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| U.S. Air Force Fact SheetAIR UNIVERSITYAir University, a major command direct reporting unit with headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., is a major component of Air Education and Training Command, and is the Air Force's center for professional military education. **Mission**Air University provides the full spectrum of Air Force education, from pre-commissioning to the highest levels of professional military education, including degree granting and professional continuing education for officers, enlisted and civilian personnel throughout their careers. The university's PME programs educate airmen on the capabilities of air and space power and its role in national security. These programs focus on the knowledge and abilities needed to develop, employ, command, and support air and space power at the highest levels. Specialized professional continuing educational programs provide scientific, technological, managerial and other professional expertise to meet the needs of the Air Force. Air University conducts research in air and space power, education, leadership and management. The university also provides citizenship programs and contributes to the development and testing of Air Force doctrine, concepts and strategy. **Personnel and Resources**The university's primary operating locations are concentrated on three main installations. Most AU programs are at Maxwell AFB in northwest Montgomery, Ala.; some are across town at Maxwell's Gunter Annex; and one is located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Although AU draws students from throughout the Department of Defense and from the military forces of other nations, its mission is more easily described in terms of the two main groups it's primarily organized to serve: U.S. Air Force commissioned officers and enlisted members. For each group, educational opportunities begin before they enter active service and follow them throughout their careers. **Organizational Structure**Air University institutions at Maxwell include Air War College; Air Command and Staff College; Squadron Officer College; College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education; Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development; School for Advanced Air and Space Studies; Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools; Community College of the Air Force; and several other support organizations. AU also supports the Civil Air Patrol. Additionally, at Gunter Annex, AU manages the College for Enlisted Professional Military Education, which includes the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy and the Air Force Institute for Advanced Distributed Learning. Support for Air University organizations on Maxwell/Gunter is provided by 42nd Air Base Wing, the host organization. Another important part of AU is the Air Force Institute of Technology located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. **Officer Production Programs**Reserve Officer Training Corps Air Force ROTC is the largest source of commissioned officers for the Air Force. The organization's mission is to produce Air Force leaders and to build better citizens for America. Officer Training School Officer Training School is the "flexible partner" of Air Force commissioning programs. OTS provides two officer-training programs: Basic Officer Training and Commissioned Officer Training. **Professional Military Education**Squadron Officer College Professional education at Air University for company grade officers (lieutenants and captains) spans roughly the first 10 years of these officers' careers. Air University's Squadron Officer College includes two resident schools and one wing-level program: Air and Space Basic Course, Squadron Officer Course (taught at the wing level), and Squadron Officer School. Air and Space Basic Course ASBC is the new first course in officer PME. For newly commissioned lieutenants and selected civilians, the four-week class includes modules of study ranging from core competencies and aerospace power employment to operations planning. The course is designed for students to comprehend their role as airmen: Emphasis on teamwork and how all the career fields work together to create aerospace power as well as how the Air Force as a service fits with the country's other armed forces. The highlight of the course is a four-day wargame where students are thrust into decision-making positions, splitting their time between a wing operations center and a joint air operations center. This exercise demonstrates to students the teamwork required to successfully plan a joint aerospace campaign. First tested in 1998, ASBC began running regular classes in 1999, with about 1,000 students attending courses that year. About 750 more are expected to attend in 2000. By 2002, the Air Force anticipates that nearly all new Air Force line officers and selected civilians will attend the course. Squadron Officer School The mission of SOS, the second officer PME course, is to develop dynamic leaders rededicated to the profession of arms. For captains with 4-7 years experience, this five-week course is taught seven times per year, with about 520 students per class. Each class includes civilian students, and selected classes throughout the year include international students. Curriculum emphasis is on officer application, leadership tools, and air and space power. SOS presents these areas concurrently, rather than sequentially, to emphasize their close interrelationship. Readings, lectures, seminars and field exercises support each other to provide in-depth coverage. Together these areas help officers improve professionally so they can apply their knowledge as warrior-leaders to accomplish their mission. Air Command and Staff College Air Command and Staff College, the next level of officer PME, challenges students to think seriously about war and prepares them to create innovative solutions to operational problems. ACSC uses a combination of traditional and innovative teaching techniques and the latest educational technology to accomplish its mission. The college educates 600 resident and more than 7,000 nonresident mid-career officers and Department of Defense civilians annually. ACSC's 40-week curriculum focuses on educating students on the profession of arms, the history of air power, international security studies, the requisites of command, the nature of war, and the application of air and space power at the operational level of war. The college prepares officers to think critically and communicate effectively. The curriculum emphasizes warfare and campaign planning at the operational and strategic levels, and is composed of nine major courses of study (as well as research or elective programs) focused on the application of military power in the third dimension. Air War College Air War College is the senior school in the Air Force professional