Herman_Snerd
5-Year Member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2017
- Messages
- 1,448
I'll just provide the facts as reported by Air Force Times (look it up if interested) and leave it to others to decide how to label it. I certainly wouldn't minimize that even on average years 27% of those in that program are not invited to move forward (see data below). - that's a lot of people who put their trust in the Air Force, and were left stranded on the proverbial side of the road. The AF sent a bus to pick some of them back up in the great slash year, but it still was and annually is a burn for people who work hard believing their performance will count/ keep them safe as it does in other branches. To be fair LOTs of people do not make it to commissioning from each source/ branch, but others typically can point to some standard they didn't meet, some rule they broke, etc.Kind of a stretch to say 'very often.' Even in the controversial COVID year, over 70% made it through. And I'm sure the # is even higher for scholarship cadets, probably pushing 90% for scholarship cadets.
Higher-than-normal officer retention rates during COVID-19 and 2019 end strength projections in excess of current authorizations led to the initial decision to select only 56 percent of cadets to attend field training, officials told Air Force Times.
Nearly 1,000 cadets, approximately 250 of whom were on scholarship, were not selected, according to Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek.
After members of Congress, families and retired officers lobbied for the Air Force to review its decision, the service reevaluated its numbers (un-rang the bell) and reinstated more than 400 cadets, including approximately 130 on scholarship, the Washington Post first reported.
“We cut too deep,” Stefanek told AirForce Times. “We recognized that the planned reductions to meet end strength requirements were going to cause unanticipated hardships for many well-qualified cadets.”
Typically, Air Force ROTC selects nearly 75 percent of its second-year cadets to continue in the program after their second year, Stefanek said. *Note: However have seen years where only 65 percent moved forward.* Cadets compete through two years of the General Military Course before attending summer field training and being selected for two more years of the Professional Officer Course.
According to Stefanek, the reversal will place selection rates at 73 percent.