I’m 22 years old joining AFROTC for the term of Fall 2024. Of all the videos I have watched to prepare on how to get my chances to the top of being selected. This is definitely the best video I have watched to help me complete my dream of being an AF Pilot. Thank you sir for this video!
What advice would you give to someone looking to join the airforce for the first time age 27. I have enough credits to be a sophmore so it would most likely be 3 years of rotc however i really just want to enlist at E3 and go active duty now and save some good money my first contract.
Well, there are a lot of variables to consider for both paths. Is your goal to be an officer? If it is I would still recommend joining ROTC. The difference in pay as an officer is really going to be huge your first 4 years in and depending on how much college debt you have, you should be able to pay it off fairly easily. You will also get help with college through ROTC. They are now putting everyone on scholarship once they get back from field training. This means the last 2 years of college you will be on scholarship. Once you commission, you will be a 2nd Lt, and it's only 2 years to 1st Lt and 2 more to Captain. Checkout the pay chart for a Captain and you will see what I'm talking about. Then you will still have the GI bill to get advanced degrees later on. If you don't really care to be an officer then I would recommend that you enlist like you mentioned. While enlisted you can finish up your degree taking classes after work and you will be all set for your degree. You can apply for OTS while enlisted, but it is very competitive and the number of people that go through OTS is way less than ROTC or USAFA. I would think that for the long term going ROTC is a better option, but there certainly isn't anything wrong with enlisting either. The pay isn't bad and the benefits are great, it just isn't as much money as an officer would make. Hope this helps.
Thanks for posting this video! Lots of information in this one. But I have a question about both Missile Officers being at the launch console at the same time if one of them is sleeping/resting in the sleep bunk. I have watched several documentaries of Missileers and the content was likely recorded during a training session rather than during an actual shift. Except for one. Can't remember if it was the 60 Minutes episode or a different one. Anyway, while the camera crew was standing at the launch console with the 2 officers, an alert tone began to sound, and the camera folks were told to exit the control room, with the door being closed behind them. When the camera crew was allowed to return to the control room, the 2 officers couldn't say much about what had just happened, due to the classified nature of the event.
I’ve seen those news stories too. The alarm means the crew has to process an EAM (emergency action message). The code books used to decode the message are classified so they can’t be viewed by the TV crew which is why they need to step out. While the crew is on duty and it’s just the 2 of them and the blast door is locked one person can sleep and most actions can be accomplished by lone awake person including decoding certain EAMs. If something more important happens or if you get visitors you need to wake up the other crew member. Usually the second crew member does not need to be woken up. Some people have a reputation for being a status magnet meaning everything goes wrong when they are on alert and not much sleep will happen.
@@jrobion Thanks so much for explaining further how the shift works for the 2 Launch Officers. I had *no idea* that some EAM's could be decoded by just one Launch Officer, given the mission-critical nature of the job itself. Obviously, both Launch Officers need to be at the console in order to launch the nuclear-tipped Minuteman ICBM's to wherever they are programmed to go, resulting in the Apocalypse. Regarding "visitors" to the Launch Bunker underground, I'm guessing that when a Full Colonel or (worse yet) a 1 or 2 star general shows up, BOTH officers need to up and "ready to go," as they say. How was the food at the missile site? Were the chefs pretty good cooks? Again, thanks for your reply to my comment. Really appreciated.
4:16 71S Special Investigations. (CSI for the Air Force!) Officers in the 71S career field are called Special Agent and they don't wear rank. Even so, they are still officers and responsible for crime scene investigations, counterterrorism, and keeping Airmen and Guardians safe. The special investigations career field is not entry-level; in other words, you cannot become a Special Investigations Agent when you first join the Air Force. Enlisted Air Force members may apply for special agent duty once they've first served in another career field. Those eligible are master sergeants, technical sergeants, and staff sergeants with fewer than 12 years of military service, Senior airmen with fewer than six years of service, and senior airmen-selects. All applicants must have outstanding performance and disciplinary records.