military education system. It educates selected senior officers 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. With more than 260 participants, officers from all branches of the armed forces, international officers, and civilians of equivalent rank from U.S. government agencies, the 44-week class schedule includes seminars, simulation exercises, electives, international travel and more. Special activities throughout the year complement the learning process. Of particular note is the annual National Security Forum; a one week long symposium that brings students into contact with business, civic and professional leaders from throughout the U.S. to discuss issues affecting national security. The forum is a highlight and the culmination of the 10-month in-residence Air War College course of study. Additionally, AWC provides the only open enrollment nonresident senior PME program in the Department of Defense. The nonresident program provides top-level PME to eligible senior officers and civilians unable to attend AWC in residence and contains the essence of the residence program. College for Enlisted Professional Military Education The College for Enlisted Professional Military Education at Gunter 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 (AFSNCOA). CEPME's mission is to prepare the Air Force's enlisted corps for increased leadership responsibilities. The college provides curriculum, training, guidance and leadership for these programs. U.S. Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy The Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy (AFSNCOA) conducts five 30-academic day resident classes. Each year the academy graduates more than 1,800 chief master sergeant selects, senior master sergeants, selected master sergeants, and sister service and international senior NCOs. The AFSNCOA is the capstone of enlisted PME. The curriculum consists of three areas - leadership and management, communication skills and profession of arms. **Academic Education**Community College of the Air Force The Community College of the Air Force is the only degree-granting institution of higher learning in the world dedicated exclusively to enlisted people. CCAF offers a unique opportunity for motivated, career-oriented airmen and NCOs to earn a job-related, two-year undergraduate degree. Open to active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members, the college awards Associate in Applied Science degrees. The curriculum is designed to fuse technical and professional military education with off-duty education at civilian institutions. This careful mix of education from diverse sources equips graduates with information and mental tools needed for enhanced performance within their Air Force specialties. The Community College of the Air Force is America's largest community, junior or technical college. The college has awarded more than 193,931 associate in applied science degrees since it first opened in 1972. CCAF is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Air Force Institute of Technology Meeting the Air Force's graduate education needs is the Air Force Institute of Technology, or AFIT, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. AFIT grants masters and doctoral degrees at its two resident graduate schools and supervises students enrolled in its civilian institutions program. AFIT's Graduate School of Engineering is among the nation's top engineering schools and provides advanced education and research focused on aerospace technology. AFIT's Graduate School of Logistics and Acquisition Management provides officers the advanced expertise they need to manage the life cycles of complex weapons systems. AFIT's Civilian Institutions Program places students in more than 400 civilian universities, research centers, hospitals, and industrial organizations throughout the United States and in several other countries. Through its two resident schools and the Civilian Institutions Program, AFIT graduates about 800 degree students annually. AFIT also has two resident schools dedicated to short, specialized courses in professional continuing education, and to provide expert consultation services to Air Force commanders and their staffs. The Civil Engineer and Services School provides engineering, environmental, services and management courses to customers throughout DOD and other federal agencies. The School of Systems and Logistics was instrumental in creating the Air Technology Network, where students learn in a classroom without walls. By providing courses via satellite, many more people have access to AFIT's courses without compromising learning, yet still providing a significant cost saving for customers. Building on AFIT's success, distance learning is expanding across Air University. In all, well over 30,000 students graduate from these continuing education programs each year. **Continuing Professional Education**Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development The Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development, provides world-class professional continuing education and technical training to Air Force and other DOD personnel, as well as international officers. It offers 72 resident courses and 26 distance-learning courses - which vary in length from three days to nine weeks - for chaplains; chaplain assistants; wing, group and on-scene commanders; military and civilian personnel and manpower managers; comptrollers; Family Support Center personnel; international officers; judge advocates; paralegals; first sergeants and historians. College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education In addition to a Contingency Wartime Planning Course and a Joint Doctrine Air Campaign Course, CADRE conducts both a Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course (twice a year) Combined Force Air Component Commander Course (once a year), Senior Information Warfare Applications Course (three times a year) and a Joint Force Air Component Commanders Course. These courses prepare flag officers from all military services for leadership positions in the joint war fighting environment. The Aerospace Power Course, available on CD-ROM, targets officers in grades captain through colonel and provides doctrinal education for Air Force officers selected for joint duty. CADRE is also responsible for doctrine research and education. Its doctrine analysts examine both existing and proposed concepts and strategies and deliver the results directly to the Air Force Doctrine Center. Also, CADRE's Air Force Wargaming Institute conducts numerous games each year to enhance the war fighting skills of both U.S. and international military officers. Competing demands for war gaming support make the Air Force Wargaming Institute a highly visible entity throughout DOD. Also a part of the College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education, the Airpower Research Institute advances the theory of