ALABAMA
Air University brings language, cultural expertise to Army exercise
James Brown
AFCLC Outreach Team
Aug. 28, 2026, 3:50 a.m. CT
CAMP BULLIS, Texas — Air University brought language and cultural expertise to U.S. Army intelligence training during Cobra Engaged, a 16-day field exercise at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis
Through its Air Force Culture and Language Center and the Language Enabled Airman Program, Air University provided Mandarin and Tagalog speakers to support counterintelligence and human intelligence training for the U.S. Army’s Charlie Company, 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion. LEAP scholars portrayed foreign nationals and other roles while Soldiers worked through language, cultural and interviewing challenges
In one scenario, a U.S. Soldier took notes as Tech. Sgt. Nanette Springer answered questions in Mandarin during a simulated interrogation. Springer portrayed a foreign civilian holding critical information, giving the Soldier a chance to use language and interviewing skills at the same time
“LEAP scholars were divided into two groups, Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence,” said Staff Sgt. Rodelyn Macalinao, noncommissioned officer in charge of general dentistry with the 86th Dental Squadron at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. “I was in the Counterintelligence group where we portrayed various roles to challenge the agent’s line of questioning. I also translated scenario materials from English to Tagalog and vice versa.”
The exercise focused on multidisciplinary intelligence collection, analysis and management in a strategic scenario involving a simulated Chinese occupation of Taiwan. For the LEAP scholars, that meant doing more than translating words. They had to bring cultural context into the scenarios as they unfolded
Staff Sgt. Shaun Lupp, a pest management noncommissioned officer in charge with the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, supported counterintelligence operations by portraying threat actors and foreign nationals
“I emulated real-world threat actors and foreign national perspectives to create realistic, stress-induced engagement environments,” Lupp said. “The primary value LEAP Scholars brought to this exercise was the depth of their cultural and native backgrounds. Many LEAP Scholars are heritage speakers who were raised in or lived extensively within these foreign cultures. This allowed us to navigate complex social dynamics and build a level of rapport that classroom-trained linguists often cannot reach. We weren’t just translating words; we were bridging cultures.”
Tech. Sgt. Junqing Liu, a military training instructor with the 319th Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, said Soldiers don’t often get to use intelligence skills and a foreign language at the same time during training
“Those Army soldiers have their job and learned certain language skills, but they rarely have chances to utilize these two skills at the same time, especially interrogating in a foreign language,” Liu said. “LEAP scholars are perfect candidates to act as role players to provide more realistic training scenarios.”
The training wasn’t one-sided. Participating Airmen also got a closer look at Army intelligence operations and how their language and cultural skills fit into a joint environment
“Reflecting on the overarching scenario of a potential China-Taiwan conflict, this exercise provided a profound understanding of the strategic ‘big picture’ and the critical follow-on operations that would inevitably ensue,” said Tech. Sgt. Jin Guangyi, the HC/MC-130J logistics subject matter expert for the Asymmetric Warfare Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, who communicated exclusively in Mandarin during the exercise. “Having a front-row seat to the complexities of prisoner of war management and tactical interrogations allowed me to fully grasp what happens on the ground once the initial kinetic phases of a conflict conclude.”
Master Sgt. Alvin Bryan Sim, flight chief for financial analysis with the 92nd Comptroller Squadron at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, said working with another service gave him a different perspective on career fields outside the Air Force
“It gives me a perspective of career fields that don’t exist in the USAF,” Sim said. “I can also compare the similarities and differences of dealing with different branches which could be helpful in adapting some great practices and re
Before the scholars arrived at Camp Bullis, AFCLC had already been building the language and cultural skills they would use during the exercise. The center administers LEAP and provides language, regional and cultural training to prepare scholars for military assignments and exercises
“The LEAP courses through AFCLC were essential in giving me the regional and cultural context for the Indo-Pacific,” said Tech. Sgt. Fuchiung Miller, quality assurance section lead with the 354th Communications Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. “This background helped me turn my language skills into practical tools for this exercise, making me a better asset for joint intelligence operations.”
2nd Lt. Julia Carrillo, an RQ-170 student pilot and executive officer with the 44th Reconnaissance Squadron at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, said eMentor training helped her prepare to use Tagalog in a military setting
“AFCLC and LEAP training helped me improve my formal Tagalog and military vocabulary before the exercise through eMentor,” Carrillo said. “It made me feel more prepared and confident going into the different scenarios.”
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joseph Golubski, with the 201st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, said the scholars made the training more realistic and that he’d like them back for future exercises
“The professionalism and the willingness for the LEAP Scholars to take the roles seriously and put forth a good ‘show’ was fantastic,” Golubski said. “Their buy-in to the role-playing was by far some of the best I’ve seen in my almost 11 years in this profession. Their language ability was able to give our soldiers a realistic view into what operations could look like in the future, and we will absolutely try to program them into future training exercises.”
