The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce was excited to host a Military Affairs reception honoring the great work being accomplished by JBSA-Lackland’s Inter-American Air Forces Academy (IAAFA). The military reception, sponsored by Howard Energy Ventures, was held to honor special guests attending the IAAFA graduation ceremony and dinner the following day.
IAAFA provides specialized military education and training conducted in Spanish by active-duty Airmen for Latin American military members and seeks to strengthen partnerships that advance shared interests and enable partner nations to act in support of aligned strategic objectives. Their cadre and staff are among the world’s best. IAAFA’s members are hand-selected from their career fields based on proven performance, subject-matter expertise, language aptitude and their ability to foster international relations. Among their ranks are decorated combat veterans, U.S. Air Force-level award winners, and proven security cooperation professionals. The team also includes civilian members with vast corporate knowledge as well as Partner Nation Guest Instructors with unique regional perspectives. The academy offers a wide range of courses and graduates more than 900 students per year. Courses continued throughout the pandemic and opened up opportunities of learning through digital and in person learning, an innovative approach to continue to meet the needs of the mission.
“We are happy to provide an opportunity for our community members to connect with our unique military missions throughout Joint Base San Antonio. Highlighting the work of IAAFA and its importance in our ecosystem of national security and cooperation is a privilege to us at the Chamber,” said Lori Stinson, VP for Military Affairs and Leadership Development at the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. “Due to both professional and personal relationships with the IAAFA team, as well as Brandon Seale, President of Howard Energy Ventures and IAAFA Honorary Commander, we were able to meet in person to show firsthand our community support to their important mission.”
Guests included military, civic, and business members, including Kelli Seybolt, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force.
The San Antonio Chamber was founded in 1894 and for more than a century has been the connector of military missions in San Antonio and our business community. We strive each and every day to maintain our recognition as Military City USA and support our military partners by ensuring that each and every military member who comes to San Antonio feels welcome and appreciated for their service to our nation.