Military Flight Aptitude Tests - USAREC - U.S. Army

4 Part I: Careers in Military Aviation
In addition, candidates for the Army, Navy, and Air Force
Academies must have a congressional nomination to be
considered for admission. (Nominations are not necessary
for admission to the Coast Guard Academy.) Most
candidates seek nominations from their members of
Congress. It is not necessary to know Senators or
Representatives personally to be nominated.
Each of the academies offers a four-year program
leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in one of many
disciplines. Students, called cadets or midshipmen, receive
free tuition, room, board, medical and dental care, and a
monthly allowance. Graduates receive a commission as a
military officer and must serve on active duty for at least
five years. Each year, about 13 percent of the military’s
new officers are graduates of these four academies.
Officer Candidate/Training School
Each service offers a program for college graduates with no
prior military training who want to become military
officers. These programs are called Officer Candidate
School (OCS) or Officer Training School (OTS), depending
on the service. Interested candidates must apply
through a local recruiter after graduation or as early as the
fall of their senior year. Men and women selected for
OCS/OTS join the military as enlisted members for the
duration of their OCS/OTS training. Depending on the
service, OCS/OTS lasts up to twenty weeks. After
successful completion, candidates are commissioned as
military officers and have a minimum active-duty service
obligation of four years. Each year, about 21 percent of the
military’s new officers are commissioned through OCS/
OTS. For more information, contact a recruiter.
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
Undergraduate students in public or private colleges or
universities receive training to become military officers
under the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).
ROTC programs for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and
Marine Corps are available in over 1,400 colleges and
universities nationwide.
Depending on the service and ROTC option selected,
students train for two, three, or four years. Often, they
receive scholarships for tuition, books, fees, uniforms, and
a monthly allowance. In addition to their military and
college course work, ROTC candidates perform drills for
several hours each week and participate in military training
exercises for several weeks each summer. Graduating
ROTC candidates become commissioned as military
officers and either go on active duty or become members of
Reserve or National Guard units. Each year, about 44
percent of the military’s new officers are gained through
ROTC programs.
www.petersons.com/arco
For information on the colleges and universities that
offer ROTC programs for a particular service, contact a
recruiter from that service.
Direct Appointments
Medical, legal, engineering, and religious professionals
who are fully qualified in their field may apply to receive
direct appointments as military officers. These individuals
enter military service and begin practicing their profession
with a minimum of military training. The service obligation
for officers entering through direct appointment is two
years. Each year, direct appointments make up about 11
percent of the military’s new officers.
Other
In addition to the four main pathways, the services have
programs for qualified enlisted personnel to earn commissions
as officers. Once selected to an enlisted commissioning
program, enlisted personnel must follow one of the
pathways described above to receive their commissions.
These programs are exclusive, as they account for only 10
percent of newly commissioned officers each year.
BASIC OFFICER TRAINING
An important part of every pathway leading to officer
commissioning is training in the basic knowledge required
to become a military officer. The topics covered in this
training include
n The role and responsibilities of the officer
n Military laws and regulations
n Service traditions
n Military customs and courtesies
n Leadership
n Career development
n Military science
n Administrative procedures
In addition, most commissioning pathways involve physical
conditioning consisting of calisthenics, running, and
drills.
The duration and timing of officer training varies
with the commissioning pathway followed. For example,
ROTC candidates receive basic officer training over the
course of their two- to four-year ROTC programs. The
same is true for cadets or midshipmen at the service
academics. In contrast, OCS/OTS candidates receive their
basic officer training in the 12- to 20-week OCS/OTS
programs they attend after graduation from college.