we are utilized. We need to build trust and confidence with other members of the response community, so they immediately think of us and are comfortable requesting CAP assistance.

a. (Objective) Train Together

i. (Task) Personnel near wing or region borders should explore opportunities to cross train with their counterparts across the border. Identify flight clinics, schools, and other training where synergy can be achieved. Offer more than you get. Wings and regions should encourage cross-border training.

ii. (Task) Personnel near wing or region borders should work with their counterparts to develop mutual training opportunities. Look for training iterations where outside experts are part of the training.

iii. (Task) Take advantage of wing and regional training opportunities like wing and region emergency services academies and conferences.

iv. (Task) Take advantage of national training opportunities such as National Emergency Services Academy (NESA), CAP Annual Conference, mobile training team and other virtual offerings when available.

v. (Task) Take advantage of training provided by customers and counterparts like state emergency management agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Emergency Management Institute, the Center for Domestic Preparedness, USCG Auxiliary Training, Unmanned Safety Institute training, International Association for Emergency Management conferences, National Association for Search and Rescue courses and conferences, and FAA and AOPA clinics.

b. (Objective) Exercise Together

i. (Task) Units and personnel near wing or region borders should work with their counterparts to develop exercises that cross the geographic boundaries of their neighbors.

ii. (Task) Units and personnel near wing or region borders should work with their counterparts to conduct interoperability training. Encourage staff to work on each other’s mission, and aircrews and ground teams to work under another wing or region staff. Conduct cross-border team events. Host their mission resources and work through the administrative hurdles to allow them access to critical systems, communications and mission materials. Identify and communicate solutions to challenges that are encountered.

iii. (Task) Participate in national communications exercises as well as joint regional and wing exercises to build experience, share best practices and promote camaraderie.

iv. (Task) Encourage regular participation in communications nets by the entire community, not just top personnel.

v. (Task) Participate in state emergency management exercises and invite state emergency management personnel and other agencies to monitor, audit, or participate in CAP exercises and complex training scenarios. Utilize these opportunities to provide a CAP Capabilities Briefing to outside agencies, as appropriate.

vi. (Task) Participate in FEMA Exercises.

vii. (Task) Participate in National Level Exercise events in your jurisdictions.

c. (Objective) Respond Together

i. (Task) Regions and Wings, should develop response / operations plans that include planned coordination with Wings and Regions that cross geographic boundaries.

3. (Goal) Evaluate and inspect to ensure that CAP can meet mission requirements and provide training to correct deficiencies.

a. (Objective) CAP will continue to work to be mission ready at all times. Combined CAP and CAP-USAF teams will evaluate operational missions (both training and actual events) regularly to foster an environment of currency and capability to respond. Regions and Wings should conduct joint exercises with their neighbors as well as Federal, State and Local counterparts in order to be ready to provide support when called upon.

i. (Task) Conduct regular training to prepare for evaluations and provide remedial training when necessary.

ii. (Task) Plan and be prepared to conduct Operations Evaluations (Op Evals) administered by CAP or CAP-USAF each year. Every year at least two evaluations will be required. Know and be ready when you are an emphasis wing and be ready to support neighboring wings when they are an emphasis wing.

iii. (Task) Identify deficiencies and take corrective action, implementing programs to train personnel to address lessons learned from prior training, exercises, and real-world events.

b. (Objective) Subordinate Units Inspections (SUIs) must be conducted for every unit every two years.

i. (Task) Accomplish SUIs. Approximately half of a Wing's units should be inspected each year.

ii. (Task) Address SUI discrepancies.

