RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- U.S. Air Force and Army officer, enlisted and senior civilian leaders recently gathered with local community leaders to take part in the 2025-2026 iteration of the Leadership Connect Germany (LCG) program.
The LCG program connects experienced Air Force and Army leaders from the Third Air Force wings at Ramstein and Spangdahlem Air Bases in Germany, and other installations, with civilian industry leaders in the areas of business, academia, industry, culture and public service.
Introduced in 2021 at England Royal Air Force bases Lakenheath and Mildenhall, the program expanded to Germany in 2023 due to its recognized success in developing leadership skills. This year the LCG program broadened its participants to include U.S. Army Soldiers.
The LCG program continues to focus on key leadership topics such as modernization, critical thinking and leadership decisions in fast-changing environments. To further explore these concepts, attendees conducted off-base site visits and leadership engagements with prominent regional organizations.
The 2025-2026 engagements included in-depth visits to public broadcast corporation Südwestrundfunk (SWR), Westpfalz-Klinikum hospital, the 1. FC Kaiserslautern football club stadium, MiniTec manufacturing plant, multinational engineering company Bosch, fiber-rope production company Verope, and a Jakob Becker waste management facility.
For military participants, stepping into these diverse civilian environments provided a unique opportunity for professional growth.
“The Leadership Connect program is incredibly valuable for our military members because it challenges them to view complex problems through a completely different lens,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Matt Bartlett, Third Air Force deputy commander. “By engaging with successful leaders in the civilian sector, our Airmen, Soldiers, and civilians develop a broader, more adaptable leadership toolkit that directly translates to how we solve problems, manage resources, and lead our own organizations.”
Participants in the program met regularly throughout the winter and spring, giving attendees continuous opportunities to expand their abilities by exchanging ideas and strategies with their host-nation counterparts.
“Stepping outside our standard military framework to see how private-sector innovators approach complex problems was a game changer," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Devon “Bull” Bullock, 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flight chief. "It helps you re-examine your own team's operations and ask how we can be smarter and more efficient with the resources we have. Realizing that the principles of leading people, managing scarce resources, and making tough calls are universal has fundamentally expanded my leadership toolkit.”
The 2026 program culminated in a capstone event where the participating local German business leaders were invited inside the gates of Ramstein Air Base. After receiving a tour of the installation and visiting a C-130J Super Hercules up close, the cohort gathered for a graduation lunch hosted by U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Moga, Third Air Force commander, celebrating the enduring community partnerships and newly honed leadership skills that participants will carry forward into their future organizations.