Air Force office moving from Gunter Annex to Maxwell Air Force Base

The headquarters for the U.S. Air Force Enlisted Professional Military Education is moving to Maxwell Air Force Base’s Academic Circle, best known for officer education and training.

The Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education celebrated the move from Maxwell’s Gunter Annex with a ribbon cutting ceremony at building 1400 on the base Friday, May 9.

Barnes Center Commander Col. Damian Schlussel addressed guests and cut the ribbon with Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, David A. Flosi, and Maj. Gen. Parker H. Wright, Curtis E. LeMay Center commander and Air University deputy commander.

Air Force Enlisted Professional Military Education is provided through the Barnes Center, named after the service’s fourth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. EPME programs include Airman Leadership School, the Noncommissioned Officer Academy, the Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, the Chief Leadership Course, the Enlisted Professional Military Education Instructor Course, the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Research Institute and some Foundations courses.

The Academic Circle, now known as Chennault Circle, was constructed in the 1950s and is the heart of Air University’s educational campus. It’s named after Lt. Gen. Claire Lee Chennault, the leader of the Flying Tigers during World War II. Educational programs on the circle include the Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, Squadron Officer School and the new Air Force Warrant Officer Training School.

Maxwell Air Force base is located just west of downtown Montgomery. The base’s Gunter Annex is just off Congressman Dickinson Drive, just inside the bypass off Eastern Boulevard.

— Information provided by Maxwell Air Force Base