AF introduces Total Force Commissioning Process

sheriff3 said:
This is the one that kills me.

The Air Force also is allowing ROTC cadets to request to be released from their active-duty service commitments without repaying their scholarships or stipends.

All that money, time and effort down the drain due to gross mismanagement is incompetent at best and borders on criminal in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Not really sure how many cadets will actually volunteer for the program. The ones in this year group remaining have fought hard and persevered for their slots. I know that the cadets at my son's det are very concerned and there are already only about 15% left out of those who started the program in 2012. The one's left in the program are pretty committed and the USAF might be trying to sweeten the pot knowing this.

My son and a couple of others aren't involved since they are 5 year programmers but the det CC has been tracking them all down on summer vacation to make sure they know about the program and so far - no takers. 80% of these kids are techies and most of the rest are rated.
 
I am pretty sure anyone who is offered it is involved, only missiles is exempt.
 
Pima said:
Actually Aglagles, believe it or not it was only a few years where everyone was selected for SFT. Our DS was SFT10 and 55% were selected, the same was true for 09 and 08. It was the following year that they did the 93% rate, and now they went back to the lower rate.
Click to expand...

My son was in the class of 2014, he just graduated. So he went to SFT in 2012. His year had the extremely high % of acceptance, the year before, 2011 had a much lower acceptance rate. That being said, I am pretty sure the numbers of actual kids going to SFT were about the same. His class had many fewer put up for SFT, so the general thought on this board at the time was the thinning of the ranks was being done prior to them being put up for SFT, and the numbers seemed, at the time, to back that up.
 
REO,

This is true, but that is not how it works. They know how many of each AFSC they need. There will be cutoff for certain AFSC, once they hit that bottom line they are going to say STOP LOSS. They are not going to just say we need 500 to go, and if the first 500 to sign paperwork are all pilot, well than voila we met the numbers. They are going to say we need X amount from each AFSC.

I.E. Missileers are currently considered STOP LOSS, nobody can leave even if their commitment is up.

I agree with Romad, many of these cadets, especially those with a rated slot will not pull the ripcord. They will wait for the AF to pull it for them, with an exception....cadets from a home state that has a Guard unit flying an airframe they desire. I.E.why stay and go through UPT risking washing out or getting a heavy when you want a 16 and your guard unit flies it.
~~~ That is how Guard UPT works...you walk in knowing what you will walk out flying.

If it is like ADAF there will be very few takers until the very last second. The reason why is the CoC will be informed @ Sept where they are standing with how many of signed papers, and if they are off by a large number they will inform the cadets that it is going to be a blood bath. This is when reality will sink in and cadets will start sizing up their options.
 
He started his second year, transferred in to his new school. At the time there were over 30 kids in his class. This spring 13 commissioned.
 
Moose,

If I recall correctly it had the exact same number @2300, but the higher percentage, thus the theory floating around was the CoCs were doing miin-boards at the det. level.

I do agree they thought that they had thinned out the ranks enough.
 
I just re-read the announcement and realized it goes into FY16. The volunteers can request until Dec 31 2015. It will be interesting to see how that impacts the class of 16 since that is their FY.
 
"Cadets graduating from July 10, 2014, through calendar year 2015 will be able to pursue opportunities in the Guard or Reserve or seek release from their active-duty service commitment July 14 through Sept. 15, 2014." Pima, the way I read this is calendar year 2015, so this currently does not apply to FY16 Grads. From my understanding it affects late Y14 Grads and all Y15 Grads, with maybe the exception of those rising 400s on a 5 year tract?
 
Last edited:
Yeah, AFA 15 will find out the same time as AFROTC non-rated 15 find out which is late Sept early Oct.

Also I believe this is the 1st year that the AFA cadets have to follow the same procedure as AFROTC rated which is all 4 rated positions must be on their list. That to me will be the interesting thing because typically unless they are not medically qual for UPT, most opt to go Pilot, not RPA or ABM.
~ Remember AFROTC rated 15 dropped their assignments back in Feb/Mar. I believe they still had a very high % for pilot this year.

Flying I read it differently because the DoD fiscal year is Oct 1 to Sept 30th. That means those up to Dec. 31, 2015 grads are actually in the FY16 just like the spring and summer grads for the calendar year of 16, they are not in FY15.
 
Pima said:
Yeah, AFA 15 will find out the same time as AFROTC non-rated 15 find out which is late Sept early Oct.

Also I believe this is the 1st year that the AFA cadets have to follow the same procedure as AFROTC rated which is all 4 rated positions must be on their list. That to me will be the interesting thing because typically unless they are not medically qual for UPT, most opt to go Pilot, not RPA or ABM.
~ Remember AFROTC rated 15 dropped their assignments back in Feb/Mar. I believe they still had a very high % for pilot this year.

Flying I read it differently because the DoD fiscal year is Oct 1 to Sept 30th. That means those up to Dec. 31, 2015 grads are actually in the FY16 just like the spring and summer grads for the calendar year of 16, they are not in FY15.
Click to expand...
Not quite the same rules....yet. Supposedly USAFA will also (eventually) us a "quartile" selection system. Sounds similar to what the USMA uses. That said...there are "reports" that most changes won't take affect until the Class of 2016.....of course everything is subject to change.
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=37531&highlight=rated
""I discussed this with one of the grand poo bahs at the academy recently because these questions are being asked by our parents. These measures are not really going to apply so much for rated slots for 2015, though they will be considered, the AFOQT will only be a minor factor because the Academy knows that 2015 never prepped for the AFOQT and the ROTC cadets did, TBAS - does become a factor, because while it is possible to prep for the AFOQT (and the ROTC cadets do so), it is not possible to prep for TBAS - you either have those traits or you don't. At the end of the day the PSCM score - a composite of Order of Merit, TBAS, and AFOQT will become the basis of rated slots beginning with 2016 - who will prep for AFOQT and also have mandatory powered flight if they want to be considered as a pilot, Nav, etc.

The really interesting aspect of this for 2015 is how they will use the quartile system in giving assignments."
 
My cranium hurts just thinking about all of the changes for 16 rated. AFROTC 300s next Feb will have their rated board if they follow the historic path. Some of the things being thrown out and about is AFROTC will hold one board for everyone like AFA. The question becomes how and when they will do this.

The AFA has the ability to do the FAA FC1 physical there, OR at least that is my understanding, thus this is not a factor for them. However, AFROTC does not, it is a TDY. This creates limitations on when to release the results...you can't send them for a 3 day TDY to WPAFB while in class. That leaves winter break if the results are released in Oct. It takes about a month for the final results, which messes with base assignments, since they come out around Feb. Let's not even go down the waiver route...4 months out from commissioning, because that than impacts the supplemental board, or will they just cut all of them?

Thus, either they move the board up for everyone to Feb., or I don't know what if they delay until Oct.

I also agree the new PCSM is going to be an issue. TBAS is not like AFOQT with study guides, plus it includes flight time.
~ I think the red flag for me is the AFA is now saying they will have mandatory powered flight if they want Pilot or Nav because that is now a big part of that score. Many AFROTC cadets have at least some hours because PCSM 2.0 has been part of their system for selection for a couple of years now. They get that wake up call on day one as a C100 in AFROTC.
~~~ Our DS as an AFROTC non-tech scholarship major knew prior to day 1 when he entered that on the TBAS they gave extra points to the score if you had flight hours. He met with the CoC in Feb. as a sr. in HS, and he was told to get that pilot slot as a non-tech you will need.... it was down to cgpa, SFT ranking, PFT, AFOQT and TBAS. The CoC was on the mark with every score.
 
