As the United States Air Force continues reoptimizing for Great Power Competition, building bonds with partner nations, especially those in the INDOPACOM region, is essential.

Two Language Enabled Airman Program Scholars recently formed a connection with a partner nation as they helped strengthen the United States’ relationship with Timor-Leste during a mission there.

Lt. Col. Meridee Trimble and Capt. Tia Scoggan are Bahasa Indonesia LEAP Scholars who provided real-time translation for an academic course in Timor-Leste. The course aimed to build partnership capacity for Timor-Leste’s maritime domain awareness and border security mission areas and to enhance initiatives contributing to an international coalition operation. The student body comprised of 15 students from the Air Force, Navy, and Marine components of the Timor-Leste Defense Force, also known as the F-FDTL.

The mission offered valuable training that was also effective, on a personal level, in building individual relationships between service members of the two countries.

“The benefit of conducting this mission was that the USAF Air Advisors shared concepts and expertise enabling the F-FDTL to protect its national security interests. We, as LEAP Scholars, communicated that information to the Timorese students in a language they understand,” Trimble said. “The students were fast learners and very engaged in the material and classroom activities. An additional benefit is that we spent two weeks getting to know Timorese Airman, Sailors, and Marines. We ate lunch with our classmates each day, became acquainted with one another, shared stories, tried a variety of Timorese dishes, and built a relationship outside of the classroom.”

The relationships built during this training exemplify how small group interactions can play a significant role in the cooperation between the United States and its allies and partners.

“This mission allowed me to witness the U.S. Department of Defense reoptimizing its efforts towards Great Power Competition, in real-time, from a different perspective and military branch than my own United States Space Force unit in Colorado,” Scoggan said. “It broadened my perspective of various U.S. and allied initiatives in the INDOPACOM AOR and solidified my belief that grassroots efforts and relationship-building (through Mobile Training Teams like this one) can make a significant impact on bilateral relations with the host nation and increase influence/effectiveness in the region.”

The mission was also a significant professional development event for the LEAP Scholars. Because their primary duties do not require them to speak Bahasa Indonesia (Trimble as the Director of International Program and an Assistant Professor of Japanese at USAFA and Scoggan as an Operations Flight Commander in a USSF unit), the chance to converse in the language was meaningful.

“This Training Partnership Request was particularly beneficial because neither of us had previously done live language interpretation,” Trimble said. “We completed LEAP immersions throughout Indonesia in a controlled, one-on-one classroom environment… We rarely have the opportunity to practice the language. This experience required us to familiarize ourselves with a technical vocabulary beyond the scope we typically use during LEAP immersions and e-Mentor classes (and the Defense Language Institute for Trimble). This opportunity tested our ability to recall vocabulary quickly, employ infrequently used grammar, and think on our feet to elaborate upon concepts requiring detailed explanations. It was especially helpful to have two LEAP Scholars on the team because if we could not recall a word at that moment, we turned to one another for quick assistance. We also learned a lot from each other’s different styles of speaking the language and how we expressed ourselves.”

Scoggan agreed that this mission, classified by AFCLC as an Advanced Language Intensive Training Event, greatly expanded her language, regional expertise, and culture skills. Advanced LITEs are designed to immerse LEAP Scholars in their target language and culture, providing dedicated opportunities for LREC training.

“This Advanced LITE significantly improved my military and technical vocabulary with the subject matter,” said Scoggan. “This was my first time providing near real-time translation, so I could directly identify my strengths and weaknesses, and then make any corrective actions quickly due to the pressure of the public setting. Also, I had a different perspective and understanding of Timorese history before visiting the country for the first time since my family is from Indonesia. Talking with the Timorese students and locals, I learned a lot about local customs and history from their eyes, which was very eye-opening and informative. Lastly, after this Advanced LITE, I gained a better understanding of DoD interests with Timor-Leste and how it relates to the bigger Great Power Competition initiative.”