*David Grantham's book "Consequences: An Intelligence Officer's War" (2020)* does a superb job describing what it is like to be an Intelligence Officer in a Combat Zone. As a member of the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations (A.F.O.S.I.), he describes one of the most difficult disciplines in the Intelligence Field, Human Intelligence, which includes recruiting and running sources, as well as analysis to create an all source product for Commanders and other National Security Decision Makers to use. This effort also dovetails with Counter-Intelligence, which protects friendly forces and foils intelligence collection efforts by adversaries. His experiences at Camp Cropper gives us an insight not only into the works of Al Qaeda in Iraq but also the genesis of ISIS. I highly recommend this to graduate students and the general public if they want to know what it is like in the Intelligence Community in an armed conflict. In popular culture: In the 2008 film Eagle Eye, actress Rosario Dawson played AFOSI Special Agent Zoe Perez. In the 2013 film Mirage Men, Richard Doty, a retired OSI special agent, played himself in a documentary about the AFOSI investigation into UFOs between 1952 and 1969. In the seventh episode of Season 8 in the 1997 television series Stargate SG-1, SG-1 team member Teal'c has been given permission to live off-base by the OSI in general, but is subsequently investigated by AFOSI officer 'Colonel Kendrick' for stopping or otherwise becoming involved with crimes in his neighbourhood. In the first episode of Season 2 in the 2013 television series The Americans, KGB Agents Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) and Emmett Connors posed as "United States Air Force Security Forces" and wore AFOSI badges.
I am a veteran, and a lot of this information was still new to me. Most of these things i knew about or at least of, but quite a bit was really new stuff. Thanks for the info!
I will have a bachelors in medical humanities and applied behavioral science in 2025 with around a 3.3 gpa. Should I go to graduate school and enter ROTC or apply to OTC? ROTC allows grads but I heard it’s 3 years and if I get my masters in social work it’s a 2 year program. What would you suggest
If you could get into the ROTC program somehow I would suggest that. Since you only have 2 years of school left I don't think ROTC is an option. This leaves the only option as OTS. ROTC is more of a sure fire way to get a commission, but you can't do it with 2 year unless there is a special program. The main point is that ROTC is the largest commissioning source and OTS is the smallest meaning they aren't taking nearly the number of people. The application process for OTS is pretty long and competitive too, but if you went ROTC you would definitely commission right after you get your masters. If the AF needs officers OTS becomes more of an option because they will increase the numbers they put through. The bottom line is I recommend ROTC if you can do it, but OTS might be the only option you have.
Hi. You can be an officer in the reserves, but your only option would be OTS since you are so close to getting your degree. I recommend talking to a reserve recruiter about the process of applying for that. Good luck.
Think about another pathway. If you’re an airman with really good SAT/Act scores, then you could apply to USAFA prep school. It would be a year of academics, that you can get get credit for freshman courses. If you graduate, you have an automatic appointment to USAFA. My class started around 900 at the Prep School. I think less than 200 of my preppie class ultimately graduated. My USAFA class started with 1650 basic cadets, we graduated with 890. Know that this is a challenging environment.
That's definitely a viable option. What happens if you don't graduate? do you have to go back into the enlisted corps or are you just out? I would think the USAFA prep school would be pretty competitive and my advice is mostly to average airman. Did you have a top notch package for the prep school? Airman of the quarter or anything like that?
@@jrobion I was in the category of not having high enough SAT/ACT scores. Whether you’re prior enlisted, everyone is formally enlisted. I think the requirement was 4 years when I went through. So yes, if you failed you would have to finish out your contract. Three groups of people in the Prep School. Those that didn’t meet the threshold for testing while applying to USAFA. The jocks who were recruited but didn’t meet requirements and prior enlisted that fell in the same category. This school was all about raising SAT & ACT scores. I think we were tested twice a semester. Prior enlisted are judged by their promotion history, so a number are directly selected to USAFA, but many don’t meet the testing threshold and become preppies.
Sounds painfully boring. That's babysitting missiles which never move. Staying in bunkers with other men for days, while the outside weather is arctic cold.
There's a documentary on youtube (can't remember which one) where a Missile Launch Officer had graduated from the Air Force Academy; not sure if he wanted to be a launch officer, or just using the experience as a stepping-stone to other jobs in the Air Force. Even if he wanted to be a launch officer, I kinda felt sorry for the guy, being stuck 60-80 feet underground in the launch control room. If that's what he wanted and is happy doing that function, more power to him!
I’m now really considering this option of rotc but I already have a bachelors degree and am 31. I spent 10 years working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles and am ready for a new chapter in my life. It’s a very tough decision for me as to whether I should do the 3 years rotc in a graduate program or if I should just enlist and cross my fingers that I get selected for ots. Time is not on my side as I would then be 34 finally joining as an officer if everything went smoothly during rotc. Which route would you choose in my position? I definitely want to be an officer and am not a competitive applicant due to a lower gpa for my degree because I was working full time while completing it. So my options are graduate rotc or enlist and apply for ots…
Sir, thanks for your video. One question: if a person enlists having a bachelor degree already, how long is it necessary to serve so that he can apply for the OTS? Could this be done after an year?
