ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Georgia --
Air Force chaplains fill a critical, demanding role providing guidance and support to Airmen all over the world. The Chaplain Candidate Program is an initiative designed to cultivate well-trained and dedicated chaplains to ensure the spiritual strength of the force.
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2nd Lts. Rocio Romo, left, and Carl Bettis, both chaplain candidates, study a map during a land navigation course at the 5th Combat Communication Group's Combat Readiness School at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 22, 2024. Candidates trained in their roles as Air Force chaplains in the Chaplain Candidate Program, which culminates in a week-long field training exercise designed to replicate the stress and rigors of a deployed environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Patrick Sullivan)
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Chaplain candidates compete in an obstacle course during the Chaplain Candidate program at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 25, 2024. Candidates spend the first three weeks of the program’s Initial Candidate Training immersed in the ministerial duties of a chaplain, before they spend the final week of ICT at a field training exercise designed to replicate the stress and rigors of a deployed environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Patrick Sullivan)
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Chaplain candidates participate in a run during a field training exercise for the Chaplain Candidate Program at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 25, 2024. Chaplain candidates are commissioned as 2nd Lts., sent to the Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, and complete a month-long Initial Candidate Training course at Robins Air Force Base, before being assigned to tours to train at active-duty installations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Patrick Sullivan)
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2nd Lt. Carlin Jordan, right, a chaplain candidate, practices combatives techniques at the 5th Combat Communication Squadron’s Combat Readiness School at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 24, 2024. The Chaplain Candidate Program provides candidates with the opportunity to learn the roles and responsibilities of a military chaplain before becoming a fully-fledged chaplain themselves. (U.S. Air Force photo by Patrick Sullivan)
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2nd Lt. Lillian DeVlaminck, 5th Combat Communications Group Combat Readiness School basic combatives instructor, demonstrates proper technique to chaplain candidates at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 24, 2024. The Chaplain Candidate Program’s field training exercise served to provide candidates with the knowledge and experience to be comfortable in a deployed environment while still serving their fellow Airmen and Guardians. (U.S. Air Force photo by Patrick Sullivan)
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Tech. Sgt. Enemecio Felix, an instructor at the 5th Combat Communications Group’s Combat Readiness School, provides tactical combat casualty care training to chaplain candidates at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 23, 2024. The Chaplain Candidate Program’s Initial Candidate Training course partnered with the 5th CCS for a week-long field training exercise designed to replicate the stress and rigors of a deployed environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Patrick Sullivan)
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Chaplain candidates participate in a land navigation course at the 5th Combat Communication Group's Combat Readiness School at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, July 22, 2024. The Chaplain Candidate Program is an Air Force Reserve Command led program that provides prospective chaplains with training, mentorship and real-world experiences as they complete their education in divinity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Patrick Sullivan)
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Hosted at Robins Air Force Base and led by the Air Force Reserve Command, the program plays a pivotal role in supplying the total force with capable spiritual leaders.
“The impact of well-trained chaplains and religious affairs Airmen is likely immeasurable,” said Lt. Col. Justin Ivy, Chaplain Candidate Program senior mentor and program alumnus. “How do you quantify the impact of walking through the difficult questions of a couple considering divorce, or holding the hand of an Airman pulled back from the edge of suicide? The chaplain corps’ religious support teams stand in the deep valleys of life where despair is thick like smoke and hopelessness has taken hold, but for the chaplains and religious affairs Airmen who remind us of the presence of the transcendent. Airmen will know they are not alone because their chaplain is nearby.”
Candidates are commissioned as second lieutenants, sent to the Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and complete a month-long Initial Candidate Training course at Robins Air Force Base.
ICT brings in a cadre of experienced chaplains and religious affairs Airmen to teach and mentor candidates across a variety of topics, regulations and ceremonies. Candidates also attend the religious services for a variety of different beliefs, allowing them to better serve service members of all faiths as well as those who do not follow a religion.
“As a graduate of the Chaplain Candidate Program many years ago, my experience as a mentor has been somewhat nostalgic,” said Ivy. “Senior chaplains poured wisdom out for us so we could discern God’s call on our life and our direction for ministry. I have been honored to walk with these chaplain candidates as they too explore and discern God’s purpose for their life and ministry.”
After three weeks immersed in the ministerial duties of a chaplain, candidates spend the final week of ICT at a field training exercise designed to replicate the stress and rigors of a deployed environment. Partnering with the 5th Combat Communication Group’s Combat Readiness School, candidates go through a series of intensive training events, including tactical casualty combat care, combatives and simulated combat scenarios, all while living in a field environment.
While enduring the challenges of training and adjusting to life in the field, candidates are expected to lead religious services and perform ceremonies – ensuring they are prepared for the demands of chaplaincy in the military.
“They’re getting an overview of what it would be like to be in a deployed environment, in a combat environment, to figure out how we fit in,” said Maj. Timothy Dahlstrom, 446th Airlift Wing deputy wing chaplain and Initial Candidate Course mentor. “We’re going through combat scenarios as noncombatants and figuring out how to embed ourselves into the middle of war, into the middle of the mission, and help others accomplish everything ahead of them.”
This hands-on approach is crucial for preparing chaplains to be the calm and steady presence Airmen need in times of uncertainty.
“I’ve seen firsthand how in the middle of the chaos, we get to step in and be that calm face, the reminder that when everything's not okay, it will be okay,” Dahlstrom added.
The training emphasizes the dual role chaplains play; while they may not engage in combat, they are integral to the spiritual and emotional battles Airmen face.
The program’s structure, which follows ICT with tours where candidates shadow religious support teams at active-duty bases, ensures future chaplains gain real-world experience. This exposure to military operations and the unique challenge of military ministry helps candidates develop the resilience and adaptability needed to support Airmen in diverse and often challenging environments.
Upon completing the program candidates become fully-fledged chaplains and may choose to stay in the Reserve or apply for active duty or Air Guard positions.
Ivy describes a key and unique aspect of the course as being its clemency period; at any point a candidate can leave the program to pursue a different Air Force career. Ivy explained the demands of chaplaincy are extremely rigorous and often very different than what candidates expected, and the challenges of the career require a committed chaplain who wants to be in the role. Offering a clemency period ensures graduates are prepared and dedicated for service.
Through preparing chaplains who are ready to serve with compassion and strength, the program ensures the spiritual well-being of Airmen is supported at every level, bolstering comprehensive Airman fitness and contributing to the overall readiness and morale of the total force.