Summer Air Force Operations

808DAD

5-Year Member
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Feb 4, 2014
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56
I tried searching this topic but I couldn't find anything specific other then it is during the summer. I'm guessing that Air Force Operations during the summer is for a cadet to experience real life in the Air Force and to experience different assignments that are open to graduated cadets. When you do go on a air force operations assignment do you chose the base you want to go to or do you chose the assignment you want to experience and then USAFA places you at a base that has that assignment?
 
.. do you chose the base you want to go to or do you chose the assignment you want to experience and then USAFA places you at a base that has that assignment?
You are asked for your preferences. Then the AF ignores those and gives you what they want. OK....maybe they don't completely ignore them..however you will get whatever the AF has available at the time. While your possible future choice of AFSC might influence which bases you list on your wish list, they will not affect the AFs decision on where to send you for a couple of weeks.
Good Luck!
 
What kind of assignments can you chose from? Or can you only chose what base you want to do your summer assignment at?
 
Just the base. I believe the purpose of the program is to give you exposure to several different AFSCs and the opportunity to talk to officers that assigned in those career fields.
 
What kind of assignments can you chose from? Or can you only chose what base you want to do your summer assignment at?

Back in my day there were no lists to put preferences. You got what they gave you. I wouldn't be surprised if it was still that way.
 
do they only send you to bases in the states, or do they send you to bases in other countries as well?
 
Only in the US. It may be different for language immersion cadets. I'm not sure whether they combine the Air Force Operations with a language immersion program.
 
For the Class of 2011 there were overseas assignments available for Operation Air Force. Many of son's classmates went to Japan, Germany, Italy, etc. Our son went on Deployed Ops his last summer at USAFA. The cadets who did this actually did their Ops tour in the Middle East at bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and that other "Undisclosed Location in Southwest Asia".

Has this changed with the budget cuts?

Stealth_81
 
DS has said that there are still Deployed Ops opportunities. They require a commitment of 2 summer periods (i.e. giving up summer break).
 
I understand that the class of 2016 has cadets majoring in engineering going to South Korea. Apparently you have to be an engineering major to qualify. And cadets selected for CSLIP (Cadet Summer Language Immersion Program) will be heading to a variety of international locations, but not to bases but rather to other universities for language study.
 
For the Class of 2011 there were overseas assignments available for Operation Air Force. Many of son's classmates went to Japan, Germany, Italy, etc. Our son went on Deployed Ops his last summer at USAFA. The cadets who did this actually did their Ops tour in the Middle East at bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and that other "Undisclosed Location in Southwest Asia".

Has this changed with the budget cuts?

Stealth_81

The Deployed Ops program (going to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar) still exists. I believe civil engineering majors can still go to OCONUS for their Ops. However, OCONUS locations (i.e. Aviano AB) are no longer available for other cadets. They'll be kept in the states.

And so there's no doubt, CSLIP is an entirely different program that Ops AF.
 
My DS is heading to Qutar this summer. Very excited! I don't know if he requested a location or was just the 'luck of the draw'. He is a physic major who hopes to fly.

I did have a followup question though. Would having a civilian passport give him an opportunity (if there is one) to travel around a little? Back in the day, DH had a military issued passport for official travel, but if he left his duty station, he carried a civilian passport. I understand this isn't a vacation, and he will probably be too busy to have the opportunity, but we'd like to be prepared "just in case".
 
My DS is heading to Qutar this summer. Very excited! I don't know if he requested a location or was just the 'luck of the draw'. He is a physic major who hopes to fly.

I did have a followup question though. Would having a civilian passport give him an opportunity (if there is one) to travel around a little? Back in the day, DH had a military issued passport for official travel, but if he left his duty station, he carried a civilian passport. I understand this isn't a vacation, and he will probably be too busy to have the opportunity, but we'd like to be prepared "just in case".

Your cadet will know what he needs. My DS got his passport in order 'just in case' as a rising C3C. He ended up going to Hurlburt in FL that summer, but is doing CSLIP (Cadet Summer Language Immersion Program) in Morocco this year, where he will need his passport. Bottom line: Your cadet will know what they need and the deadline by which they need to get it. They are briefed on travel limitations and requirements.
 
My DS is heading to Qutar this summer. Very excited! I don't know if he requested a location or was just the 'luck of the draw'. He is a physic major who hopes to fly.



I did have a followup question though. Would having a civilian passport give him an opportunity (if there is one) to travel around a little? Back in the day, DH had a military issued passport for official travel, but if he left his duty station, he carried a civilian passport. I understand this isn't a vacation, and he will probably be too busy to have the opportunity, but we'd like to be prepared "just in case".


When my son went there for Deployed Ops there was no opportunity to travel on his own at all. They were busy pretty much every day. There was one day that they had a guided tour outside the base. They went into the capital, Doha, and they got to go to the open markets and visited all the shops downtown in the morning. Then they went to a beach on the gulf in the afternoon and rode camels, swam, and drove dune buggies. Other than that one day there was no free time.

Stealth_81



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