Senior Chaplain Corps leaders from across Air Education and Training Command gathered Oct. 14-15 for the 2026 AETC Senior Religious Support Team Symposium to prepare teams to support Airmen, families and commanders at home station and in deployed environments.
The symposium took place as the Department of the Air Force implements Secretary of War-directed Chaplain Corps reforms that place greater emphasis on chaplains' core ministry functions, including religious services, pastoral care, commander advisement and operational religious support.
Chaplain (Col.) Chris Conklin, AETC command chaplain, and Chief Master Sgt. Jonathan Torres, AETC religious affairs functional manager, led wing chaplains and senior enlisted religious affairs leaders in discussions on planning, resourcing and professional development.
"A Bold and Ready Force for Good begins with deliberate preparation," Conklin said. "This symposium gives our leaders an opportunity to turn broad guidance into practical plans, strengthen partnerships and take a clearer understanding of the mission back to their installations."
The opening AETC Chaplain Corps vision and mission brief set the strategic direction for the symposium, framing how the Chaplain Corps can translate its core responsibilities into support for Airmen, families and commanders across the command.
Lt. Gen. Clark Quinn, commander of Air Education and Training Command, and Chief Master Sgt. Chad Bickley, AETC command chief, emphasized senior-leader support for the Chaplain Corps and highlighted the connection between character, resilience and mission effectiveness during a leadership brief.
"The Department of War and Department of the Air Force are taking deliberate steps to strengthen the Chaplain Corps and make its support more accessible across our force," Quinn said. "At AETC, that support helps forge Airmen of character who can meet training demands and further develop into combat-effective Airmen."
At the installation level, those priorities take shape through Annual Ministry Plans. Installation Chaplain Corps teams use the plans to forecast ministry programs, manpower and funding needs for the upcoming fiscal year, providing a foundation for deliberate stewardship and support to the base community.
"Our Ministry Plans are more than a calendar and funding request," Conklin said. "They help our teams anticipate where Airmen and families may need support most, make deliberate choices about limited resources and remain aligned with the commander's priorities throughout the year."
That deliberate planning extends beyond home station. The symposium examined how the Chaplain Corps can build and sustain cohesive teams for deployed operations, beginning with a deployment-pairing approach designed to keep chaplains and religious affairs Airmen from the same or nearby installations together when possible.
The approach builds on established team cohesion and improves synchronization in deployed environments.
"Readiness is built long before a team deploys," Torres said. "When chaplains and religious affairs Airmen train together, understand each other's strengths and have a clear picture of the resources available, they can spend less time building a team after arrival and more time caring for Airmen and advising commanders."
To make informed sourcing and deployment decisions, leaders also need an accurate picture of available personnel, qualifications and resources. The AETC Chaplain Corps uses the Envision readiness reporting tool to help leaders identify available personnel, specialized training and on-hand resources.
A readiness update from the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center addressed potential FY28 changes to how Chaplain Corps personnel are sourced for deployment, as well as recent updates to deployment qualification requirements. The changes may affect how leaders assess personnel availability, maintain readiness and schedule training.
Training discussions addressed the development of religious affairs Airmen from initial skills instruction through advanced professional development. A planned force protection and weapons familiarization initiative provided one example of how the Chaplain Corps is preparing teams to operate safely alongside warfighters in deployed environments.
Sustaining Chaplain Corps capability also depends on recruiting, retraining and developing religious affairs Airmen. Recent changes to accession standards, along with retraining opportunities and career-development pathways, support HQ AETC Chaplain Corps efforts to build and retain the enlisted force that enables religious support across the force.
By integrating religious support throughout accession, training and education, AETC helps Airmen carry character, resilience and spiritual readiness into the operational force.
