USAFA Branch night/branches?

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bigbody

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Hey everyone! I’ve tried looking around but couldn’t find much, but I have a cousin currently attending USMA and understand that they have a branch night where cadets get to pick their post and jobs in a branch they desire. What’s the USAFA equivalent to this, and what branches do they have to offer? What if I want to pursue a career as a fighter pilot or special operations?
 
There's a lot to unpack in this question, but long story short USAFA doesn't do a branch night like Navy or WP do. My experience is slightly dated, but I don't think things have changed much. Fall of C1C year you will have the choice to list 3 rated (pilot, WSO, ABM, etc) jobs and if I remember correctly, 5 non-rated jobs (weather, intel, logistics, etc). You can forgo the rated options if you are not interested in that. From there, your inputs go into an enigma of a computer algorithm that spit out what job you will get based off class rank. Firsties are typically notified of their AFSC in the Feb/March time frame. A few months after that, they will send out a similar list, but this time it will have options for bases depending on what the outcome of your AFSC. Your inputs go into the same computer algorithm and around 100's night (100 days until graduation) you get your base assignment.

If you want to be a fighter pilot you have to have to 1) get selected for UPT/ENJJPT, 2) finish IFS, 3) finish T-6s 4), track T-38s, 5) hope the needs of the Air Force allow for everyone who tracked T-38s to get a fighter, 6) graduate IFF, 7) graduate B-Course 8) Finally you're a fighter pilot.

For special operations, your best bet is to join the Sandhurst or Combat Shooting teams at USAFA. Its their feeder program for the Battlefield Airmen program. By the time you're a junior/senior, you should get a chance to go to selections. If you're selected, then you can get that AFSC at the same time that all of your classmates get whatever they wanted. After you graduate, you have to go through several more schools/training until you can get your beret and go to an operational unit.

If you want a more in depth analysis of the UPT track, @raimius has a pretty good thread on it.
 
GPA, PEA (PT tests and PE Classes), and MPA (Professional Development tests, Room Inspections, and Uniform Inspections) all go into your Overall Performance Average which leads to class rank.
 
Here is an oldie but goodie. It was in response to Superintendent's list question, but is a GREAT summary on OPA. It's from a long time ago, and watch the slight changes in %. (MPA is now top 1/3; GPA and PEA still states as "at least 3.0" for semester honor lists)

Superintendent's Pin

Next time you're out there just look at the left pocket area of the cadet's service dress and you'll know immediately where each individual cadet stands. Not everyone wears their earned pins.
www.serviceacademyforums.com
 
HCopter said:
Here is an oldie but goodie. It was in response to Superintendent's list question, but is a GREAT summary on OPA. It's from a long time ago, and watch the slight changes in %. (MPA is now top 1/3; GPA and PEA still states as "at least 3.0" for semester honor lists)

Superintendent's Pin

Next time you're out there just look at the left pocket area of the cadet's service dress and you'll know immediately where each individual cadet stands. Not everyone wears their earned pins.
www.serviceacademyforums.com
Click to expand...

Now, why would it matter after USAFA and jobs? Well, when the first promotion boards for 1st LT come up, they will have all 1000 of us that will be promoted (ignoring ROTC and OTS for this consideration). But not everyone promotes at the same exact time right? It's done in monthly increments. Many will have great achievements from their 2 years that will help them promote early. What happen to the 400 or so that might be in some part of pilot training or just entered their units. Most, say 300, won't have significant achievement to set them apart. But that many can't be promoted at once. So, what will they use to decide? How about their USAFA class rank. ;) Someone graduating in the top 10% vs the 50th percentile or the bottom quarter is likely to promote first. A couple months right? No big deal. Repeat for captain. Hum, we have 30 captains that are pretty similar, but they're academy grads, let's promote the top grads first. Then the same happens at the LtCol boards. This means that the top grads could be a couple years ahead of their fellow grads which translates to higher pay and maybe better retirement, no?
Click to expand...

This bit of that post is no longer relevant. Barring any major issues (DUI, derelictions of duty, AWOL, etc.) everyone promotes to 1st Lt at 2 years and Captain at 4 years. No increments for these first two. . . unless I've been completely out-of-loop somehow through these past two promotions.
 
