Grad School after USAFA

Once it says 'Regular' next to your rank - you are always subject to recall and all SA graduates are 'Regular' officers

The most recent commotion was the DoD was going to recall former pilots.

Flexibility is the key to airpower - it just so happens Uncle Sam gets to make and change the rules

BOHICA - embrace it
 
Cerberi said:
Once it says 'Regular' next to your rank - you are always subject to recall and all SA graduates are 'Regular' officers

The most recent commotion was the DoD was going to recall former pilots.

Flexibility is the key to airpower - it just so happens Uncle Sam gets to make and change the rules

BOHICA - embrace it
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Can you explain this further? Do you mean that the DoD can recall retired pilots? This thread has been very informative and I am glad it was started.
 
The AF has clarified that no retired pilots will be recalled involuntarily. They simply raised the limit on voluntarily recalled retirees from 25 to 1000. Since last year less than 10 retirees volunteered, it seems raising the limit to 1000 really has no effect other than giving the AF a chance to claim that they tried something. Real retention issues still need to be addressed and upper leadership doesn't seem to want to listen to the line pilots.

Stealth_81
 
Skipper07 said:
Cerberi said:
Once it says 'Regular' next to your rank - you are always subject to recall and all SA graduates are 'Regular' officers

The most recent commotion was the DoD was going to recall former pilots.

Flexibility is the key to airpower - it just so happens Uncle Sam gets to make and change the rules

BOHICA - embrace it
Click to expand...

Can you explain this further? Do you mean that the DoD can recall retired pilots? This thread has been very informative and I am glad it was started.
Click to expand...

Legally you are subject to recall if you are a 'Regular' officer. Not sure how this applies to retirees.

As a practical matter it is unlikely, but it is part of the deal
 
Officer retirees are subject to recall, technically. The more years pass, the less likely, highly unlikely, it becomes. For a few years after my retirement, I received letters telling me I was still in the “active recall” zone. If we were to have a full mobilization, such as for WWII, I would voluntarily ask for recall and go steer a desk wherever they needed my brain for senior staff work, to allow the AD officers with younger bodies go operational. That’s why my retired pay is not so much a pension but a retainer.

The needs of the Service always rule. I have a friend who retired at the same time. She is on a special list because of her past high-level work in remote undisclosed locations in buildings with no windows, and because she is still current in the field as a consultant.
 
Stealth_81 said:
The AF has clarified that no retired pilots will be recalled involuntarily. They simply raised the limit on voluntarily recalled retirees from 25 to 1000. Since last year less than 10 retirees volunteered, it seems raising the limit to 1000 really has no effect other than giving the AF a chance to claim that they tried something. Real retention issues still need to be addressed and upper leadership doesn't seem to want to listen to the line pilots.

Stealth_81
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A while back, and in another thread--in connection with a discussion of various "SNAFUs"--I opined about the AF pilot "shortage" and various factors contributing to it. And the discussion elicited some folks challenging me about whether "problems" existed. I trust the recent AF action to raise caps on "voluntarily recalled retirees"--and what this action clearly implies--is another datum consistent with my prior argument. For anyone interested, see:
https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/meanwhile.57636/page-2
 
hornetguy said:
...For those who are dead set on pilot, few want to discuss the inherent risk of delaying training. Things can change with you or the Air Force during that delay. While rare, it happens. Like it did for me...
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Apologies both for being so late in asking this question. Is it possible to reverse the order? That is take pilot training and then graduate school on scholarship? Or are you only allowed to pursue full scholarship graduate school immediately out of the Academy?
 
rkv said:
Apologies both for being so late in asking this question. Is it possible to reverse the order? That is take pilot training and then graduate school on scholarship? Or are you only allowed to pursue full scholarship graduate school immediately out of the Academy?
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It is possible to go to graduate school; full time; later on in your career. There's been plenty of officers who have done this. I think I remember my son telling me that in his 3rd year of grad school at RAND, there was a Major who was just stating his 1st year there. After serving for a few years it's obviously a lot more competitive and totally at the convenience of the air force. And that convenience will definitely be related to your AFSC. (Your job). A pilot would have a more difficult time than say a Contracting Officer. But it definitely can be done.

Just like it's possible to be in a Non-Pilot job, and later on apply and be selected for Pilot Training. An individual in the same career field as my son, "Special Tactics Officer", did his mandatory 6 years in that job, and then requested and was selected for pilot training. Which is what he's doing now. So anything is possible.

However; if you're a "Gambling" type of individual, (Like betting on Air Force beating Army in football this weekend; which is a good bet); then your best money is on trying to get to grad school immediately out of the academy. They usually allow about 10% of the graduating class to attend grad school immediately. And, depending on your major and job you receive, the percentage can be much higher. E.g. Engineering majors going into Engineering careers have an excellent chance of getting an AFIT spot. (AFIT is the Air Force's Grad School for Engineers). So, if you really want to go to grad school; full time; on the Air Force's dime; then motivate yourself to be one of the best at the academy.
 
America Works said:
How competitive are law school slots?
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There are very few. It's always needs of the AF. You can't go to the Academy with one job in mind. You will likely be disappointed. You can certainly influence your choices by performing at the highest level, but even then you may not get it. Several years ago there was a significant need in Missiles. They placed many high achieving people in this field without it even being on their list of job career choices. USAF needed strong people in the field, I'm sure they were great leaders.
Above all, Service before Self.
 
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