Air Force Officer Training School
Officer Training School (OTS) is a United States Air Force commissioning program located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. It is the curent de facto officer candidate school (OCS) program for the U.S. Air Force, analogous to the OCS programs operated by the other branches of the U.S. armed forces.
OTS is a part of Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accession and Citizen Development, formerly the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS). Named for the late Major General Jeanne M. Holm, the Holm Center falls under Air University (AU), which, in turn, falls under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), an Air Force major command (MAJCOM). In addition to OTS, the Holm Center also has oversight responsibilities for the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) pre-commissioning program on U.S. colleges and universities, the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) citizen development program in U.S. high schools, and the entire Civil Air Patrol, both its senior member program as the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary and its citizen development cadet program (similar to the AFJROTC cadet program) via its HQ CAP-USAF activity. The current Commander of the Holm Center (Holm/CC) is Brigadier General Robert D. Thomas, and the current Commandant of OTS (OTS/CC) is Colonel Thomas C. Coglitore.
OTS is usually the second largest commissioning source in the USAF, producing fewer officers per year than AFROTC, but typically more than the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). Given its shorter lead time for officer production (14 weeks versus the typically 4-year pre-commissioning process for USAFA and AFROTC cadets), it is the commissioning source used to balance out USAF officer manning as deemed necessary by the Air Force.
OTS is divided into two subset programs. Basic Officer Training (BOT) is the more traditional 3-month pre-commissioning program for non-prior service college graduates, as well as active duty enlisted, Air Force Reserve enlisted, Air National Guard enlisted and former enlisted personnel with college degrees at the baccalaureate level degree or higher who wish to become Air Force officers. Commissioned Officer Training (COT) is a shorter program, primarily focused on terminal degreed professionals (i.e., doctors, lawyers, chaplains) directly accessed into the USAF officer ranks for specific staff corps programs.
Interested applicants for OTS typically contact Air Force recruiters. Recruiters will screen candidates, provide application details and schedule applicants for the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT). The AFOQT covers numerous test batteries assessing math, verbal, and analytical skills, as well as measuring pilot and navigator/combat systems officer potential for those applicants aspiring to be aeronautically rated officers. To have a reasonable chance at acceptance, either AFOQT scores, college GPA, or previous pilot skills (either as a civilian pilot and/or as a U.S. Army warrant officer/Army Aviator) must be noteworthy, although the selection process strives to employ a composite or "whole person" approach. Applicants will be given an opportunity to apply for Air Force career fields that correspond with the applicants' expertise and/or desires and will be interviewed by active Air Force officers as well as receieve a military medical examination for flying or non-flying duty as appropriate. Applicants will then be screened by a centralized, periodic, OTS Selection Board conducted by the Air Force Recruiting Service, a component of the Air Education and Training Command. Applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by their recruiter pending release of the board results. Selectees for OTS will subsequently enlist in the Air Force Reserve via the Delayed Enlistment Program and will be assigned an OTS class date. BOT is highly competitive, with recent boards (circa 2010 - 2012) having selection rates below twenty percent.
Read more about Air Force Officer Training School: Basic Officer Training, Commissioned Officer Training, Air National Guard Officer Training / Academy of Military Science, The History of OTS
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