What is the Officer Development System?
All cadets go through a four-year developmental process, called the Officer Development System (ODS), where each class receives training commensurate with their level of cadet experience. The training is tough, and during your first year at the U.S. Air Force Academy your free time will be very limited. It is designed for a definite purpose: to teach you to accomplish delegated tasks in a professional and proficient manner, thus paving the way for progression to becoming an upper-class cadet and ultimately becoming an officer of character. Cadets develop leadership and command skills throughout their four years at the U.S. Air Force Academy, and as they progress, they take on more responsibility. As cadets take on more responsibilities, they also have fewer restrictions on how they spend their free time. Likewise, during the spring semester of your fourth-class year, there is some relaxation of the restrictions in order to prepare you for greater privileges and different responsibilities in the third-class year.