Air University
Encyclopedia
The United States Air Force
Air University (AU) is a component of the United States Air Force
's Air Education and Training Command
, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base
, Alabama
. Air University is the U.S. Air Force's primary center for professional military education.
Air Force Research Institute
Carl A. Spaatz Center for Officer Education
Curtis E. LeMay
Center for Doctrine Development & Education
Education Logistics and Communications
Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development
Jeanne M. Holm
Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development
Thomas N. Barnes
Center for Enlisted Education
AFRI supplements the Air University and Air Force idea-generating capacity and supports air and space research inquiries from the Chief of Staff, as well as other top-level decision makers throughout DoD, and Defense Industry. The Air Force Research Institute enhances continuing studies, supports student research and conducts specialized research projects for the Air Staff and DoD to enhance national security and to provide relevant research for the United States Air Force. AFRI also partners with Allied International Military Air Chiefs on research projects.
Just as airpower revolutionized modern warfare, so is the Air Force Research Institute (AFRI) charged with revolutionizing our service through conducting independent research, outreach, and engagement to enhance national security and assure the effectiveness of the United States Air Force. Through the three pillars of research, outreach, and engagement, we seek to improve the combat capability of our service by engaging in intellectual discourse, and welcome opportunities for interaction and dialogue with individuals and organizations on subjects relating to the national security.
AFRI hosts the DoD's flagship Air & Space Power Journal on-line and in print. With over 800,000 hits per month, and with over 13,000 on line subscriptions, the Air & Space Power Journal remains the centerpiece for Air, Space and Cyberspace power dialog within/across the DoD. The Air & Space Power Journal is printed in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. In its legacy years the AFRI created and published the AU Review from 1947–1987, on a bimonthly basis. It was designed to serve as an open forum for presenting and stimulating innovative thinking on military doctrine, strategy, tactics, force structure, readiness, and other national defense matters. In 1987 the AU Review was renamed Airpower Journal, then Aerospace Power Journal, and currently the Air & Space Power Journal, since 2002. Currently located on the web at: http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/
AFRI publishes bi-weekly news and information site called The Wright Stuff. The Wright Stuff is intended to generate thoughtful discussion and debate regarding all aspects of national security by highlighting scholarly thought from across the Air Force and beyond. http://www.au.af.mil/au/aunews
AFRI also manages the Air University Press. The AU Press organization has existed for decades, designed primarily to help Air Force war fighters understand and apply air and space power in peacetime and conflict. Today, AU Press publications serve a wider audience that includes sister service personnel, national leaders and policy makers, academicians, military historians, and other analysts. AU Press publishes books, monographs, and occasional papers that are the results of unique research by AFRI researchers, military authors and civilian scholars. Currently located on the web at: http://aupress.maxwell.af.mil/
Additionally, AFRI is home for the Strategic Studies Quarterly (SSQ), an Air Force-sponsored Strategic Forum for Military, Government, and Academic Professionals. The SSQ critically examins and debates contemporary national defense and academic topics, such as, strategy, national security, international and defense policies and academic issues. It's the goal of SSQ to serve as a conduit to establish a conversation between members of the military, government and the academic community. Currently located on the web at: http://www.au.af.mil/au/ssq/
The Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy graduates more than 1,800 Air Force chief master sergeant
selectees, senior master sergeant
s, senior master sergeant selectees, and non-commissioned officers from other U.S. military services and the services of international U.S.-allied nations annually. It is located on Maxwell AFB's Gunter Annex.
The NCO Academies provide selected noncommissioned officers quality professional military education to develop their skills and responsibilities in the United States Air Force. The objective is for the student to gain an understanding of their positions in the military structure and the need to develop the skills necessary for effectiveness in those supervisory positions. Several NCO Academies operate worldwide on various Air Force installations.
on the basic concepts of modern air and space warfare and the essentials of military leadership. Squadron Officer college is composed of Squadron Officer School.
The Air and Space Basic Course
is a six-week program organized to teach second lieutenant
s and civilian equivalents the essential concepts of how the Air Force prosecutes air wars. In July 2009, the program incorporated combatives and deployment training. In July 2011, the course graduated its last class.
Squadron Officer School
(SOS) is designed to teach the essence of military leadership, air,space, and cyberspace doctrine, international security issues, and communication skills. Students at SOS have achieved the rank of captain.
Air Command and Staff College
(ACSC) is the Air Force's intermediate professional military education school, prepares field grade officer
s of all U.S. services (primarily USAF major
s), international officers and U.S. civilians to assume positions of higher responsibility within the military and other government arenas. The curriculum is geared toward teaching the skills necessary to conduct air and space operations in support of a joint campaign.
Air War College
(AWC) is the Air Force professional military education school. It educates selected senior officers of all U.S. services (primarily Air Force lieutenant colonels
), international officers and U.S. Department of Defense
civilians of grade GS-14/GM-14
to lead at the strategic level in the employment of air and space forces. The curriculum focuses on coalition warfighting and national security issues, with emphasis on the effective employment of aerospace forces in joint and combined combat operations.
The Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS) operates two of the four officer commissioning sources. These are the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) and the Air Force Officer Training School
.
Although they are USAF officer accession and training programs, the United States Air Force Academy
and the Air National Guard
's Academy of Military Science (AMS) do not fall under Air University. The Air Force Academy is a Direct Reporting Unit
(DRU), and the Superintendent of the Academy reports directly to the Air Force Chief of Staff
. Admission to and administration of the ANG Academy of Military Science is controlled by the National Guard Bureau.
Air University administers the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) program. This program provides citizenship training and air and space science education via a cadet program for high school
students.
Air University is the command echelon equivalent to a numbered air force for the Civil Air Patrol
(CAP), the official United States Air Force Auxiliary. CAP supports the nation through three missions: emergency services, aerospace education, and cadet programs for middle school
/junior high school and high school
students.
(CCAF) is the only degree-granting institution of higher learning in the world dedicated exclusively to enlisted personnel. CCAF offers educational opportunities for active duty, Air National Guard
and Air Force Reserve airmen and NCOs to earn a job-related, two-year undergraduate associate of applied science degree. CCAF also facilitates selected professional certification and recognition for airmen.
The Air Force Institute of Technology
(AFIT) supports the Air Force and national defense through responsive degree-granting graduate and professional continuing education, research and consulting services to Air Force and Department of Defense agencies. Graduate-level work offers selected Air Force members, Air Force civilians, and international officers the broad educational experience necessary for understanding the role of technology in national defense and in analyzing and solving defense-related problems.
The Air Force Doctrine Development and Education Center is a result of a merger between the College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education (CADRE) and the Air Force Doctrine Center.
The Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development provides continuing education and technical training to Air Force and other Department of Defense personnel and international officers, including resident and distance-learning courses for a variety of Air Force specialties.
The International Officer School conducts classes to enhance international officers' understanding of the United States and to prepare them to attend Air War College, Air Command and Staff College or Squadron Officer College.
operated a combat simulation facility in Florida
. Units and airfields were established throughout an 8000 square miles (20,719.9 km²) area of north central Florida designated a mock "war theater" stretching roughly from Tampa
to Titusville
to Starke
to Apalachicola
in which war games were conducted.
established the first U.S. civilian flying school in Montgomery, Alabama
in 1910. By the 1920s, Montgomery became an important link in the growing system of aerial mail service. It was in the early 1930s when the Army Air Corps Tactical School moved to Maxwell Field
and Montgomery became the country's intellectual center for airpower education.
Air University (AU), established in 1946, continues the proud tradition of educating tomorrow's planners and leaders, in air and space power for the Air Force, other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, federal government civilians and many international organizations. Today, AU has a reach worldwide affecting the careers of every Air Force member.
. To reflect its primary mission of preparing senior officers for higher Air Service duty, the Air Service redesignated the Air Service School as the Air Service Field Officers' School.
Following the decision to let all Air Service officers attend the institution in 1922, the Air Service redesignated the Air Service Field Officers' School as the Air Service Tactical School. In conjunction with the 1926 redesignation of the Army Air Service as the Army Air Corps
, the Air Service Tactical School became the Air Corps Tactical School. To take advantage of the propitious climate and facilities expansion potential, the Army Air Corps began moving the Air Corps Tactical School from Langley Field in Virginia in 1931 to Maxwell Field
, Alabama
.
To partially fill the educational void left by the discontinuance of the Tactical School and to correct the growing shortage of experienced Air Corps officers, the Air Corps authorized the establishment of the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics on 9 Oct 42. The Army Air Forces activated the AAF School of Applied Tactics at Orlando Army Air Base, Florida
, with the mission to train "selected officers" under simulated combat conditions. Based on lessons learned in the combat theaters and the school's actual operational experiences, the AAF established the AAF Tactical Center with the AAF School of Applied Tactics as a subordinate unit. Due to a major reorganization of the Tactical Center and a change in the types of courses conducted by the institution, the Army Air Forces redesignated the AAF School of Applied Tactics as the AAF School on 1 Jun 45.
In the first conclave of its kind since the end of World War II, the AAF Educational Conference ended after a three-day meeting on 20 Feb 1945 to discuss the post-war AAF educational structure.
The Army Air Forces began the first instructor training course in March 1946 for preparing instructors to teach at the post-war AAF educational institutions.
HQ AAF redesignated the Army Air Forces School as Air University (AU) on 12 March 1946 and established the Air War College, Air Command and Staff School, and Air Tactical School as its subordinate units. The AU commander organized the Air University Board of Visitors, composed of senior educators and university administrators, to meet regularly and advise him on educational matters.
Air University became operational on 1 April 1946 when the AAF transferred the School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Field, Texas, from Air Training Command to Air University. To take advantage of existing facilities, Air University transferred the Air Tactical School from Maxwell Field to Tyndall Field, Florida on 21 May 1946. Major General Orvil A. Anderson was appointed the first commandant of the Air War College, the senior school in the three-tiered AAF officer professional military education (PME) system.
Assuming responsibilities comparable to those of the Army and Navy advisers on the HQ AU staff, the Royal Air Force liaison officer became a part of the HQ AU staff on 1 June 1946. Members of the Air University Board of Visitors concluded their first meeting. With such dignitaries as Gen Carl Spaatz, Commanding General of the Army Air Forces; Air Marshall Hugh P. Lloyd, Royal Air Force; and the class members of the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff School participating, Air University was officially dedicated during a ceremony at Maxwell Field.
Classes began at the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff School on 4 September 1946, fulfilling the "dream for education in airpower" of most post-war AAF leaders and planners. The Air Tactical School, the Junior officer PME program of the AU educational system, began classes at Tyndall in January 1947. Later that year, the Royal Canadian Air Force sent its first group of students to the two-week indoctrination course at Maxwell. With Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson as the guest speaker, the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff School conducted a combined graduation ceremony. for 185 senior and field grade officers.
As a result of the National Security Act of 1947, the United States Air Force became a separate and independent branch of the US military on 18 September. In keeping with the Air Force's new status, HQ USAF redesignated Maxwell Field as Maxwell Air Force Base on 13 January 1948.
On 12 July 1949, HQ USAF established the Air University Human Resources Research Institute. It was one of three USAF field agencies created to conduct research on the human factor in Air Force planning and operations. Air University established the 3894th AU School Squadron to provide administrative support to Air Force instructors and students at the various service schools operated by the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. With a mission to "preserve for those who come after us an accurate and objective account of our present experience", the USAF Historical Division relocated from Washington, D.C., in September 1949 to Maxwell and became a part of the Air University Library.
's inaugural Space Achievement award in 1995
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Air University (AU) is a component of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
's Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command
Air Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Air University is the U.S. Air Force's primary center for professional military education.
Organization
Air Force Institute of TechnologyAir Force Research Institute
Carl A. Spaatz Center for Officer Education
- Air War CollegeAir War CollegeThe Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
- Air Force Fellows
- School of Advanced Air and Space Studies
- Air Command and Staff CollegeAir Command and Staff CollegeThe Air Command and Staff College is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate professional military education school. It prepares field grade and equivalent officers of all U.S...
- Squadron Officer College
- Air and Space Basic CourseAir and Space Basic CourseAir and Space Basic Course is a Professional Military Education course taught by the Squadron Officer College, Air University, at Maxwell AFB, AL. It is the first level of PME for U.S. Air Force second lieutenants and is required regardless of commissioning source...
- Squadron Officer SchoolSquadron Officer SchoolSquadron Officer School , is a five-week long Professional Military Education course for U.S. Air Force Captains. It fulfills the U.S. Air Force's requirement for primary developmental education . SOS is based at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and the in-residence version of the course is taught there...
- Air and Space Basic Course
- International Officers School
Curtis E. LeMay
Curtis LeMay
Curtis Emerson LeMay was a general in the United States Air Force and the vice presidential running mate of American Independent Party candidate George Wallace in 1968....
Center for Doctrine Development & Education
Education Logistics and Communications
Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development
- Commanders School
- Air Force Chaplain Service Institute
- Air Force Human Resource Management School
- Defense Financial Management & Comptroller School
Jeanne M. Holm
Jeanne M. Holm
Major General Jeanne M. Holm was the first female one-star general of the United States Air Force and the first female two-star general in any service branch of the United States. Holm was a driving force behind the expansion of women's roles in the Air Force.-Early career:Holm was born on June...
Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development
- Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps
- Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp
- Officer Training School
- Civil Air PatrolCivil Air PatrolCivil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
Thomas N. Barnes
Thomas N. Barnes
Thomas N. Barnes, CMSgt USAF was the fourth Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force and the first and to date only African-American in that position. He was also the first African-American Senior Enlisted Advisor in any of the Armed Forces of the United States...
Center for Enlisted Education
- Airman Leadership School
- Air Force Enlisted Heritage Research Institute
- Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy
- Correspondence Courses
- Community College of the Air ForceCommunity College of the Air ForceThe Community College of the Air Force is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force which grants two year Associate of Applied Science degrees in association with Air University....
- USAF First Sergeant Academy
Air Force Research Institute
The mission of the Air Force Research Institute is "To conduct independent research, outreach and engagement that contribute ideas for enhancing national security and assuring the continuing effectiveness of the United States Air Force."AFRI supplements the Air University and Air Force idea-generating capacity and supports air and space research inquiries from the Chief of Staff, as well as other top-level decision makers throughout DoD, and Defense Industry. The Air Force Research Institute enhances continuing studies, supports student research and conducts specialized research projects for the Air Staff and DoD to enhance national security and to provide relevant research for the United States Air Force. AFRI also partners with Allied International Military Air Chiefs on research projects.
Just as airpower revolutionized modern warfare, so is the Air Force Research Institute (AFRI) charged with revolutionizing our service through conducting independent research, outreach, and engagement to enhance national security and assure the effectiveness of the United States Air Force. Through the three pillars of research, outreach, and engagement, we seek to improve the combat capability of our service by engaging in intellectual discourse, and welcome opportunities for interaction and dialogue with individuals and organizations on subjects relating to the national security.
AFRI hosts the DoD's flagship Air & Space Power Journal on-line and in print. With over 800,000 hits per month, and with over 13,000 on line subscriptions, the Air & Space Power Journal remains the centerpiece for Air, Space and Cyberspace power dialog within/across the DoD. The Air & Space Power Journal is printed in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. In its legacy years the AFRI created and published the AU Review from 1947–1987, on a bimonthly basis. It was designed to serve as an open forum for presenting and stimulating innovative thinking on military doctrine, strategy, tactics, force structure, readiness, and other national defense matters. In 1987 the AU Review was renamed Airpower Journal, then Aerospace Power Journal, and currently the Air & Space Power Journal, since 2002. Currently located on the web at: http://www.airpower.au.af.mil/
AFRI publishes bi-weekly news and information site called The Wright Stuff. The Wright Stuff is intended to generate thoughtful discussion and debate regarding all aspects of national security by highlighting scholarly thought from across the Air Force and beyond. http://www.au.af.mil/au/aunews
AFRI also manages the Air University Press. The AU Press organization has existed for decades, designed primarily to help Air Force war fighters understand and apply air and space power in peacetime and conflict. Today, AU Press publications serve a wider audience that includes sister service personnel, national leaders and policy makers, academicians, military historians, and other analysts. AU Press publishes books, monographs, and occasional papers that are the results of unique research by AFRI researchers, military authors and civilian scholars. Currently located on the web at: http://aupress.maxwell.af.mil/
Additionally, AFRI is home for the Strategic Studies Quarterly (SSQ), an Air Force-sponsored Strategic Forum for Military, Government, and Academic Professionals. The SSQ critically examins and debates contemporary national defense and academic topics, such as, strategy, national security, international and defense policies and academic issues. It's the goal of SSQ to serve as a conduit to establish a conversation between members of the military, government and the academic community. Currently located on the web at: http://www.au.af.mil/au/ssq/
Enlisted Professional Military Education
The Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (formerly the College for Enlisted Professional Military Education) is responsible for the instructional programs and faculty development for all Air Force enlisted professional military education programs. This includes the Airman Leadership Schools, Noncommissioned Officer Academies and the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy.The Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy graduates more than 1,800 Air Force chief master sergeant
Chief Master Sergeant
CMSgt ChevronChief Master Sergeant is the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Master Sergeant, and is a senior non-commissioned officer. The official term of address is "Chief Master Sergeant" or "Chief".Attaining the rank of Chief Master Sergeant is the...
selectees, senior master sergeant
Senior Master Sergeant
Senior Master Sergeant is the eighth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Master Sergeant and below Chief Master Sergeant and is a senior non-commissioned officer ....
s, senior master sergeant selectees, and non-commissioned officers from other U.S. military services and the services of international U.S.-allied nations annually. It is located on Maxwell AFB's Gunter Annex.
The NCO Academies provide selected noncommissioned officers quality professional military education to develop their skills and responsibilities in the United States Air Force. The objective is for the student to gain an understanding of their positions in the military structure and the need to develop the skills necessary for effectiveness in those supervisory positions. Several NCO Academies operate worldwide on various Air Force installations.
Officer Professional Military Education
The Squadron Officer College is designed to educate company grade officersCompany-grade officer
In US military usage, a company-grade officer is a Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, or Captain.In the Army, company-grade officers are typically assigned to a company as a platoon leader or executive officer or as a commander . They may also be assigned as staff officers. They may preside...
on the basic concepts of modern air and space warfare and the essentials of military leadership. Squadron Officer college is composed of Squadron Officer School.
The Air and Space Basic Course
Air and Space Basic Course
Air and Space Basic Course is a Professional Military Education course taught by the Squadron Officer College, Air University, at Maxwell AFB, AL. It is the first level of PME for U.S. Air Force second lieutenants and is required regardless of commissioning source...
is a six-week program organized to teach second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
s and civilian equivalents the essential concepts of how the Air Force prosecutes air wars. In July 2009, the program incorporated combatives and deployment training. In July 2011, the course graduated its last class.
Squadron Officer School
Squadron Officer School
Squadron Officer School , is a five-week long Professional Military Education course for U.S. Air Force Captains. It fulfills the U.S. Air Force's requirement for primary developmental education . SOS is based at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and the in-residence version of the course is taught there...
(SOS) is designed to teach the essence of military leadership, air,space, and cyberspace doctrine, international security issues, and communication skills. Students at SOS have achieved the rank of captain.
Air Command and Staff College
Air Command and Staff College
The Air Command and Staff College is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate professional military education school. It prepares field grade and equivalent officers of all U.S...
(ACSC) is the Air Force's intermediate professional military education school, prepares field grade officer
Field officer
A field officer is an army, marine, or air force commissioned officer senior in rank to a company officer but junior to a general officer; in some navies, it is an officer who is a Lieutenant Commander, Commander, or Captain....
s of all U.S. services (primarily USAF major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
s), international officers and U.S. civilians to assume positions of higher responsibility within the military and other government arenas. The curriculum is geared toward teaching the skills necessary to conduct air and space operations in support of a joint campaign.
Air War College
Air War College
The Air War College is a part of the United States Air Force's Air University, headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Air University's higher headquarters is Air Education and Training Command headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The Air War...
(AWC) is the Air Force professional military education school. It educates selected senior officers of all U.S. services (primarily Air Force lieutenant colonels
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
), international officers and U.S. Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
civilians of grade GS-14/GM-14
General Schedule
The General Schedule is the predominant pay scale within the United States civil service. The GS includes the majority of white collar personnel positions...
to lead at the strategic level in the employment of air and space forces. The curriculum focuses on coalition warfighting and national security issues, with emphasis on the effective employment of aerospace forces in joint and combined combat operations.
Officer Accessions
Air Force Officer Training School
Officer Training School is a United States Air Force commissioning program held at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. It is the Officer Candidate School for the U.S. Air Force, analogous to the OCSes operated by the other branches of the U.S. Military. It is a part of Jeanne M...
.
Although they are USAF officer accession and training programs, the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
and the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
's Academy of Military Science (AMS) do not fall under Air University. The Air Force Academy is a Direct Reporting Unit
Direct Reporting Unit
A Direct Reporting Unit is an agency of the United States Department of the Air Force that is outside the bounds of the standard organizational hierarchy by being exclusively and uniquely under the control of Air Force headquarters alone, rather than reporting through a Major Command...
(DRU), and the Superintendent of the Academy reports directly to the Air Force Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
The Chief of Staff of the Air Force is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Air Force, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the...
. Admission to and administration of the ANG Academy of Military Science is controlled by the National Guard Bureau.
Citizenship education
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students.
Air University is the command echelon equivalent to a numbered air force for the Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
(CAP), the official United States Air Force Auxiliary. CAP supports the nation through three missions: emergency services, aerospace education, and cadet programs for middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
/junior high school and high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students.
Academic education
The Community College of the Air ForceCommunity College of the Air Force
The Community College of the Air Force is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force which grants two year Associate of Applied Science degrees in association with Air University....
(CCAF) is the only degree-granting institution of higher learning in the world dedicated exclusively to enlisted personnel. CCAF offers educational opportunities for active duty, Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
and Air Force Reserve airmen and NCOs to earn a job-related, two-year undergraduate associate of applied science degree. CCAF also facilitates selected professional certification and recognition for airmen.
- Possession of a CCAF degree has in recent years become a de facto mandatory requirement for promotion to Senior Master SergeantSenior Master SergeantSenior Master Sergeant is the eighth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Master Sergeant and below Chief Master Sergeant and is a senior non-commissioned officer ....
and higher, regardless of whether or not the candidate has a civilian degree such as a baccalaureate. This de facto status is now official: starting with the 2007 promotion cycle, promotion candidates cannot receive critical endorsements on performance reports without having first received an Associates Degree from CCAF.
Air Force Institute of Technology
The Air Force Institute of Technology is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education that is part of the United States Air Force. It is located on Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT has been...
(AFIT) supports the Air Force and national defense through responsive degree-granting graduate and professional continuing education, research and consulting services to Air Force and Department of Defense agencies. Graduate-level work offers selected Air Force members, Air Force civilians, and international officers the broad educational experience necessary for understanding the role of technology in national defense and in analyzing and solving defense-related problems.
Professional continuing education
The Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development provides continuing education and technical training to Air Force and other Department of Defense personnel and international officers, including resident and distance-learning courses for a variety of Air Force specialties.
The International Officer School conducts classes to enhance international officers' understanding of the United States and to prepare them to attend Air War College, Air Command and Staff College or Squadron Officer College.
Advanced Professional Military Education
The School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS) is the US Air Force graduate school for airpower, space power and cyber power strategists. A highly qualified and motivated faculty, a small and very carefully selected student body, a coherent and challenging curriculum, an outstanding educational and research resources, and a well-designed facility combine to produce tomorrow's senior military leaders who are experts in the employment of air, space and cyberspace forces. SAASS is a follow-on school for selected graduates of intermediate-level professional military education schools. The focus of SAASS is to educate officers in the art and science of air, space and cyberspace warfare to enhance the Air Force's capacity to defend the United States through the control and exploitation of air and space.Lineage
- Authorized as the Air Service School by the War Department on February 25, 1920, and established that same year, exact date unknown
- Redesignated: Air Service Field Officers' School on February 10, 1921
- Redesignated: Air Service Tactical School on November 8, 1922
- Redesignated: Air Corps Tactical School on August 18, 1926
- Discontinued on October 9, 1942
- Established as: Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics, 16 Oct 1943
- History and insignia of Air Corps Tactical School bestowed upon activation.
