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Organizations * Specials * Planes from the Past * Air Show Photos * Main Index
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, with its headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., is the largest and oldest source of commissioned officers. Air Force ROTC offers two educational programs -- Air Force Senior ROTC and Air Force Junior ROTC. Senior ROTC Program
The Air Force Senior ROTC program recruits, educates and commissions officer candidates through college and university campus programs based on Air Force requirements. As of January 1995, units were located at 143 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. Students from schools near Air Force ROTC host institutions can attend classes at more than 700 separate crosstown enrollment programs or consortium agreements.
Air Force Senior ROTC offers primarily two routes to an Air Force commission through four-year and two-year programs. Students enroll in Air Force ROTC classes at the same time and in the same manner as for other college courses, and receive academic credit.
Recent enrollments in the college programs have ranged from a high of 22,067 in 1988 to an estimated low of 10,231 in 1993. In 1995, 12,214 were enrolled and an enrollment of approximately 13,000 is projected in 1996.
Four-Year Program
The first two years of the Air Force ROTC four-year program -- the general military course -- require one hour of classroom work and one to two hours of leadership laboratory each week. Cadets who wish to compete for entry into the last two years of the program -- the professional officer course -- must do so under the requirements of the Professional Officer CourseSelection System, a national competitive selection system. This system uses qualitative and quantitative factors such as grade-point average, unit commander evaluation and aptitude test scores. After selection, students must complete a four-week, summer field training encampment at an assigned Air Force base. Cadets enrolled in the professional officer course attend class three hours a week and participate in a weekly leadership laboratory lasting from one to two hours.
Cadets conduct the leadership laboratories and manage the unit's cadet corps. Each unit has a cadet corps based on the Air Force organizational pattern of flight, squadron, group and wing. Professional officer course classes are small, with emphasis on group discussions and cadet presentations. Classroom topics include management, communication skills and national defense policy.
Once enrolled in the professional officer course, cadets are enlisted in the Air Force Reserve and assigned to the obligated reserve section. This entitles them to a monthly, non-taxable $150 allowance during the academic year.
Two-Year Program
The Air Force ROTC two-year program and the last two years of the four-year program are the same at the professional officer course level; however, the entry procedures differ. Entrance into the professional officer course is highly competitive and two-year applicants must be selected through the selection system described above.
Two-year applicants must also complete a six-week field training encampment. The additional two weeks of field training for the two-year applicants prepare them for entry into the professional officer course. Two-year applicants are not committed to the Air Force until they return to school in the fall and make a decision to enroll in Air Force ROTC.
One-Year Program
The one-year program meets Air Force production shortfalls in certain fields. Currently, undergraduate nursing and meteorological students in their junior year are eligible for the program. This program is also available to law students on a case-by-case basis.
Those selected for the one-year program attend a six-week field training encampment during the summer before entering the professional officer course as contract cadets. These cadets also receive a $150 monthly subsistence allowance during the academic year.
Scholarships are available under this program, and cover full tuition, books and fees. To qualify for a one-year program scholarship, students must be younger than 25 as of June 30 of the calendar year in which they will be commissioned. Those not qualifying for scholarships may still participate in the one-year program as non-scholarship cadets; however, such cadets must be younger than 30 before entering active duty. Once a student is selected for the one-year program, change of academic major is not permitted, unless it is the best interest of the Air Force.
Special Programs
There are four Air Force ROTC programs that provide cadets with specialized, off-campus learning experiences.
Field training is usually a cadet's first exposure to a working Air Force environment. The program develops military leadership and discipline, and provides Air Force officer orientation and motivation. At the same time, the Air Force can evaluate each cadet's potential as an officer.
Field training includes aircraft and air crew orientation, marksmanship training, junior officer training, physical fitness and survival training.
Cadets travel at Air Force expense to and from the cadet's home of record or school, and they receive uniforms, lodging and meals. Additionally, after applicable deductions, cadets receive pay of about $500 for the four-week encampment and about $760 for the six-week summer camp.
The advanced training program provides cadets with specialized and individual professional development. The learning experience is like an intern program in which cadets are placed at Air Force bases to acquaint them with life, duties and responsibilities of Air Force people. This is a voluntary program that provides an important transition for a cadet between training and commissioning.
Cadets are assigned to Air Force bases normally for two or three weeks. They receive approximately $19 a day, meals and quarters while participating and are reimbursed for travel expenses to and from the base.
