DVIDS – News – 174th Attack Wing Hosts Air National Guard Professional Development Course

(Syracuse, NY) – U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 174th Attack Wing in Syracuse, NY, hosted a Contemporary Base Issues (CBI) course at the National Veterans Resource Center at Syracuse University, Jul. 17 & 18, 2026.

During the 2-day course, Airmen in attendance received training on a diverse array of military topics such as domestic operations, military justice, and ethics, that members may encounter during their Air National Guard career.

The course was taught by a cadre of military lawyers, and Airmen from as far away as Hawaii traveled to Central New York to attend.

“The course is a two-day learning experience where we explore topics that help Airmen to identify, analyze, and solve issues that they might encounter during their career,” said Col. Yvette Yarbrough, a staff judge advocate for the Louisiana Air National Guard, and one of the CBI course instructors. “We help up and coming leaders within our Air Force and Air National Guard feel better equipped to handle the complex issues that leadership brings.”

Across the two-day course, instructors presented more than 200 attendees with real world scenarios they might encounter as an Air National Guard leader. The comprehensive training covered everything from how to handle various military justice issues, to how evolving AI technology impacts Air National Guard leadership.

“Our goal is to help prepare anyone who interacts with another Airman to identify and solve any sort of issue, anything from a disciplinary issue to a readiness issue to an ethical issue,” continued Yarbrough. “We give people the tools to think like a JAG, identify those issues, and identify who the subject matter experts are that can assist with the problem.”

First held in 2001 in Savannah, GA at the Air Dominance Center, the CBI course has helped countless Air National Guard leaders and supervisors tackle issues related to Air National Guard service.

The following year, a hand-selected group of JAG officers took the course on the road, allowing members from across the U.S. to attend. For more than 20 years, the CBI course has trained ANG leaders on some of the most pressing and relevant issues of the day. Throughout the years the curriculum evolved, ensuring the most relevant topics and up-to-date information is given to the attendees.

“I hope each attendee takes away the fact that they’re never on an island; they always have subject matter experts out there they can call upon to help roundtable issues and problem solve. No problem is too big for them to solve, and they need to take care of Airmen, and if they do it the right way, we’ll all make the Air Force a more formidable force,” continued Yarbrough.

“As a supervisor and a crew chief, I always have to look at the issues my crew might have to deal with, since we are on rotating shifts,” said Tech. Sgt. Bryant Thompson, a crew chief assigned to the 225th Support Squadron at the Western Air Defense Sector, who traveled from Washington state to attend the course. “We’re not always constantly on the same sleeping schedule, and that can cause problems, so I found this course really beneficial.”

Though the course was hosted by the 174th Attack Wing, Syracuse University generously provided the venue at the National Veterans Resource Center. Opened in 2020, the NVRC is home to Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families and serves as a community convening hub that is available to community organizations and local and state government partners for facilitating programs, trainings, events, and initiatives.

“Syracuse University has been a great partner to us here at the Wing. They invested in this building a few years ago and it’s been an unbelievable venue for things like this,” said Col. Brett Batick, the 174th Attack Wing commander. “They’ve been great partners and friends to the military.”

The 174th Attack Wing is one of five Wings that make up the New York Air National Guard. Headquartered at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, NY, the Wing’s primary mission is to operate the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft.