Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command ( AETC ) was established 1 July 1993 , with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University . It is one of the U . S . Air Force ' s ten major commands ( MAJCOM s ) and reports to Headquarters , United States Air Force . AETC is headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base , Texas . Its commander is General Robin Rand , with Lt . Gen . Douglas H . Owens as vice - commander and Chief Master Sergeant Gerardo Tapia Jr . as Command Chief Master Sergeant . More than 48 , 000 active - duty members and 14 , 000 civilian personnel make up AETC . The command has responsibility for approximately 1 , 600 aircraft . Mission . AETC ' s mission is to " develop America ' s Airmen today . . . for tomorrow . " The command recruits , trains , and educates Airmen for the United States Air Force . Air Force Recruiting Service . AETC ' s mission begins with the Air Force Recruiting Service ( AFRS ) , headquartered at Randolph AFB , Texas . AFRS comprises three regional groups and 24 squadrons with more than 1 , 400 recruiters assigned throughout the United States , England , Germany , Japan , Puerto Rico and Guam . Recruiters in more than 1 , 000 offices worldwide recruit the young men and women needed as both enlisted airmen and commissioned officers to meet the demands of the U . S . Air Force . Basic military and technical training . Second Air Force , with headquarters at Keesler AFB , Mississippi , is responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and support officers . The first stop for all Air Force , Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command enlisted people is basic military training at Lackland AFB , Texas . More than 36 , 000 new airmen will complete this recently lengthened eight - and - a - half - week program each year . After completing BMT , airmen begin technical training in their career field specialties , primarily at five installations : Goodfellow AFB , Lackland AFB , and Sheppard AFB in Texas ; Keesler AFB , Miss . ; and Vandenberg AFB , Calif . and there are also cross - service schools such as Defense Language Institute , Calif and the Army Chemical School located at Fort Leonard Wood , Missouri ; also there is a new technical training institute at Joint Base San Antonio , TX which is known as Fort Sam Houston , TX for a couple of medical careers . Each base is responsible for a specific portion of formal technical training airmen require to accomplish the Air Force mission . Instructors conduct technical training in specialties such as aircraft maintenance , electronic principles , air transportation , civil engineering , medical services , computer systems , security forces , air traffic control , personnel , intelligence , fire fighting , weather forecasting and space and missile operations . Commissioned officers attend technical training courses for similar career fields at the same locations . Second Air Force also conducts specialized training for military working dogs and dog handlers at Lackland AFB , Texas , for the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration . Additionally , the Inter - American Air Forces Academy at Lackland AFB , Texas , hosts more than 160 courses in aviation specialties , taught in Spanish , to students from 19 Western hemisphere countries . Training in core values . In 1995 , the Secretary of the Air Force Sheila E . Widnall and the Air Force Chief of Staff General Ronald R . Fogleman approved the following core values for the United States Air Force : The Air Education and Training Command along with the USAF Academy are responsible for teaching these principles throughout the Air Force . Flying training . Air Force pilot candidates begin with Initial Flight Screening ( IFS ) . In IFS , civilian instructors provide up to 25 hours of flight instruction to pilot candidates . Pilot candidates then attend either joint specialized undergraduate pilot training ( JSUPT ) or Euro - NATO joint jet pilot training ( ENJJPT ) . JSUPT students accomplish primary training in the T - 6A Texan II at one of three Air Force bases – Columbus AFB , Miss . , Laughlin AFB , Texas , or Vance AFB , Oklahoma ; or in the T - 6B Texan II at Naval Air Station Whiting Field , Florida . Joint training is conducted at Vance AFB , Oklahoma , and NAS Whiting Field , Florida for students from the Air Force , Navy and Marine Corps . US Coast Guard student Naval Aviator s and flight instructors are also incorporated in joint training at NAS Whiting Field , but not at Vance AFB . ENJJPT is located at Sheppard AFB , Texas . The entire course lasts about 54 weeks . Students learn with , and are taught by , officers of the U . S . Air Force and various European air forces . Student pilots first fly the T - 6A Texan II mastering contact , instrument , low - level and formation flying . Next , they train on the supersonic T - 38 Talon and continue building the skills necessary to become a bomber or fighter pilot . During the primary phase of JSUPT , students learn basic flight skills common to all military pilots . As of 2006 , most JSUPT students use the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System during the primary training phase . The aircraft portion of JPATS is the T - 6 Texan II , which is being phased in as the primary trainer replacing the Air Force ' s T - 37 and the Navy ' s T - 34C . After the primary phase of JSUPT , student pilots elect one of several advanced training tracks based on their class standing . Prospective airlift and tanker pilots are assigned to the airlift / tanker track , and train in the T - 1A Jayhawk at Columbus AFB , Mississippi , Laughlin AFB , Texas , or Vance AFB , Oklahoma . Student pilots headed for bomber or fighter assignments are assigned to the bomber / fighter track , and train in the T - 38 Talon at Columbus , Laughlin or Vance . While some USAF student pilots will complete the airlift / tanker track in the T - 1A Jayhawk and eventually fly the C - 130 Hercules or its variants , other USAF students destined for C - 130s will be assigned to a multi - engine turboprop track and fly the T - 44 turboprop trainers or TC - 12B trainers at NAS Corpus Christi , Texas in a cooperative arrangement between 19 AF and the Naval Air Training Command / Chief of Naval Air Training ( CNATRA ) . These USAF students will receive instruction from a combination of USN , USAF and USCG instructors at NAS Corpus Christi and will eventually fly the C - 130 Hercules or its associated variants ( AC - 130 , EC - 130 , HC - 130 , LC - 130 , MC - 130 , WC - 130 ) . A small number of USAF graduates may also be selected to fly the C - 12 at Elmendorf AFB , Alaska . Those USAF students selected to fly helicopters are assigned to the helicopter track and fly the UH - 1 Huey at Fort Rucker , Alabama under a joint training arrangement with the US Army . USAF graduates of this program will fly the UH - 1N Twin Huey , HH - 60G Pave Hawk or CV - 22 Osprey . Air Education and Training Command also provides follow - on training for most Air Force pilots in their assigned aircraft . Pilots assigned to fighter aircraft complete the introduction to fighter fundamentals course at Randolph AFB or Sheppard AFB , Texas , flying the AT - 38B , and then move on to train in either the A / B or C / D versions of the F - 15 Eagle or the F - 22 Raptor at Tyndall AFB , Florida . , or the F - 16 Fighting Falcon at Luke AFB , Arizona . Altus AFB , Oklahoma , hosts training for aircrews assigned to KC - 135 Stratotanker or C - 17 Globemaster III aircraft , while an AETC - gained wing of the Air Force Reserve Command conducts training for all Regular Air Force , Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard C - 5 Galaxy aircrews at Lackland AFB / Kelly Field Annex , Texas . Aircrews assigned to fly the C - 130 train at Little Rock AFB , Arkansas , while aircrews assigned to fly MC - 130 Combat Talon I / II , Combat Shadow , and HC - 130 aircraft will take initial follow - on training at Little Rock followed by additional follow - on training at a colocated site with UH - 1N Twin Huey and HH - 60G Pave Hawk helicopter crews and CV - 22 Osprey tiltrotor crews at Kirtland AFB , New Mexico . Keesler AFB , Mississippi , provides training for pilots assigned to the C - 21 , while the US Army at Fort Rucker , Alabama provides training for USAF pilots in the C - 12 Super King Air . USAF Weapons Systems Officer students obtain their training with a combination of USN , USMC and USAF instructors at Training Air Wing SIX at NAS Pensacola , Florida . They complete primary and intermediate training in the T - 6A Texan II and T - 1A Jayhawk aircraft , advanced training in the T - 39 Sabreliner and T - 45 Goshawk and then enter one of two tracks in the next phase . USAF WSO students in the strike track will eventually serve in the B - 1B Lancer after attending the Electronic Warfare Officers course at Randolph AFB . Students in the fighter track will receive follow - on assignments in the F - 15E Strike Eagle or EA - 6B Prowler and attend special training in the Intro to Fighter Fundamentals ( IFF ) course . In most cases , USAF CSOs and WSOs will attend the same AETC formal training units ( FTUs ) for follow - on training as their pilot counterparts . The exceptions to this rule for all pilots , CSOs / WSOs and enlisted aircrewmen are those aircraft where the FTU falls under the claimancy of the Air Combat Command ( i . e . , A - 10 Thunderbolt II , B - 1 Lancer , E - 3 Sentry , E - 8 Joint STARS , F - 15E Strike Eagle , RC - 135 , U - 2 Dragon Lady , etc . ) , the Air Force Global Strike Command ( i . e . , B - 2 Spirit and B - 52 Stratofortress ) , or the Air Force Special Operations Command i . e . , AC - 130 . AETC also provides enlisted aircrew training for a wide variety of aircrew specialties including flight engineers , air - to - air refueling boom operators , loadmasters , aerial gunners , airborne communications specialists and Air Battle Manager s . Flight engineers and boom operators train at Altus AFB , Oklahoma . , loadmasters train at Altus AFB , Oklahoma , helicopter flight engineers and aerial gunners train at Kirtland AFB , New Mexico , airborne communications specialists train at Keesler AFB , Mississippi , and Air Battle Manager s complete Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Training ( UABMT ) at Tyndall AFB , Florida . Air University . Air University ( AU ) , headquartered at Maxwell AFB , Alabama is commanded by Lieutenant General David S . Fadok and conducts professional military education ( PME ) , graduate education and professional continuing education for officers , enlisted members and civilians throughout their careers . Air University also has responsibility for all Air Force officer accession and training other than the United States Air Force Academy via AU ' s subordinate Jeanne M . Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development ( Holm Center ) , formerly the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools ( AFOATS ) . As an AU activity , the Holm Center oversees the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps ( AFROTC ) , with detachments at numerous colleges and universities across the United States , and the Air Force Officer Training School ( OTS ) at Maxwell AFB , Alabama . Air University ' s professional military education schools prepare students from the Air Force , its sister services and both NATO and other U . S . - allied nations as they progress through their careers . Emphasis in these programs includes leadership , military doctrine and aerospace power . The three primary PME schools are Squadron Officer School ( SOS ) an approximately two - month leadership development program primarily for USAF company grade officers ( first lieutenants and captains ) ; Air Command and Staff College ( ACSC ) , an approximately year long joint " intermediate " service college program for officers of all services in the rank of ( or selected for ) major , Navy or Coast Guard lieutenant commander , other Allied military equivalents or US civil service GS - 13 ; and Air War College ( AWC ) , an approximately year long joint " senior " service college program for officers in the rank of ( or selected for ) lieutenant colonel , Navy or Coast Guard commander , other Allied military equivalents or US civil service GS - 14 . Air University also oversees the Air Force ' s two citizenship programs : The Civil Air Patrol ( CAP ) is a private , corporately chartered , civilian non - profit organization headquartered at Maxwell AFB and concurrently designated as the U . S . Air Force Auxiliary ( USAF Aux ) . CAP is sponsored by the Air Force , but it is a civilian entity and not an operating Air Reserve Component ( ARC ) like the Air Force Reserve Command or the Air National Guard . Under its congressionally assigned missions , CAP provides aerospace education for youth and the general public ; a cadet program for middle / junior high school , high school and undergraduate college students ; and a fleet of general aviation aircraft , multipurpose vehicles , ground support units , communications support units and trained adult members with a USAF - style rank structure available in support of search and rescue , disaster relief , and other emergency services and homeland defense / homeland security activities . The CAP program is established as an organization by Title 10 of the United States Code and its purposes defined by Title 36 . CAP is commanded by a Civil Air Patrol major general , functioning as a full - time employee of the CAP corporation at Maxwell AFB , overseeing 52 wings assigned to each state , Puerto Rico and the District of Columbua . The CAP commander is supported by an active duty aeronautically rated USAF colonel as the senior USAF - CAP Advisor . The Air Force Junior ROTC program is a cadet program for high school students at more than 870 high schools in the United States and at Department of Defense Dependent Schools ( DoDDS ) locations overseas . AFJROTC Instructors are retired USAF officers in the ranks of major , lieutenant colonel and colonel , assisted by retired USAF non - commissioned officers in the ranks of technical sergeant through chief master sergeant . Both CAP and AFJROTC are subordinate to the Jeanne M . Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development ( Holm Center ) . Other academic support services at Air University include Academic Instructor School , the Air Force Public Affairs Center of Excellence , the Muir S . Fairchild Research Information Center ( formerly known as Air University Library ) and the International Officer School . Medical services . The Air Force ' s two largest medical facilities belong to AETC : the Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland AFB , Texas , and the Keesler Medical Center at Keesler AFB , Mississippi . Sheppard AFB , Texas provides most of the Air Force ' s graduate medical and dental education , as well as other enlisted medical training . History . " For a history prior to 1993 , see Air Training Command " On 1 January 1993 , Air Training Command absorbed Air University and changed the command designation to Air Education and Training Command ( AETC ) . AETC assumed responsibilities for both aspects of career development : training and education . Missions such as combat crew training , pararescue , and combat controller training , and ( later ) space training transferred to the new command , so that airmen would report to their operational units mission ready . Restructuring the command assumed first place among the issues facing the command staff . The introduction of three new training aircraft , the Raytheon T - 1 Jayhawk , Slingsby T - 3 Firefly , and Beech T - 6 Texan II ( JPATS ) ; joint training ; and the closure of Chanute , Mather , and Williams Air Force Base s were major challenges . In 1994 AETC adopted the Objective Wing Concept ; stood up several wings responsible for crew training in the F - 16 , special operations , airlift , and space and missile operations ; and began the first Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training ( SUPT ) and Joint - SUPT courses . Lowry Air Force Base was added to the list of AETC bases closed by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission , followed by Reese Air Force Base in 1995 . The transition to SUPT was completed in 1996 , the delivery of the first JPATS aircraft in 1999 , and the discontinuation of the controversial T - 3 in 2000 . In response to the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 , AETC went on a war footing , activating a Crisis Action Team and supplying both fighters and tankers from its wings for combat air patrols in American airspace as part of Operation Noble Eagle . An operational test and evaluation of JPATS began in 2002 at Moody Air Force Base and upgrades to its Training Integration Management System ( TIMS ) were begun the next year , targeting full implementation of JPATS in 2007 . Lineage . Established as Air Corps Flying Training Command on 23 January 1942 . Redesignated Army Air Forces Flying Training Command about 15 March 1942 ; Army Air Forces Training Command on 31 July 1943 ; Air Training Command on 1 July 1946 ; Air Education and Training Command on 1 July 1993 .