- Redesignated as: Army Air Forces School on June 1, 1945
- Established as Major Command: 29 November 1945
- Redesignated as: Air University on March 12, 1946
- Reassigned to Air Training CommandAir Training CommandAir Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
on 15 May 1978, losing major command status - Returned to major command status effective 1 July 1983
- Changed from a major command of the United States Air Force to a subordinate organization of Air Education and Training CommandAir Education and Training CommandAir Education and Training Command was established July 1, 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force....
on 1 July 1993.
Stations
- Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, 25 Feb 1920 - Maxwell FieldMaxwell FieldMaxwell Field was the football stadium located behind the former location of Louisville Male High School, 911 S. Brook St., Louisville, Kentucky, 40203 which was bounded by the streets of Brook, Breckinridge, Floyd, and Caldwell streets in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1984 a double murder known locally...
, AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, 15 Jul 1931-9 Oct 1942 - Orlando Army Air Base, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 16 Oct 1943 - Maxwell Field (later AFB), AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, 29 Nov 1945–Present
Components
During 1943-1945 the Army Air Force School of Applied TacticsArmy Air Force School of Applied Tactics
The Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics was a military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II...
operated a combat simulation facility in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Units and airfields were established throughout an 8000 square miles (20,719.9 km²) area of north central Florida designated a mock "war theater" stretching roughly from Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
to Titusville
Titusville, Florida
Titusville is a city in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is the county seat of Brevard County. Nicknamed Space City, USA, Titusville is on the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore...
to Starke
Starke, Florida
Starke is a city in Bradford County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,593 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 5,769 ....
to Apalachicola
Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida, on US 98 about southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340...
in which war games were conducted.
Operations
The Wright BrothersWright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
established the first U.S. civilian flying school in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
in 1910. By the 1920s, Montgomery became an important link in the growing system of aerial mail service. It was in the early 1930s when the Army Air Corps Tactical School moved to Maxwell Field
Maxwell Field
Maxwell Field was the football stadium located behind the former location of Louisville Male High School, 911 S. Brook St., Louisville, Kentucky, 40203 which was bounded by the streets of Brook, Breckinridge, Floyd, and Caldwell streets in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1984 a double murder known locally...
and Montgomery became the country's intellectual center for airpower education.
Air University (AU), established in 1946, continues the proud tradition of educating tomorrow's planners and leaders, in air and space power for the Air Force, other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, federal government civilians and many international organizations. Today, AU has a reach worldwide affecting the careers of every Air Force member.
Origins
As a result of the US Army Reorganization Act of 1920, the Air Service authorized the establishment of an Air Service School on 10 FebRuary 1921 at Langley Field, VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. To reflect its primary mission of preparing senior officers for higher Air Service duty, the Air Service redesignated the Air Service School as the Air Service Field Officers' School.
