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Officer Training School is part of the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, with headquarters at Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
Vision Laying the foundation for America's future military leaders.
Mission Produce motivated officers of character who embody the American warrior ethos and are culturally aware, expeditionary minded and prepared to lead.
Personnel and Resources
The Officer Training School, or OTS, staff consists of approximately 149 active-duty, Reserve, Air National Guard and civilian members, including 100 officers, 49 enlisted, 10 Air Force Reserve individual mobilization augmentee officers and nine civilian members. OTS is a group-level command with three squadrons and one Air National Guard detachment that produced 2,421 trained officers in fiscal 2010: 626 in Basic Officer Training, 1,416 in Commissioned Officer Training and 379 in the ANG's Academy of Military Science. OTS graduates enter all Air Force Total Force components: active duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard.
The Officer Training School complex on Maxwell AFB consists of two academic buildings with auditoriums, four dormitories, dining facility, physical conditioning center, parade field, running track and sports fields. Additionally, OTS maintains an Air Expeditionary Force garrison training site, a 200-acre field training facility, high ropes course, confidence course and two Expeditionary Assault Courses. OTS also hosts 2,400 Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets during their summer field training encampments and 280 Air Force civilians training in the Civilian Acculturation and Leadership Training program throughout the year.
Organization
Basic Officer Training Basic Officer Training trains and commissions second lieutenants to fulfill Air Force active-duty and Air Force Reserve requirements in partnership with the U.S. Air Force Academy and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. Production numbers fluctuate in response to variations between projected and actual Air Force Academy and AFROTC officer accessions, and Air Force end-strength requirements.
The basic officer training program consists of 12 weeks of military instruction and leadership development for college graduates leading to a commission as a second lieutenant. The goal of this training is to instill high standards of conduct and provide officer candidates with the essential military knowledge and skills needed for effective performance as Air Force leaders.
To ensure OTS graduates have the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective Air Force junior officers, OTS staff members provide instruction and guidance in critical officership areas such as leadership studies, professional knowledge, communication skills, military studies and field leadership applications. There are seven BOT classes per fiscal year.
OTS instructs these areas concurrently, emphasizing teambuilding, followership, and knowledge acquisition during the first half of training, followed by leadership applications during the second half. Lectures, readings, guided discussions, classroom exercises, field leadership exercises and after hours training activities combine to provide graduates with an in-depth understanding of their roles as future Air Force officers.
OTS is, above all, a leadership laboratory. One of the highlights is the Leadership Reaction Course, a field exercise using a specialized obstacle course where small groups of students practice handling stress in situations that test their ability to reason quickly and lead effectively. The program also features an Air Expeditionary Force exercise, a capstone field leadership assessment exercise, during which students demonstrate their ability to integrate and apply the communication and leadership skills learned throughout the course.
Commissioning
Once basic officer trainees complete all OTS requirements they receive the oath of office and are commissioned on extended active duty as second lieutenants in the Air Force. Most of these new lieutenants attend follow-on training after OTS. Training specialties include pilot, navigation or air battle management; space and missile operations and several other support career fields. The length of this training varies according to the specialty.
Commissioned Officer Training
Commissioned officer training, or COT, is a four-and-a-half-week program that provides initial officership training for Air Force judge advocates, chaplains, health professions officers (doctors, nurses, dentists, biomedical science corps officers and hospital administrators), and medical scholarship recipients. COT conducts training for Air Force active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve officers. There are six COT classes per fiscal year.
COT also has a 13-day Reserve COT program for extremely difficult to recruit Reserve medical officers as determined by their respective functional managers. There are two Reserve COT classes per fiscal year.
COT students receive direct commissions before training and their military rank is awarded based on their professional credentials in their respective fields, typically ranging from second lieutenant to lieutenant colonel.
The program began in September 1996 and combined three previous courses: Air Force Officer Orientation Course, Health Professions Officer Indoctrination Course and Military Indoctrination for Medical Services Officers.
The COT program covers the same subject areas as basic officer training. However the program is more compact due to its shorter length and the recognition given for the advanced professional and educational experiences of the students.
Upon completion of this training, judge advocate and chaplain officers normally attend career specialty schools offered at Maxwell AFB. Medical scholarship recipients report back to various medical schools located throughout the country, and most health professions officers report to their operational units throughout the world.
Academy of Military Science
The Academy of Military Science is a detachment of the Air National Guard Readiness Center. Originally located at McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base in Knoxville, Tenn., AMS relocated to Maxwell in 2009. AMS is a six-week program designed to train and commission second lieutenants to fulfill Air National Guard requirements.
AMS was established in 1971 and has commissioned more than 14,500 officers. AMS production numbers have varied over the years, peaking at 569 in 2003. Currently, AMS has the capacity to produce 500 second lieutenants a year with a surge capacity of 560.
The AMS program covers the same subject areas as BOT and COT and also provides students education in ANG heritage and their role as Citizen Airmen, as the majority of AMS students are traditional Guard members who also have civilian careers. The training program is accomplished in six weeks in order to support civilian employers by educating the Citizen Airman in the most efficient and effective way possible. There are four AMS classes per fiscal year.
Once AMS trainees successfully complete all OTS graduation requirements, they receive the oath of office and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the ANG with both state and federal responsibilities.
Most of these new lieutenants attend follow-on training after OTS. Training specialties include pilot, combat support officer, air battle management, space and missile operations and several other support career fields. The length of this training varies according to the specialty.
Motto and Honor Code
Officer Training School's motto is "Always with Honor," reflected in the school's honor code: "We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does." The code is a standard of personal conduct for each officer trainee. OTS expects each graduate to adopt the code as the ethical standard maintained throughout their Air Force careers.
History
Air Force OTS began at Medina Annex near Lackland AFB, Texas, in 1959. The first OTS class was composed of 89 trainees, including 11 women. Its predecessor, the Officer Candidates School, was established in 1942 in Miami Beach, with the mission to train and commission members from the enlisted ranks. OCS moved to Lackland in 1944 and gained the additional mission of training officers directly from civilian status in September 1951. OCS closed its doors with its last graduation in June 1963.
The school moved to Maxwell AFB, Ala., in September 1993 as part of the Air Force chief of staff's vision to align all officer education and training programs under Air University. Production numbers have varied over the years, from 323 the first year to a high of 7,894 officers in 1967.
For More Information
For more information on the United States Air Force Officer Training School, visit the OTS web site at www.au.af.mil/au/holmcenter/OTS.
Civilians interested in a career as an Air Force officer and considering applying to OTS need to contact a local Air Force recruiter via the Air Force recruiting web site, http://www.airforce.com. Current active duty Air Force enlisted members need to contact their base education office or Military Personnel Flight.
Point of Contact
Headquarters Air University, Office of Public Affairs, 55 LeMay Plaza South, Maxwell AFB, AL 36112, DSN 493-6371 or 334-953-6371.