Yes, it is 1 year per the regulation. There might be other things that could delay you though. If you have a very long initial training program you might have to wait until that’s complete. You might also be required by your base to finish your 5 level training. The pace that gets done is on you which is good. I would say realistically it will probably be closer to 2 years. Of course it will be competitive so you need to be a rock star airman to have the best chances. Just be sure to get a job you are happy with in case you don’t get selected. 🤞
Hi, I am a college senior graduating with a bachelor’s in December 2024. Can I join the ROTC after finishing the bachelor’s while pursuing a one year/two year master’s? Thank you!
Hello. Unfortunately it probably won't work out. The AFROTCI 36-2011 from 2018 states that a cadet may take 1 year of graduate work as part of ROTC. It also states that ROTC is either a 3 or 4 year program so since you are already getting a degree you won't have 3 or 4 years of graduate study. It also states that scholarship money can't be used to pursue a second undergraduate degree. To be sure you should contact a local ROTC detachment and ask them. The regulation I cited is 6 years old and there might be updated guidance.
What if you're older? 30 years old. Coming in with a bachelors degree. How can someone become a top candidate for OTS? Would getting out and do ROTC be an option?
When I was a ROTC instructor the guidance said that you cannot join ROTC to get a second bachelors degree. Not double major, but you already have one and you are getting another one in ROTC. If that is still the case your best bet would be to try for OTS. It wouldn't hurt to get on your commander's good side. Taking on extra duties and doing them well is also a good idea. If you can get som airman of the quarter awards they look really good on an OTS package. To get the most up to date guidance you can call any ROTC office and ask one of the instructors; they all should know if you can get a 2nd bachelors in ROTC. Good luck!
Prior enlisted OTS guy. I agree AFROTC vs academy vs OTS. OTS was a crapshoot as prior enlisted. I will say if i had gone to OTS right away i would have failed probably. That was over 30 years ago so in todays world i am sure it is way different. Folks thats did OTS at Maxwell dedcribed way better facilities as i recall.
I’m sorry, I don’t think that is possible. You need to be in ROTC for a minimum of 3 years and most graduate degrees are around 2 years. I would recommend calling the ROTC office at the school you want to go to be sure. OTS would be the other option.
Watched from a Reddit post. I built my own hot tub as well. I used the old blow up hot tub unit and connected the air blower too the bottom of a 3x4 food grade container. I put the rest of the machine hidden in stairs beside the container then wrapped it all in insulation and then barn wood. The in and out lines connect to the side then run to the tub connections I cut out from the blow up tub. The air ring is done with pvc with holes. I mounted the folding top controller to the top of the stairs so you can reach it while in the tub. It fits two people and has been working The coolest part compared to your build is I can empty mine and it has the skid movable bottom on it for relocation.
Just saw this video pop up on my feed again, I watched this video right before I joined AFROTC as a sophomore. Now I am 5 weeks out from commissioning and going off to UPT!
It definitely did help, going in I was able to immediately understand what I needed to do to put myself in the best position to be selected. Thank you!
Really cool! I would love to do something like this in Alaska but our ground shifts too much when it freezes. We had to go above ground. Anyway, your tub looks great and the yard ambiance is on point.
Back then the federal government increased the amount of unemployment people could get. It was after the 2000 market crash. Added to that I took a smaller amount of unemployment since I had a part time job. By working part time I reported what I made each week and the unemployment made up the difference to equal $350 per week. I believe my total unemployment benefits were increased to $12,000.
Since you have your degree, your best bet is OTS. You should maybe try to get a quarterly award or volunteer for something outside of work. Then you can start applying to OTS. Hopefully you get approved on the first try. Don’t give up. Good luck !
Does the Air Force still have that animal known as the Airman Education and Commissioning Program (AECP) back in the 1970s? That was my route to finishing my engineering degree and commissioning via AFOTS. It wasn't a large program in terms of numbers but it was a great deal!
The AECP was a great deal. It paid for college, gave you a stipend and your college time counted towards retirement. I think the AECP ended around 2020, but I'm not positive. It appears that the AECP was replaced by ASCP or SOAR. It basically gives enlisted airmen an AFROTC scholarship and allows them to get out of their enlistment early in return for a 4 year commitment as an officer. You can apply for the ASCP after only 1 year time in service. Unlike the AECP, there would be a break in service for the ASCP.
