In a move to get more enlisted members to enter the Air Force Academy and Air Force ROTC, commanders are being encouraged to nominate their best people for commissioning opportunities. The Leaders Encouraging Airmen Development program was approved this month by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman, and will be phased in immediately, said personnel officials here.
Commanders can nominate people in three ways.
First, they can select a total of 50 airmen per year for the Air Force Academy Preparatory School. Since few airmen enter the academy directly, most will attend prep school and then be considered for academy appointments, officials said. Nominees must be single with no dependents and not have reached their 21st birthday by July 1 of the year they enter prep school. Although competition is stiff, academy admission figures show that about 85 percent of the enlisted prep school graduates receive academy appointments. However, prep school enrollment among enlisted members has dropped to 10 percent per class since the early-1980s.