Base visits give cadets a look at operational Air Force bases. Each group of cadets is accompanied by an Air Force ROTC instructor who adds personal knowledge of the Air Force mission to the cadets' base-visit experience. Base visits help develop an appreciation of the Air Force professional environment.
The ASSIST (Aerospace Science 100 Selective Incentive Shadow Training) program is an opportunity for freshmen to experience Air Force life first-hand. More than 500 cadets spend 10 days on an Air Force base exploring various careers and aspects of active-duty life. Held during the summer, this voluntary program covers all travel and living expenses, and pays cadets approximately $19 per day.
Scholarships
Current emphasis in the Air Force ROTC college scholarship program is to award scholarships to candidates pursuing undergraduate engineering or other scientific and technical disciplines. Nearly 90 percent of Air Force ROTC scholarships are awarded in these disciplines; however, students in every degree program enjoy scholarship opportunities.
Scholarships are awarded in increments of four, three, two and one years. Of the 4,500 active scholarships during academic year 1994-1995, approximately 800 went to incoming freshmen.
Air Force ROTC offers three types of scholarships. Type I covers full tuition and most required fees. Type II covers tuition and fees up to $9,000 annually, an award that covers the cost at most U.S. colleges and universities and are usually awarded via the College Scholarship program (CSP). The third type is targeted scholarships of the CSP which are awards designated specifically for lower cost, normally in-state tuition-level institutions.
In addition, Air Force ROTC has an incentive scholarship program for cadets contracted into the professional officer course who are not already receiving such benefits. This incentive scholarship pays up to $2,000 annually.
All types of awards provide funds for books, most required fees and a $150 monthly non-taxable allowance. Plus, all scholarship cadets are required to meet certain academic, military and physical fitness standards to earn and maintain scholarship benefits. All non-prior service scholarship recipients must be younger than 25 as of June 30 of the calendar year during which commissioning is scheduled. Prior service applicants may have the age limit extended by the total days of active-duty military service, up to a maximum of four years.
Extracurricular Activities
Air Force ROTC cadets participate in a variety of extracurricular activities. Several units have special drill teams, color guards and honor guards. Cadets pursuing a commission are eligible for membership in the Arnold Air Society, a national honorary professional and service organization established to strengthen relations between Air Force ROTC, the Air Force, the campus and the local community.
Angel Flight-Silver Wings, an auxiliary organization of Arnold Air Society, supports Air Force ROTC through activities and programs aimed at publicizing the local unit, university, Air Force ROTC and the Air Force. Participation in Arnold Air Society and Angel Flight-Silver Wings is voluntary.
Enrollment Criteria
The first two years of the Air Force ROTC college program, the general military course, are open to all students at least 14 years old. Second-year scholarship cadets and all cadets entering the last two years of the college program must be at least 17. These contract cadets must meet Air Force ROTC and Department of Defense eligibility standards ranging from physical fitness to U.S. citizenship. Unless a waiver is granted, individuals must be commissioned prior to age 30.
Faculty
The teaching staff of Air Force ROTC units is composed of well-educated, experienced Air Force officers. Officers in the grades of captain through colonel, with five or more years remaining before retirement, are eligible.
They must have a master's degree and be a regular or career reserve officer. The officers usually complete Air University's Academic Instructor School at Maxwell AFB before reporting for their teaching assignments.
Active-Duty Service Commitments
Cadets in the professional officer course and all scholarship cadets are contract cadets who agree to accept a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force after completing all Air Force ROTC and academic degree requirements. Most cadets incur a four-year active-duty commitment; however, pilots incur an eight-year commitment after completing specialized undergraduate pilot training. Navigators incur a six-year commitment after completing specialized undergraduate navigator training.
Medical Professions
Nursing graduates agree to accept a commission in the Air Force Nurse Corps and serve four years on active duty after successfully completing their licensing examination. Two exam failures result in a four-year assignment as an Air Force line officer. Cadet premedical scholarship recipients who are accepted to medical school before graduation are sponsored in their pursuit of medical degrees.
Legal Professions
Second-year law students can pursue an Air Force commission through Air Force ROTC's graduate law program. This program guarantees judge advocate duty after a student completes all law school, Air Force ROTC and bar requirements. After graduating from an American Bar Association-accredited law school, the student must be admitted to practice law before the highest state court of any state or a federal court. The new lawyer is then commissioned into the Air Force in the grade determined by the laws and directives in effect at the time of call to active duty.