Correct. With AECP you remained on active duty (administratively assigned to AFIT) while going to school. You were promoted to E-5 for pay purposes if you were not already an E-5 or above. @@jrobion
So i was in the navy, got out after my 5 i want to be a pilot in the airforce im now in college working my bachelors degree in aerospace tech service management and in the airguard in security forces would i still be able to become an officer or pilot for the airforce?
Does your college have AF ROTC? Is there another college nearby that does? You can be a pilot for the Air Force, but if there is not a ROTC unit at your school you will need to go down the OTS path. That’s officer training school and is how you can directly become an officer. Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with applying to OTS for a pilot slot.
yes, but I don't have the option the do ROTC. I have one year left to get my bachelors degree. Can I just enlist then after a year of being enlisted apply for commission ? I would love to do ROTC but I was told I can't because I'm almost done. I think I can only take graduate courses "If I'm accepted into a graduate program which I'm not finished with my bachelors so I can't do that yet"
Yes, You can go enlisted and apply to OTS. The only catch is that it is a more competitive process than ROTC. You must be well above the average airman to be competitive for OTS. That means leadership roles in tech school, airman of the quarter awards, etc. Volunteer for stuff and do that stuff well. The main point of the video is ROTC is the easiest path if you can do it.
Great video! I got my pilot license through the AFJROTC Flight Academy, and I'm currently majoring in Aviation-Professional Pilot. I have over 100 hrs of flight experience. Most of them are in the Piper Archer and some hours in the WWII T-6. I will start AFROTC in spring. I am planning to do the 3 years program and participate in the color guard team. My biggest fear is not being selected for pilot in the air force. You mention a lot of information in the video, and I really appreciate it, but any more advices or tips would be great. Thank you!
Hello, I'm currently trying to follow a similar path to what it sounds like you are doing, and I have a couple questions. I'm currently in AFJROTC and I'm also trying to get into the AFJROTC flight academy. I'm wondering what type of requirements you have to meet to get in when it comes to grades or any prior training. And did you have to take the FAA multiple choice ground exam for it as well? I'm currently prepping to take that exam.
@ConradW_ Hi, sorry for the delayed response. You don't have to take the FAA writing exam. You will take it once you are in the academy, but I highly recommend taking practice exams and trying to get as many 90% scores. You can try kings schools, pilot institude, sportys, or sheppard air. Grades play a big role. If I'm not wrong, I think the minimum GPA is 2.5, but I had 4.0 since I always "AIM HIGH," and you should as well! Plus, it increases the chances of being selected. PT Test scores are another big factor. Run 1 mile, pus-ups, and sit-ups for one minute. I got 100% on that, 4:54 mins, 65 push-ups, and 73 sit-ups in one minute. So make sure you are in a sports team. Be a good cadet at JROTC. If you can, try to get as many flight hours before going to the flight academy. Before I went to the flight academy, I had 36 hrs of flight experience and gained 45 more hrs of flight time at the academy. That is optional, but it will help you to have a better understanding of how to fly a plane since the flight academy is just 8 weeks, which means that you will get your PPL in 8 weeks when usually it takes 6-12 months. The AFQFE, Air Force Qualification Flight Exam, or something like that. In that exam, you will be asked basic aviation questions like what are the 4 forces of a flight, what instrument indicates airspeed, attitude, turn coordinator, etc. Basic algebra, find x, y, and z. Weight and balance, table reading "y" is your vertical indicator, and "x" is a horizontal indicator. Find (2x, -19y) where they intercept, that would be the answer. So basically, the answers are in the table. For every section, you have a time limit. There is no pass/fail score since you don't need experience flying an airplane to go to the academy. That's why they don't expect a specific score, but the higher score, the better. I hope this helps, and if you have further questions, please let me know. And remember, your mind is your only limit. YOU GOT THIS! AIM HIGH!
@@victorf.4599 Thank you for your response, I really appreciate it! You covered a lot of the questions I had. And best of luck for you in college AFROTC and going to fly in the air force!
@ConradW_ You're welcome! And thank you! If you have more questions as you approach the academy or what schools you add as your reference list, let me know. And best of luck to you in your training.
I’m a non prior with a bachelors and want to join the air force right away. I want to be in public affairs. I don’t want to wait until the next open board months from now for the CHANCE of being selected to be an officer. If it was possible… I would rather enlist and start now and begin applying to OTS the moment that I am enlisted. Is that a bad idea? Would it hurt my chances of becoming an officer?
