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14.1 What We Know: Priorities & Innovation

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Air Force PFE Promotion Fitness Examination

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1 Introduction & Exam Overview

1.1 PFE Exam Facts & Format 1.2 The WAPS Scoring System 1.3 The Tested AFH 1 Chapters & Study Strategy

2 Professionalism (AFH 1, Chapter 1)

2.1 The USAF Professional & the Profession of Arms 2.2 The Air Force Core Values & Their Virtues 2.3 Ethical Standards & the Airman's Creed

3 Military Organization & Command (AFH 1, Chapter 5)

3.1 The United States Armed Forces 3.2 The Military Departments & Services 3.3 Military Command Structure & Combatant Commands 3.4 The Air Force Total Force 3.5 Air Force Organizational Structure

4 Enlisted Force Development I (AFH 1, Chapter 7A–7D)

4.1 Leadership Levels 4.2 The Enlisted Force Structure & Tiers 4.3 Duty Titles & Special Positions 4.4 Force Development & the Competency Framework

5 Enlisted Force Development II (AFH 1, Chapter 7E–7H)

5.1 Training Responsibilities & Upgrade Training 5.2 Professional Military Education 5.3 The Community College of the Air Force 5.4 Continuing Education & Voluntary Programs

6 Assessments & Recognition (AFH 1, Chapter 8)

6.1 The Airman Comprehensive Assessment 6.2 Performance Evaluations & the EPB 6.3 Reenlistments, Retention & Continuation 6.4 Awards & Decorations

7 Enlisted Promotions (AFH 1, Chapter 9)

7.1 Promotion Systems & Programs 7.2 Promotion Cycles & Eligibility 7.3 Preparation & Individual Responsibilities 7.4 Promotion Testing & Test Control 7.5 Evaluation Boards & Central Selection

8 Personnel Programs & Benefits (AFH 1, Chapter 11)

8.1 Benefits & Services 8.2 Leave & Authorized Absences 8.3 Military Associations & Civilian Programs

9 Finance, Manpower & Resources (AFH 1, Chapter 12)

9.1 Individual Finances & Allowances 9.2 Official Travel Expenses & Allowances 9.3 Manpower Management 9.4 Resource Management & Stewardship 9.5 Environmental Commitment

10 Developing Organizations (AFH 1, Chapter 13)

10.1 Strategic Thinking & Results Focus 10.2 Resources & Organizational Structure 10.3 Change Management & Problem Solving

11 Developing Others (AFH 1, Chapter 14)

11.1 Teamwork & Team Dynamics 11.2 Develops People: Mentoring, Coaching & Feedback 11.3 Service Mindset & Fostering Effective Relationships 11.4 Leadership: Styles, Power & Influence

12 Developing Self I (AFH 1, Chapter 15A–15C)

12.1 Accountability & Self-Management 12.2 Military Communication 12.3 Preparing to Communicate

13 Developing Self II (AFH 1, Chapter 15D–15F)

13.1 Written Communication 13.2 Spoken Communication 13.3 Electronic Messaging

14 Developing Ideas (AFH 1, Chapter 16)

14.1 What We Know: Priorities & Innovation 14.2 Cognitive Processes & Critical Thinking 14.3 Informed Decision-Making 14.4 What We Don't Know: Uncertainty & Assumptions

15 Emergency Management (AFH 1, Chapter 17)

15.1 Air Force Emergency Management, Disasters & Hazards 15.2 Preparedness, MOPP & Individual Protection 15.3 Crisis Response & Recovery 15.4 Department of the Air Force Mishap Prevention 15.5 Risk Management

16 Security (AFH 1, Chapter 18)

16.1 Integrated Defense & Force Protection Conditions 16.2 Operations Security (OPSEC) 16.3 Information Protection & Classification 16.4 Information Access, Cybersecurity & Mobility 16.5 Antiterrorism