the application of aerospace power through research, analysis, advocacy and publication. Although engaged in diverse research and publication programs, members of the institute focus primarily on contributing to improved combat capability for the Air Force. **Other AU Organizations -- Academic Support Services**Part of the Academic Office, Academic Instructor School -- the teachers' college of the Air Force --uses state-of-the-art educational skills and technologies to prepare Air Force personnel to teach in diverse educational environments. The school uses a curriculum based on a developmental theory of learning that emphasizes the planning, delivering and evaluating of instruction. The school places major emphasis on the development of instructional competencies but spends significant time exploring student characteristics, learning styles, educational theory, attitudinal development and instructional design. Created and assigned to Air University in 2000, the Air Force Institute for Advanced Distributed Learning is the Air Force focal point for implementation of distance-learning policy and emerging distance-learning technology. The institute seeks to establish distance learning as an integral part of the Air Force education and training system and to increase learning opportunities for America's aerospace force. The Institute also manages programs historically administered by the Air Force Distance Learning Office and the Extension Course Institute. It is the administrative entity and distribution center for distance-learning courses offered by the university's professional military education and professional continuing education programs. The institute supports formal training and educational programs of the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. It also provides career-broadening courses from more than two dozen schools and programs and most Air Force specialty codes to people throughout the DOD and to Civil Service employees in all federal agencies. Also, the Program Management Office of the Air Technology Network, an interactive television network consisting of one-way video and two-way audio with worldwide reach, is a division of the Institute. The Air Force Public Affairs Center of Excellence of the College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education infuses media awareness into all Air University curricula--including those for commissioned-officer programs, professional military education schools and war-fighting courses-thereby preparing Air Force personnel to interact with the American public through the media. The center is responsible for assisting the Air Force Doctrine Center in the development of public affairs doctrine. It also prepares public affairs leaders to deal with future challenges by conducting research, developing case studies and lessons learned, and drafting Air Force policy recommendations to the director, Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs. The premier library in the Department of Defense, the Air University Library, whose director reports to the university commander, houses especially strong collections in the fields of war fighting, aeronautics, Air Force and Department of Defense operations, military sciences, international relations, education, leadership and management. Bearing the name of Gen. Muir S. Fairchild, the founder and first commander of Air University, the library serves as the focal point of faculty and student research, holding more than 2.9 million items: 285,000 books; 530,000 military documents; more than 429,000 monographs and bound periodicals; 615,000 maps and charts; 150,000 current regulations/manuals; and more than 909,000 microforms. The Integrated Library System automates all facets of information access, including identifying, locating and circulating materials. On-line reference services access approximately 500 specialized, remote databases. Additionally, the library now provides several in-house, CD-ROM-based information services, including EbscoHost, offering citations and full-text articles, and ProQuest, offering many full-text periodicals. As part of the Air University Library, Air University Press publishes books, monographs, research reports, and occasional papers, and provides publishing support to Aerospace Power Journal. Operating under the chief of information technology, Air University Television -- a video-production facility for Department of Defense and Air Force projects -- provides dedicated television services to the university's professional military education and professional continuing education courses. TV personnel operate a $3.3 million television studio that provides satellite uplink or downlink for distance learning; cable programming and distribution; video production and editing; video and audio recording; commercial-television, off-air recording; commercial-copyright coordination; video duplication; subject search; student/faculty self-help editing; and curriculum-development consultation. International Officer School, part of the Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development, supports professional military education by conducting five classes of six or seven weeks duration each year 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. Courses taught aid the students' command of oral and written English and help them comprehend materials used in Air University classes. Alabama Goodwill Ambassadors, a civilian sponsorship program, introduces the students to the political, military and socioeconomic aspects of American culture. The Civil Air Patrol, or CAP, has its national headquarters at Maxwell. Chartered by Congress as the official auxiliary of the Air Force, it is a private, non-profit organization with three missions: emergency service, aerospace education, and conducting a cadet program. An Air Force liaison staff provides advice and assistance to CAP's full-time corporate staff. CAP's members manage all aspects of their day-to-day operations. The Civil Air Patrol program has more than 60,000 members in 52 wings; one in each state, as well as in Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. CAP units also exist at several American installations overseas. **History**The Wright Brothers established the first U.S. civilian flying school in Montgomery 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 and Montgomery became the country's intellectual center for airpower education. Air University, established in 1946, continues the proud tradition of educating tomorrow's planners and leaders, in aerospace power for the Air Force, other branches of the U.S. armed forces, federal government civilians and many international organizations. Today, Air University's reach spans not only the globe, but the careers of every Air Force member.**Point of Contact**Air University, Public Affairs Office, 50 LeMay Plaza South, Maxwell AFB AL 36112-6335, DSN 493-8965 or (334) 953-8965.October 2005 |