What happens after graduation?

skismuggs

skismuggs

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Jan 12, 2013
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My question is what happens to the newly minted 2 LT after graduation and after leave. I know they report to their base of assignment then...??? Do they get sent for training right away? Do they get assigned jobs right away or are they like " come in tomorrow and we'll find something for you to do?" Do they start shadowing senior officers?

Sorry for the questions. At the SA, we had an idea of what to expect and what was coming ( to a degree.) I guess what I'm looking at is the first 1-2 years after graduation. Thank you.
 
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What service are you asking about? Army? Sort of varies based upon that.
 
For Army, by law West Poing graduates are allowed up to 60 days of graduation leave. So if you get a late reporting date for Basic Officer training, more leave. Once your report to your first training, depends on the branch, you will spend anywhere for 4 months to 18 months (Avaiation is longest, fligth school). There are some follow on schools - my case I reported to Fort Benning in August - Infantry Office Basic Course, Bradley Fighting Vehicle Leaders Course, Ranger School (extended version) than reported my first unit in July. I spent next 16 or 18 months a platoon leader leading four Bradley Fighting Vehicels and 20+ Infantry soldiers, to inlcude a short training deployment to foreign country and two trips to the National Training Center. This sums up my first two years.
 
USAFA grads get 60 days of leave after graduation and then report to their base. From there, it diverges. Rated trainees (pilot, CSO, UAV operator, Air Battle Manager) are assigned a "casual status" job at their training base until their class starts. Casual jobs are usually regular office jobs that augment various base functions like personnel, medical, safety office, etc. Non-rated officers start work in their assigned squadron, and are sent to their specific tech-school as the slots open up.

Here's my experience with the AF pilot pipeline:
28 May 2014 - USAFA Graduation
June-July 14 - 60 days of leave
28 Jul 14 - Reported to Columbus AFB for pilot training
Early August 14 - Back to Colorado for 3ish weeks of IFS (Introductory Flight Screening)
Sep - late Oct 14 - Worked various short "casual" jobs at Columbus (ID checker, urinalysis proctor, etc.).
27 Oct 14 - Started pilot training
June 2015 - Track selected helicopters
July 2015 - Moved to Alabama for AF helicopter training. My classmates who tracked T-1's (cargo & refueling) and T-38's (fighter/bomber track) stayed at Columbus.

Looking to the future:
February 2016 - Graduate from pilot training and receive my aircraft assignment
SERE/Water survival training
Anywhere from 4 months - 1 year of training in my assigned helicopter/tilt-rotor platform
Report to my first operational flying squadron sometime late 2016-2017

Lots of training. Worth every minute!
 
skismuggs said:
My question is what happens to the newly minted 2 LT after graduation and after leave. I know they report to their base of assignment then...??? Do they get sent for training right away? Do they get assigned jobs right away or are they like " come in tomorrow and we'll find something for you to do?" Do they start shadowing senior officers?

Sorry for the questions. At the SA, we had an idea of what to expect and what was coming ( to a degree.) I guess what I'm looking at is the first 1-2 years after graduation. Thank you.
Click to expand...

All of the above and more. falcongirl gave a pretty standard timeline for graduates who go to any of the UPT bases. Sometimes the casual status at UPT is longer - it certainly was for 2013 at Laughlin.

For other career fields it will depend. Some will go direct to their training base such as intel, CSO, ABM, RPA, CRO/STO. Many of the support fields go direct to their operational base and then take a TDY to their training course. Some will do a TDY en route to their base if the course date is early enough.

As falcongirl said, pilots as well as other operational types like CSO and CRO/STO will expect a couple years of training before hitting their operational unit and then probably another 6-18 months of training in their operational unit before being fully qualified. Others like MX, WX, logistics, etc. tend to be fully training within 12-18 months after 60 days. Usually they become flight commanders in their units fairly quickly.

That's the first 2-4 years typically.
 
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DD did TBS and then reported to Parris Island and thrown into the mix as Adjutant for headquarters company. Sink or Swim. Now EWS school at Quantico. It has been a long road.
 
One of my sons actually traded his assignment to Vance so he could complete a project he was working on at graduation (and I am NOT going to say that project is now his WIFE), so he could go later, and to Hell- I mean Del- Rio.

My sons' time at IFS overlapped by a few days and that was a fun but stressful time for them.
 
DS blew off AFIT (didn't want to delay pilot too long), did casual at USAFA (so he could live back at home for awhile and make bank...), IFS ~4 months after grad, reported to Vance for UPT ~10 months after grad.
 
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