Airman Commissioning Opportunities
Air Force ROTC has three programs in which Air Force enlisted personnel may participate, two of which include scholarship entitlements. Scholarships for Outstanding Airmen to ROTC (SOAR) allows commanders to recognize outstanding and deserving airmen with less than six years of service by nominating them for an AFROTC scholarship. The Airman Scholarship and Commissioning Program allows airmen to compete for college scholarships through a central selection board. Both programs offer two, three and four-year scholarships, and can only be awarded for completion of a first bachelor's degree. Selectees must meet age requirements.
The airman early release commissioning program is designed for airmen who will be younger than 35 years old when commissioned and do not meet scholarship requirements. Those who will be 30 or older at the time of commissioning must meet more stringent selection requirements. Applicants for this program must be able to complete requirements for a bachelor's degree within two academic years.
Individuals in any of these programs will not be discharged from Air Force active duty more than 30 days before entering college and enrolling in Air Force ROTC.
Junior ROTC Program
The Air Force Junior ROTC program provides an aerospace science program at the high school level and its purpose is to build better and more productive citizens. The program explores historical and scientific aspects of aerospace technology and teaches students self-reliance and self-discipline. It is not a recruiting activity for the Air Force. There are currently more than 76,000 students enrolled, and students who participate do not incur any obligation to the Air Force. The program is open to all young people who are at least in the ninth grade, physically fit and citizens of the United States.
Curriculum
The Junior ROTC curriculum is a balance of 60 percent aerospace science and 40 percent leadership education. In the classroom, cadets study and discuss the heritage of flight, the aerospace environment, rocketry, propulsion, space travel and aviation careers. They are also introduced to military customs and courtesies, basic drill, human relations and communications skills.
Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities are varied and interesting. Some units have drill teams or color guards. Most offer field trips to Air Force bases, airports, aerospace industries, and other areas related to aerospace education.
Faculty
Air Force Junior ROTC instructors are retired Air Force commissioned and noncommissioned officers. They are full-time faculty members of the participating high school and are employed by the local school board.
Benefits
Cadets who complete two years in the Air Force Junior ROTC program and who continue ROTC in college may waive one term of the Air Force Senior ROTC program. Students completing three years in Air Force Junior ROTC may receive credit for a full year of college-level Air Force ROTC.
Cadets who complete three years in Air Force Junior ROTC and choose to enter the military immediately after graduating from high school are two pay grades higher than non-participants who enlist.
Junior ROTC cadets who pursue college may receive special consideration for Air Force ROTC scholarships.
History
ROTC was established with passage of the National Defense Act of 1916. The first Air ROTC units were established between 1920 and 1923 at the University of California at Berkeley, Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Illinois, the University of Washington, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Texas A&M University).
After World War II, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the War Department's chief, signed General Order No. 124, establishing Air ROTC units at 78 colleges and universities throughout the nation. An experimental program to commission women through Air Force ROTC was first conducted from 1956 to 1960. Women were again enrolled in the Senior Program, starting in 1969, and in the Junior Program four years later.
A new two-year senior program, scholarships and a junior program were authorized by the ROTC Vitalization Act of 1964. The Air Force ROTC Airman Scholarship and Commissioning Program was established in 1973 and gave eligible Air Force enlisted men and women an opportunity to compete for a scholarship.
In 1978, Air Training Command, with headquarters at Randolph AFB, Texas, assumed responsibility for Air Force ROTC programs. On July 1, 1993, Air Training Command merged with Air University to form Air Education and Training Command. Air University became a direct reporting unit under Air Education and Training Command, and Air Force ROTC realigned under Air University.
Additional Information:
For more information about Senior Air Force ROTC programs and scholarship applications, write to Air Force ROTC, Recruiting Branch, 551 E. Maxwell Blvd., Maxwell AFB, Ala. 36112-6106; for Junior Air Force ROTC program information, write to AFROTC/DOJ, 551 E. Maxwell Blvd., Maxwell AFB, Ala. 36112-6106.
Point of Contact
Headquarters Air Force ROTC, Office of Public Affairs; 551 E. Maxwell Blvd.; Maxwell AFB, Ala. 36112-6663; DSN 493-2825 or (334) 953-2825.
December 1995