AFrpaso said:
This bit of that post is no longer relevant. Barring any major issues (DUI, derelictions of duty, AWOL, etc.) everyone promotes to 1st Lt at 2 years and Captain at 4 years. No increments for these first two. . . unless I've been completely out-of-loop somehow through these past two promotions.
Click to expand...
This is accurate. The difference in line number is an issue of months. Now, if you make it to Col, those few months of making Major pay earlier, a few months of LtCol pay earlier, and a few months of Col pay earlier would be several thousand dollars minimum. It is a not a matter of being years ahead though. Being promoted below the zone is a completely different topic that heavily relies on performance reports, not class rank.
 
In the post, the writer suggests line number and therefore promotion date are affected by class rank - but the smiley face makes it seem like a suggestion vs fact or possibly even a guess. Does anyone know with certainty? Barring prior service, everyone in the same graduating class are all commissioned on the same day so they should have the same time in grade and time in service. Why can they not all have the same promotion date? Why would it be different by even a month from O-1 to O-3?
 
BuckeyeDad20 said:
In the post, the writer suggests line number and therefore promotion date are affected by class rank - but the smiley face makes it seem like a suggestion vs fact or possibly even a guess. Does anyone know with certainty? Barring prior service, everyone in the same graduating class are all commissioned on the same day so they should have the same time in grade and time in service. Why can they not all have the same promotion date? Why would it be different by even a month from O-1 to O-3?
Click to expand...

There is no difference for promotions to O-2 and O-3. Looks like that was the system at the time that post was made, but it is no longer. Right now everyone promotes at 2 years time-in-grade (barring any screw-ups). Time-in-service does not play a factor so those prior-E folks will not promote sooner.

The first promotion board (with line numbers and increments) starts at O-4.
 
raimius said:
This is accurate. The difference in line number is an issue of months. Now, if you make it to Col, those few months of making Major pay earlier, a few months of LtCol pay earlier, and a few months of Col pay earlier would be several thousand dollars minimum. It is a not a matter of being years ahead though. Being promoted below the zone is a completely different topic that heavily relies on performance reports, not class rank.
Click to expand...
In the Navy, the difference at O4 and up can end up with a year separation. Due to numbers of vacancies, sometimes the "zone" going in front of the promotion board can be "split" and part of what was the initial commissioning year group is included and part waits for the next year.
 
NinoBaldacci said:
There's a lot to unpack in this question, but long story short USAFA doesn't do a branch night like Navy or WP do. My experience is slightly dated, but I don't think things have changed much. Fall of C1C year you will have the choice to list 3 rated (pilot, WSO, ABM, etc) jobs and if I remember correctly, 5 non-rated jobs (weather, intel, logistics, etc). You can forgo the rated options if you are not interested in that. From there, your inputs go into an enigma of a computer algorithm that spit out what job you will get based off class rank. Firsties are typically notified of their AFSC in the Feb/March time frame. A few months after that, they will send out a similar list, but this time it will have options for bases depending on what the outcome of your AFSC. Your inputs go into the same computer algorithm and around 100's night (100 days until graduation) you get your base assignment.

If you want to be a fighter pilot you have to have to 1) get selected for UPT/ENJJPT, 2) finish IFS, 3) finish T-6s 4), track T-38s, 5) hope the needs of the Air Force allow for everyone who tracked T-38s to get a fighter, 6) graduate IFF, 7) graduate B-Course 8) Finally you're a fighter pilot.

For special operations, your best bet is to join the Sandhurst or Combat Shooting teams at USAFA. Its their feeder program for the Battlefield Airmen program. By the time you're a junior/senior, you should get a chance to go to selections. If you're selected, then you can get that AFSC at the same time that all of your classmates get whatever they wanted. After you graduate, you have to go through several more schools/training until you can get your beret and go to an operational unit.

If you want a more in depth analysis of the UPT track, @raimius has a pretty good thread on it.
Click to expand...
Do you know what one would do for intel? Any particular degree or activity?
 
Usually around the end of your 2 deg year or beginning of firstie year, AFSC (job) preferences open up. You rank your rated choices and non-rated choices separately. It then goes to a rated board and then to a non-rated board. This usually takes months. Then, usually on a Friday, job drops happen where firsties play “games” to get their job and celebrate later that night.
 
Sciencnerd said:
Do you know what one would do for intel? Any particular degree or activity?
Click to expand...
Intel was a fairly high demand job during my time at USAFA. There is not one degree or activity that will set you apart for this job at the Academy since job assignments are based on class rank. Thinking about degree options at the Academy that could potentially help you after you get the job, I would think Political Science, Foreign Area Studies, or Geospatial Science could help you.
 
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