Caring for Future Leaders: Improving Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) Graduates' Transition to the Active Duty

Abstract

The United States Air Force (USAF) does not provide adequate guidance, personnel support, and processes to ensure a smooth transition for Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) graduates from cadet status to active duty. AFROTC students have two personnel challenges unique to their commissioning source. The first challenge stems from the fact that cadets serve in an Obligated Reserve status while students in the AFROTC Detachments (DETs), and therefore, do not receive the same level of personnel support as cadets in other commissioning sources. The second personnel challenge occurs post-graduation when newly commissioned AFROTC Second Lieutenants are in a transitory period serving in an Inactive Reserves Status. During this transition, they are neither actively managed by either the losing DET and their servicing Military Personnel Section (MPS), nor by their active duty gaining units until reaching their extended active duty (EAD) date when signing into their first assignment. These transitory issues are unique to AFROTC graduates and do not exist with the three other sister commissioning sources, to include the USAF Academy, Officer Training School (OTS), and Commissioned Officer Training School (COTS).Active duty Airmen do not experience the same challenges for permanent changes of station (PCSs). Therefore, this analysis identified prescriptive guidance and processes for active duty Airmen assignment activities that formed a baseline for comparison to the AFROTC transition to active duty service. The analysis revealed differences between the active duty and AFROTC, and recommends solutions to improve AFROTC graduates transitions to active duty service. These recommendations include changes to AFROTC curriculum, guidance, and automated systems/process recommendation to mirror existing active duty personnel systems and processes while maintaining required Obligated Reserve and Inactive Reserve status.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 15, 2012
Accession Number
AD1018614

Entities

People

  • Anthony Jr J. Ajello

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Administrative Personnel
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Air Force Personnel
  • Business Administration
  • Department Of Defense
  • Employment
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Families (Human)
  • Instructors
  • Military Personnel
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Reserve Officer Training Corps
  • Students
  • United States
  • War Colleges

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