17 Standards of Conduct (AFH 1, Chapter 19)

17.1 A Way of Life: Oaths, Standards & Off-Duty Conduct 17.2 The Law of War 17.3 The Code of Conduct

18 Enforcing Military Standards (AFH 1, Chapter 20)

18.1 The Air Force Inspection System 18.2 Individual Accountability & Corrective Action 18.3 Appropriate Working Relationships & Fraternization 18.4 Addressing Misconduct & Prohibited Behavior

19 Fitness & Readiness (AFH 1, Chapter 22)

19.1 USAF Fitness & Comprehensive Airman Fitness 19.2 The Official Fitness Assessment 19.3 Nutrition & Performance 19.4 Substance Use, Abuse & Treatment Programs 19.5 Readiness State of Mind & Resilience

20 Military Customs & Courtesies (AFH 1, Chapter 24)

20.1 Honored Traditions: Saluting, Titles & Reporting 20.2 Respect for the Flag 20.3 Respect for Individuals 20.4 Ceremonies & Events 20.5 Drill & Formation 20.6 Preserving Our Heritage

21 SJT Format & Competencies

21.1 SJT Format & Mechanics 21.2 Airman Leadership Qualities (ALQs) 21.3 Foundational Competencies & Behaviors

22 SJT Reasoning, Scenarios & Traps

22.1 SJT Reasoning Strategies 22.2 Sample SJT Scenarios 22.3 SJT Traps & Best Practices

14.1 What We Know: Priorities & Innovation

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

The four Department of the Air Force priorities listed in AFH 1 are build the United States Space Force, modernize the Air and Space Force we need, grow strong leaders and resilient families, and strengthen our allies and partners.

General Fogleman created the Chief of Staff, USAF Professional Reading Program in 1996 to develop a common frame of reference among officers, enlisted, and civilians.

The Guardian and Airmen Innovation Network (GAIN) is the Department of the Air Force innovation program that solicits suggestions and ideas from Airmen.

The professional reading list is available on the Air Force Portal and the CSAF Leadership Library, and now includes books, films, documentaries, briefings, publications, and journals.

AFH 1 frames the chapter with the claim that to remain dominant the Air Force must maintain airpower advantages, embrace change, and facilitate a culture of courage and innovation.

Last updated: August 2026

Knowledge Is Power

AFH 1 opens Chapter 16 with a framing paragraph that is quoted often enough to be worth reading closely: "For more than 70 years, Americans have asked Airmen to be the sentinels of air and cyberspace for the nation, delivering unmatched capabilities and support to the Joint Force in defending our homeland, owning the high ground, and projecting power with our allies."

The three-part mission phrasing — defending our homeland, owning the high ground, and projecting power with our allies — is the kind of parallel construction the PFE lifts verbatim.

The handbook then states the imperative that motivates the whole chapter: "To remain dominant, we must maintain our airpower advantages over potential adversaries. We must embrace change and facilitate a culture that embodies courage and innovation."

Note the pairing at the end — courage and innovation , not innovation alone. That pairing matters because everything else in Chapter 16 (critical thinking in groups, dissent, groupthink, the culture of yes) is about the courage required to actually contribute an idea.

Department of the Air Force Priorities

AFH 1 states: "It is our agile and innovative Airmen and Guardians who power the Department of the Air Force. Everything Airmen and Guardians do should advance or augment DAF priorities." The priorities exist "to help ensure our Air and Space Force remains lethal and ready when the nation calls."

  • # Priority
  • 1 Build the United States Space Force
  • 2 Modernize the Air and Space Force we need
  • 3 Grow strong leaders and resilient families
  • 4 Strengthen our allies and partners

Four priorities. Two things make this list testable. First, an item may offer five or three priorities, or substitute plausible-sounding alternatives such as "accelerate change" or "increase readiness." Second, the exact wording of priority 2 — "modernize the Air and Space Force we need" — reads awkwardly enough that candidates often mis-recall it as simply "modernize."