4. (Goal) Fly CAP cadets, AFROTC cadets, AFJROTC cadets, and teachers. Cadets that participate in the orientation flight program are more likely to continue with the cadet program and consider careers or other aviation related opportunities later. Those selected for formal flight training programs can be developed into CAP's future mission pilot cadre. AFROTC and AFJROTC cadets that participate in CAP orientation flights are more likely to progress into flying careers in the Air Force and have greater potential to be selected for flight scholarship programs in their organizations. Teachers that have flown in CAP have greater understanding of aviation, making them better prepared to present aviation related subjects and to be better advocates for aviation careers in the youth they teach.

a. (Objective) Fly approximately 35,000 CAP cadet orientation flights across the CAP fleet of powered and glider aircraft. Emphasis should be placed on getting new cadets members flown as soon after joining as possible.

i. (Task) Fly approximately 32,000 front and back seat powered cadet orientation flights.

ii. (Task) Fly approximately 3,000 glider orientation flights.

b. (Objective) Fly approximately 1,100 Teacher Orientation Program flights across the CAP fleet of powered aircraft. Emphasis should be placed on flying new Aerospace Education Members as soon as possible after joining.

i. (Task) Fly approximately 525 teachers in the front seat and 525 in the back seat to reach the objective of 1,100 TOP flights.

c. (Objective) Fly approximately 6,000 AFROTC and AFJROTC cadet orientation flights across the CAP fleet of powered and glider aircraft. Emphasis should be placed on flying AFROTC and AFJROTC cadets that may not have flown before, but CAP should defer to AFROTC and AFJROTC internal prioritization.

i. (Task) Fly approximately 2,000 AFROTC cadet orientation flights.

ii. (Task) Fly approximately 4,000 AFJROTC cadet orientation flights.

CAP Pacific Region

5. (Goal) Improve/Increase the depth of qualified base staff within each Wing to be able to sufficiently operate a base for a 72 hour period

a. (Objective) To train and qualify a depth of no less than 2 base staff members deep in the key areas of base operations, such as IC, OSC, PSC, FASC, LSC, CUL and MSO.

b. (Objective) Increase cadet involvement and interest in training for base staff qualifications, where able, to expand beyond, MSA and MRO responsibilities.

6. (Goal) Increase the number and maintain readiness of qualified aircrew members within the Wings. This should also include qualified sUAS crews.

a. (Objective) Conduct and coordinate training to ensure aircrew members are able to perform in a wide variety of missions we are now responding to. Although SAR is important and needs to continued to be trained and maintained, but also should be competent in the areas of DR, AP (for both Waldo, sUAS and FLIR) WADS, Coastal support and CD where applicable.

b. (Objective) Increase cadet involvement wherever possible and applicable.

7. (Goal) Incorporate ground team operations into all aspects of ES with an emphasis on cadet involvement.

8. (Goal) Be prepared for and understand the use of Area Command and its use for Inter-Wing and Inter-Region Operability.

a. (Objective) Set up and plan to train with neighboring wings to work out any interoperability issues such as relating to Comm and various SOPs within each wing.

b. (Objective) Plan to participate and train in at least one wing-wide/region-wide exercise that will also include the use of Area Command and how it fits into the operational structure of a mission.

Washington Wing 

9. (Goal) Increase inter-wing and inter-region ES capabilities by cross training with IDWG, ORWG and CAWG.

 a. (Objective) WAWG needs to supplement and expand its capabilities to respond to missions on the east side of the state and particularly in the regions that border IDWG.

i. (Task) Cross train throughout the year with IDWG units near the border regions between the two Wings as resources and personnel allow by conducting ground schools for mission base staff and aircrew from both Wings in attendance.

ii. (Task) Conduct one weekend long SAREX jointly with IDWG utilizing mission base staff, ground teams and aircrew from both Wings operating in an area command structure.

b. (Objective) As opportunities arise conduct, cross-wing training with ORWG and CAWG for missions which require, or can be most efficiently conducted, utilizing resources from multiple Wings.

i. (Task) Periodically conduct Wing level meetings or discussions between Wings to identify and plan for missions which may be most effectively conducted utilizing resources from each Wing.

10. (Goal) Train AP and aircrew for the integration of new equipment such as the WALDO Camera System in the Wing's air operations.

a. (Objective) Obtain a Waldo system for training aircrew in its use and conduct this training as needed and personnel allow.