Following the decision to let all Air Service officers attend the institution in 1922, the Air Service redesignated the Air Service Field Officers' School as the Air Service Tactical School. In conjunction with the 1926 redesignation of the Army Air Service as the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
, the Air Service Tactical School became the Air Corps Tactical School. To take advantage of the propitious climate and facilities expansion potential, the Army Air Corps began moving the Air Corps Tactical School from Langley Field in Virginia in 1931 to Maxwell Field
Maxwell Field
Maxwell Field was the football stadium located behind the former location of Louisville Male High School, 911 S. Brook St., Louisville, Kentucky, 40203 which was bounded by the streets of Brook, Breckinridge, Floyd, and Caldwell streets in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1984 a double murder known locally...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
World War II
Because of the wartime need for officers of the caliber of those attending the Maxwell institution, in May 1941 the Army Air Corps suspended instruction at the tactical school and reduced its faculty and staff to seven officers. Anticipating the institution's eventual reopening, the Army Air Corps moved the skeletonized Air Corps Tactical School to Washington, D.C., and placed it under the Directorate of Individual Training. In spite of the institution's successful efforts in developing Air Corps planners and leaders, the Air Corps discontinued the Air Corps Tactical School on 9 October 1942 with the intention of reopening it after the war.To partially fill the educational void left by the discontinuance of the Tactical School and to correct the growing shortage of experienced Air Corps officers, the Air Corps authorized the establishment of the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics on 9 Oct 42. The Army Air Forces activated the AAF School of Applied Tactics at Orlando Army Air Base, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, with the mission to train "selected officers" under simulated combat conditions. Based on lessons learned in the combat theaters and the school's actual operational experiences, the AAF established the AAF Tactical Center with the AAF School of Applied Tactics as a subordinate unit. Due to a major reorganization of the Tactical Center and a change in the types of courses conducted by the institution, the Army Air Forces redesignated the AAF School of Applied Tactics as the AAF School on 1 Jun 45.
Postwar era
In preparation for its post-war educational operations, the Army, Air Forces transferred the AAF School from Orlando to Maxwell Field, Alabama on 29 November 1945 and assigned it directly to the AAF as a major command.In the first conclave of its kind since the end of World War II, the AAF Educational Conference ended after a three-day meeting on 20 Feb 1945 to discuss the post-war AAF educational structure.
The Army Air Forces began the first instructor training course in March 1946 for preparing instructors to teach at the post-war AAF educational institutions.
HQ AAF redesignated the Army Air Forces School as Air University (AU) on 12 March 1946 and established the Air War College, Air Command and Staff School, and Air Tactical School as its subordinate units. The AU commander organized the Air University Board of Visitors, composed of senior educators and university administrators, to meet regularly and advise him on educational matters.
Air University became operational on 1 April 1946 when the AAF transferred the School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Field, Texas, from Air Training Command to Air University. To take advantage of existing facilities, Air University transferred the Air Tactical School from Maxwell Field to Tyndall Field, Florida on 21 May 1946. Major General Orvil A. Anderson was appointed the first commandant of the Air War College, the senior school in the three-tiered AAF officer professional military education (PME) system.
Assuming responsibilities comparable to those of the Army and Navy advisers on the HQ AU staff, the Royal Air Force liaison officer became a part of the HQ AU staff on 1 June 1946. Members of the Air University Board of Visitors concluded their first meeting. With such dignitaries as Gen Carl Spaatz, Commanding General of the Army Air Forces; Air Marshall Hugh P. Lloyd, Royal Air Force; and the class members of the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff School participating, Air University was officially dedicated during a ceremony at Maxwell Field.
Classes began at the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff School on 4 September 1946, fulfilling the "dream for education in airpower" of most post-war AAF leaders and planners. The Air Tactical School, the Junior officer PME program of the AU educational system, began classes at Tyndall in January 1947. Later that year, the Royal Canadian Air Force sent its first group of students to the two-week indoctrination course at Maxwell. With Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson as the guest speaker, the Air War College and the Air Command and Staff School conducted a combined graduation ceremony. for 185 senior and field grade officers.
As a result of the National Security Act of 1947, the United States Air Force became a separate and independent branch of the US military on 18 September. In keeping with the Air Force's new status, HQ USAF redesignated Maxwell Field as Maxwell Air Force Base on 13 January 1948.
On 12 July 1949, HQ USAF established the Air University Human Resources Research Institute. It was one of three USAF field agencies created to conduct research on the human factor in Air Force planning and operations. Air University established the 3894th AU School Squadron to provide administrative support to Air Force instructors and students at the various service schools operated by the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. With a mission to "preserve for those who come after us an accurate and objective account of our present experience", the USAF Historical Division relocated from Washington, D.C., in September 1949 to Maxwell and became a part of the Air University Library.
Recognition
Air University was awarded the Space FoundationSpace Foundation
The Space Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the global space industry through information and education programs. It is a resource for the entire space community - industry, national security organizations, civil space agencies, private space companies and the military around the...
's inaugural Space Achievement award in 1995