No, that’s not a bad idea. The main problem is realistically you would need to get through basic, tech training, and get to your first base before you can start putting in an OTS application. There is a 1 year time in service requirement too. You would also need to demonstrate leadership potential to your commander for him/her to support your package. If selected for OTS, it could still take 6 mo this to 1 year from application to departure to OTS. You could be looking at around 2 years in service before going to OTS if you get selected. You would also need to be in a job that isn’t critically manned too because that would make it even tougher to be allowed to apply. I think enlisting would increase you chances though. You would look better on paper than a civilian as long as you are doing good things in the AF. Plus it’s a steady paycheck with benefits.
Apply for maintenance or logistics. Public affairs is not a stove pipe toward promotion. Apply for something mission oriented because folks earn their chops doing the work. There’s nothing like showing up past midnight and watching maintainers do their work in -20F in N Dakota. That”s when I saw what the troops were accomplishing when no leadership was around. Those were the guys we selected to deploy with.
In this video, he explained that one officer would be at the launch console while the other one would rest or sleep. Did you have those days or nights when you were woken from a sound sleep due to a launch order that had been received? Just wondering.
I joined the Air Force a year ago with a Master's Degree. Joined as E-3. In my case, I went to college and got my master's before joining. What's the easiest path for me to become an officer?
@edwinrivera5000 - Greetings and thanks for the comment. I really think the best path to a commission for you would be to put together an OTS package. If you are doing well in your job and staying out of any disciplinary issues you would likely have a good shot at it. If your degree is a technical one it would increase your chances, but either way you should start preparing a package. If you happen to get turned down, don’t get discouraged, keep doing good work, and submit another package until you get approved. If your supervisor discourages you don’t let it stop you from applying.
In my experience there were a lot of very religious officers in the USAF, but it is kept out of the workplace. If it isn't it is a valid IG complaint. I have been an athiest my entire AF career, but I didn't bring it up often.
Major Robinson, I really enjoyed this video. Its great to hear about your experiences in Afganistan. I was a AS100 at Det 220, when you retired. I remember you being a very kind and respectable cadre member. I'm a 2d LT now. I'm heading to my first duty station in two weeks. Thank you and have a blessed day Sir. 🫡
Current 30 y/o (s)sgt that made it first time through and btz year prior. Thoughts on possible ROTC or OTC? Definitely think ROTC is the more secure route but just curious on others opinions/experience.
I am wondering if I can have your opinion on my current situation. I enlisted in the Army National Guard in June 2023 as a 88N. I leave for basic training on October 30th. Before enlisting I had a bachelors degree in Political science and a minor in International Relations with a 3.97 gpa. However I didn’t know until after I signed my enlisted contract that I could become an officer with a Bachelors degree. Should I do Army BCT and AIT first and then pursue my masters in Cybersecurity while doing Army ROTC under the simultaneous membership program or should I try to get out of my enlisted contract and apply for Army OCS instead?.
That's a tough call. If the simultaneous membership allows you to do graduate work then that would probably be the way to go at this point since you are so close to leaving. If you you have signed the Army National Guard contract it will probably look bad to break the contract and it might even go on your military record which will make getting accepted to OCS harder. The downside of ROTC is you will have to do at least 3 years in the program before commissioning. (at least that is how AF ROTC works) I am not familiar with the acceptance rate to OCS, but the ROTC route is as close to a sure path to commissioning as you can get.
Dude at about 0:55 you said one could become an O-4 “Captain” after about 4 years commissioned. Are you insane? An O-4 is a Major, not a Captain. A Captain is an 0-3. At least that’s what they were when I was in the ISAF during the Vietnam War.
In the old days, Missile Launch Officers could cross train after 4 years on crew. Most who stayed either went to 3901st SMES or 4315th (school house). A return to crew duty was almost a certain follow on assignment for ROTC or OTS instructors. Making field grade from crews was tough. One could do it if one was the Senior DOT or DOV but Flight Commanders almost had to have a second full time job. However, some people were not allowed to cross trained because they were need at Minot in the Codes Vault (a for sure career killer). Some people went to SAC HQ and excelled. The rewards were there but you paid for.
You said in your video that 5 year cadets get put into a different bucket for ranking. Can you please explain what that bucket looks like? (My cadet is an engineer major/5 year program.) Thank you!
