U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet 

Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools 

Mission 

Develop the best Air Force leaders and citizens of character, 

dedicated to serving the nation. 

Vision 

Cultivate a culture and environment of continuous learning, 

enthusiasm, pride, and tradition. 

Personnel and Resources 

AFOATS includes more than 2,900 active-duty members and 

civilian personnel. The organization has 2,006 operating 

locations worldwide and over 120,000 students.

Organization 

Most new Air Force commissioned officers begin their careers upon completion of Air 

University's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) or Officer Training School (OTS) 

programs. In February 1997, in an effort to reduce duplication of effort and streamline 

administrative and reporting procedures within Air University, these two organizations realigned 

under the newly created Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS) at Maxwell 

AFB, AL. This restructuring placed over three-quarters of Air Force officer production under 

AFOATS and facilitated the sharing of manpower and expertise with minimum effect on the dayto-day operations of AFROTC or OTS. AFOATS produces approximately 75 percent of Air 

Force line officers and trains 100 percent of the Air Force chaplain, nurse and medical 

specialties, and legal officers. These new officers will join active duty, Air National Guard and 

Air Force Reserve units. 

Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools 

AFOATS is commanded by a brigadier general who provides coordinated leadership and policy 

direction for the Air Force's officer recruiting, training, and commissioning programs at Air Force 

Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) detachments at colleges and universities throughout 

the US and Puerto Rico and at Officer Training School (OTS). AFOATS staff develops curriculum 

and provides communications, computers, logistics, instructors and financial management 

support to train tomorrow's Air Force officers. AFOATS also directs the Air Force's high school 

citizenship training program – Air Force Junior ROTC. 

Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps 

Air Force ROTC, headquartered at Maxwell AFB, AL., is the largest and oldest source of 

commissioned officers for the Air Force. The organization's mission is to produce leaders for the 

Air Force. AFROTC is located on 144 college and university campuses with 984 additional 

schools participating in cross-town agreements that allow their students to attend AFROTC 
classes at an area host school. This program commissions approximately 2,000 second 

lieutenants each year. 

Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps 

Air Force Junior ROTC provides citizenship training and an aerospace science program for high 

school youth. Enrollment in the Junior ROTC program is open to all young people who are in the 

9th or higher grade, physically fit, and United States citizens. The objectives of the junior program 

are to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship; promote community service; instill 

responsibility, character, and self-discipline; and provide instruction in air and space 

fundamentals. Located on 869 high school campuses across the United States and selected 

Department of Defense Dependent schools overseas, Air Force Junior ROTC instructs, mentors 

and guides over 105,000 young people daily including over 1,600 students at 18 overseas 

units. The AFJROTC program is expected to expand from 869 to 945 units in the near future. 

Officer Training School 

Officer Training School, also located at Maxwell AFB, is the "flexible partner" of Air Force 

commissioning programs. The organization’s mission is to train and commission quality officers 

for the Air Force. Depending on each year’s production requirements, OTS has the flexibility to 

increase or decrease production. In the past, OTS has surged to meet wartime officer 

requirements, producing as many as 7,894 new second lieutenants in one year. OTS provides 

two officer training programs: Basic Officer Training (BOT) and Commissioned Officer Training 

(COT). Together they produce about 2,000 trained officers annually which equated to 36 percent 

of all Air Force officer accessions for 2006.

Basic Officer Training is an intensive 12-week program that prepares officer trainees for the 

physical and professional requirements of military service. BOT commissions an average of 500-

700 new second lieutenants annually. 

Commissioned Officer Training is a 4.5-week program that provides military and leadership 

training for Air Force judge advocates, chaplains, medical services officers (doctors, nurses, 

dentists, biomedical science corps officers, and hospital administrators), and medical scholarship 

recipients. The Reserve COT (RCOT) course is a 14-day intensive program designed for hardto-recruit Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard medical service officers. Students are 

commissioned prior to training. The military rank of COT students is awarded based on the 

professional credentials in their respective fields. Student ranks typically range from second 

lieutenants to lieutenant colonels. COT provides military training for about 1,100 officers yearly. 

COT officers are trained for active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units. 

For More Information

For more information on AFOATS, contact AFOATS Headquarters, 551 East Maxwell Blvd., 

Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6106; dial 1-800-522-0033, ext. 3-7087; or, visit the AFOATS Web site at 

http://www.afoats.af.mil/index.asp. 

December 2006