The United States Air Force provides a continuum of professional military education at Air University with Basic Developmental Education (BDE), Primary Developmental Education (PDE), Intermediate Developmental Education (IDE), and Senior Developmental Education (SDE). [1] In the Air Force, Primary is Squadron Officer School (SOS), [2] Intermediate is Air Command and Staff College (ACSC), [3] and Senior is Air War College (AWC). [4] Basic was the Air and Space Basic Course (ASBC), but it is inactive as of July 2011. [5]
Typically Captains take SOS, Majors attend ACSC, and Lt Colonels or Colonels take Air War College. All officers are expected to complete their appropriate PME commensurate with their rank either by correspondence, or, if selected, in residence at Maxwell Air Force Base. Both in-residence Air Command and Staff College and Air War College are regionally accredited Masters programs (M.A.) and take slightly less than 1 year to complete.
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the second youngest branch of the United States Armed Forces and the fourth in order of precedence. The United States Air Force articulates its core missions as air supremacy, global integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.
The Nineteenth Air Force is an active Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force. During the Cold War it was a component of Tactical Air Command, with a mission of command and control over deployed USAF forces in support of United States foreign policy initiatives. The command was reactivated in 1993 under Air Education and Training Command with a mission of conducting AETC's flying training.
The Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and Air Force Officer Training School (OTS). A subordinate command of the Air University within the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), AFROTC is aligned under the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. The Holm Center, formerly known as the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS), retains direct responsibility for both AFROTC and OTS.
The Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University.
Air University is a professional military education university system of the United States Air Force. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award master's degrees.
The Australian Defence College (ADC) comprises three joint education and training organisations operated by the Australian Defence Force in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory:
A Combat Systems Officer (CSO) is a flight member of an aircrew in the United States Air Force and is the mission commander in many multi-crew aircraft. The combat systems officer manages the mission and integrates systems and crew with the aircraft commander to collectively achieve and maintain situational awareness and mission effectiveness. CSOs are trained in piloting, navigation, the use of the electromagnetic spectrum, and are experts in weapon system employment on their specific airframe. Aircrew responsibilities include mission planning, mission timing, weapons targeting and employment, threat reactions, aircraft communications, and hazard avoidance.
The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operations. Headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, its higher headquarters is the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. It is one of six war colleges within the U.S. Department of Defense's Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase II Education Program for commissioned officers.
The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) school. It is a subordinate command of the Air University (AU), also located at Maxwell AFB, and is part of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.
The structure of the United States Air Force refers to the unit designators and organizational hierarchy of the United States Air Force, which starts at the most senior commands.
Squadron Officer School (SOS), is a 5.5-week-long Professional Military Education (PME) course for U.S. Air Force and Space Force Captains, Department of the Air Force Civilian (DAFC) equivalents and International Officers. It fulfills the U.S. Air Force's requirement for primary developmental education (PDE). SOS is based at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and the in-residence version of the course is taught there. SOS is an element of the Air University.
Lori Jean Robinson is a retired United States Air Force general who served as commander of the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) from May 2016 to May 2018. She was the first female officer in the history of the United States Armed Forces to command a major Unified Combatant Command.
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Air and Space Basic Course (ASBC), initially and briefly known as Aerospace Basic Course (ABC), was a Professional Military Education (PME) course taught by the Squadron Officer College, Air University, at Maxwell AFB, AL. From 1997 to mid-2011, it was the first level of PME for U.S. Air Force second lieutenants and was required regardless of commissioning source. Together, ASBC and Squadron Officer School comprised the Air Force's Basic Developmental Education (BDE) program. Each ASBC class had approximately 12 students and was taught by an Air Force Captain.
Howard Douglas Stendahl is the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force, promoted to Major General with an effective date of August 2, 2012. He was officially promoted and installed as the Air Force Chief of Chaplains at a ceremony held at Bolling Air Force Base on August 31, 2012.
Robin Rand is a retired United States Air Force general and former commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. He also concurrently served as the commander of Air Forces Strategic, United States Strategic Command, a command that provides combat-ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global strike operations in support of combatant commanders. Rand's post made him responsible for the United States' three intercontinental ballistic missile wings, the two B-52 wings, and the only B-2 wing with two B-1 wings and a weapon's storage complex to be added in FY16, approximately one-third of the nation's nuclear deterrent.
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Ferdinand B. Stoss III is a United States Air Force major general who most recently served as the director of plans and policy of the United States Strategic Command. Previously, he was the Commander of the Twentieth Air Force.