NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, Calif. (Feb. 6, 2026) — Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) hosted a weeklong leadership course for prospective commanding officers, executive officers, and command senior enlisted leaders, Feb. 3-6.

More than 30 senior naval aviation officers and enlisted personnel participated in the course, which emphasized leadership development, decision-making, and operational readiness.

“We’re here to provide leaders selected for command positions the opportunity to gain character, competency, and mentorship by experts and program managers on the staff,” said Thomas Dull, deputy assistant chief of staff for leadership development, Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific (CNAP). “The goal is to ensure they are fully prepared to take on the most consequential and influential jobs in our nation’s military.”

Training topics included leadership principles, readiness, and roles in time of crisis to support mission effectiveness in naval aviation.

“We tailor the course to each attendee and to what they are walking into when they arrive onboard their commands,” said Dull. “We cover the overall aviation master air plan, enterprise-wide and individual squadron manning, aircraft readiness, safety trends, and a variety of other topics on challenges they may face. Additionally, we also offer several mentorship opportunities with leaders either sitting in command positions or who have just left command.”

Capt. Thomas Bodine, CNAP chief of staff, provided remarks during the course.

“It’s critical to ensure everyone in this room is prepared to lead this generation of Sailors and Naval Aviators with wisdom, accountability, and strength,” said Bodine. “This course ensures our commanding officers and senior enlisted leaders have a shared foundation in leadership principles, expectations, and mission readiness before assuming their new roles.”

The course concluded with discussions focused on leadership ahead of upcoming command assignments.

“Our hope is they leave with a sense of confidence knowing that while they are the single accountable officer for everything in their unit, they are not alone and they have lots of resources at their disposal,” said Dull.

As the type commander for naval aviation, CNAF's mission is to man, train, and equip deployable, combat-ready naval aviation forces that win in combat. (U.S. Navy story by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Chris Cavagnaro)