Last edited:
Can anyone confirm the new weighings for the AFROTC rankings for commissioning? I have read in numerous other places that the AFOQT is now 40% and the CC ranking is now 20%. But everyone on this forum continues to refer to the "old weightings" where the CC ranking is 50%. My understanding is that they changed around October 2013. I have Google-searched, etc. but would like to know from one of you very informed posters here what the weightings are. Thanks!
 
Reoin05 said:
I am pretty sure anyone who is offered it is involved, only missiles is exempt.
Click to expand...

He and a few others weren't offered the option since they aren't part of that year group but it could happen next year...

:rolleyes:
 
The OML for non-rated and rated are different.

Rated has the PCSM 2.0 (TBAS) in their calculations, non-rated has the AFOQT.

They both have their SFT ranking, cgoa, pft and CoC.

Last I knew/heard it was now 20% SFT, 20% AFOQT, 10% each for cgpa, pft and CoC is 40%.

Disclaimer my % could be off, but I doubt CoC is 20% and never heard it dropping to that level. It use to be 50% a few years back.
 
Just when I think I'm getting the hang of these acronyms...did I miss PCSM and TBA on the sticky? Thanks you all. I hope someday I'll be posting helpful information instead of just asking questions.
 
aeroma said:
Just when I think I'm getting the hang of these acronyms...did I miss PCSM and TBA on the sticky? Thanks you all. I hope someday I'll be posting helpful information instead of just asking questions.
Click to expand...

I am with you and I am five years here. I just loved Aglages comment a couple of pages back about PIMAs post "Love it! Like swearing with acronyms."
 
Thanks Pima. I have a document that shows otherwise but I take your word above all.
 
Vamom, the new algorithm is no longer posted, however some peoples scores dropped, while others have gone up. It is rumored though that the commanders ranking portion dropped, however you can only calculate it through their website after you have taken the tbas and afoqt. You can find more on the categorization process in afrotci 36-2011. For rated.

And as for the new process for this year/next, based on order of merit.
"The merit system will be based on detachment commander rank, field training rank, Air Force Officer Qualification Test score, academic aptitude and cumulative GPA." Just to get your commissioning spot.

Not sure which one you are looking for :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top