Notice how the four priorities distribute: one is about a new service (Space Force), one about materiel and capability (modernize), one about people (leaders and families), and one about relationships beyond the service (allies and partners). That structure is a reliable memory hook if the exact wording slips.

The Chief of Staff Professional Reading Program

In 1996, General Fogleman created the Chief of Staff, USAF Professional Reading Program. Two facts to hold: the year (1996) and the creator (General Fogleman) — the same officer quoted in Chapter 1 on the profession of arms, and the 15th Chief of Staff . Chapter 1 and Chapter 16 are the only two places Fogleman appears in the tested material, and the exam sometimes pairs them.

Purpose: to "develop a common frame of reference among USAF members — officers, enlisted, and civilians — to help each become better, more effective advocates of airpower." Note the audience is all three cohorts , not just officers.

What the program can do: it "can help launch a career-long reading habit or supplement previous reading materials."

Topic coverage: although the majority of the material details airpower from its genesis to recent times , topics also include:

  • Insight into USAF history
  • Analysis of ongoing conflicts and their relevancy to the future
  • Organizational and leadership success stories
  • Lessons learned from recent conflicts

AFH 1 adds that "each Chief of Staff of the Air Force has subsequently enhanced and continued the program with current and relevant material for the force," and that the program currently includes books, films, documentaries, briefings, presentations, publications, journals, and other online resources — no longer books alone.

Where to find it: the reading list and a brief summary of new selections are on the AF Portal and the CSAF Leadership Library .

  • The Guardian and Airmen Innovation Network
  • GAIN is "the Department of the Air Force innovation program that solicits suggestions and ideas from Airmen."

AFH 1 lists what those ideas are meant to contribute to:

  • Contribution area
  • Effectiveness
  • Efficiency
  • Enterprise replication
  • Cost savings / avoidance
  • Other improvement of operations or programs related to the Air and Space Forces

"Enterprise replication" is the phrase most likely to be tested, because it is unusual and because it names something distinct from a local improvement — the point is to spread a good idea across the enterprise , which is the same principle as Step 8 of the practical problem-solving method in Chapter 13 ("standardize successful processes") and the continuous improvement concept that "efficiencies should be replicated to the extent practical."

Don't Confuse the Innovation Channels

AFH 1 names several related programs across the tested chapters, and the exam trades on the overlap:

Program Where it appears What it is

Guardian and Airmen Innovation Network (GAIN) Chapter 16 The DAF innovation program soliciting suggestions and ideas from Airmen

Airmen Powered by Innovation Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 Named as a management service of the Manpower and Organization Flight , and as a possible standardization submission in Step 8 of the practical problem-solving method

Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century Chapter 12 Aimed at eliminating waste and continuously improving processes , cited in the environmental commitment section

Continuous Improvement Chapter 13 The philosophy and methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, BPR, Theory of Constraints) applied to processes

If a stem asks specifically about the DAF program that solicits ideas from Airmen , the keyed answer is GAIN .

How Section 16A Sets Up the Rest of the Chapter

Section 16A is deliberately short because its job is to establish a premise: the Air Force has priorities, has a body of professional knowledge, and has a formal channel for ideas. The remaining three sections then deal with the harder question — how an individual Airman actually thinks well enough to contribute something useful.

16B, Cognitive Processes , addresses the mental frames, group dynamics, and decision traps that distort thinking

16C, Informed Decision-Making , supplies the tools — digital literacy, analytical thinking, and the Osborn-Parnes creative problem-solving model

16D, What We Don't Know , addresses uncertainty, empowerment, and the culture that lets ideas surface

Keep that arc in mind. Items drawn from Chapter 16 often test whether you can place a concept in the right section — for example, GAIN is a channel (16A) , groupthink is a trap (16B) , the CRAAP test is a tool (16C) , and empowerment is a culture (16D) .