The Officer Training School is a training program for non-commissioned officers and recent college graduates of the United States Air Force to acquire commissions as officers. The school is an equivalent to the Officer Candidate School of other services and is located in Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

Overview of Training

OTS consists of a twelve week training course that builds military leadership skills to prepare trainees to lead enlisted personnel. Areas of instruction include military customs and courtesies, military history, leadership, officership, field exercises, drill and marching, and small arms training.

One thing that sets OTS apart from enlisted basic training is that officer trainees are allowed to leave during their training. The first six weeks of training are extremely intense and are intended to weed out the trainees that either do not want to be there or do not belong there. During these six weeks a trainee is called an underclassman.

The final six weeks of training are easier, as the upperclassmen trainees take on the role of leaders and mentors for a new group of underclassmen. During the final weeks of training the trainees attend field exercises complete with living in a tent city, obstacle courses, small arms training, and building team skills by overcoming challenges in a simulated deployment environment.

Graduation

Upon graduation from OTS, the trainees are commissioned as second lieutenants. From here one may move to one's new duty station, attend the Air and Space Basic Course (ASBC), pilot training, or another form of job-related technical training.

External Links

OTS Home Page (http://ots.afoats.af.mil/)