Becoming an Air Force Officer

The following article outlines the job duties, training involved and future prospects of taking on a career as an Air Force officer.

The job:

Did you know that a country's air force is one of the armed services that are responsible for the country's defense? The Air Force patrols and defends that country from in the air. It also defends other countries from time to time, depending on alliances made by their respective governments. All Air Force personnel must be prepared to go to war. National air forces also play a peacekeeping role, second being personnel two international organizations such as the United Nations and to the North Atlantic Treaty organization also known as NATO.

If you want to become an Air Force officer then it would be beneficial for you to know about what this job entails. Air Force officers are the leaders and managers of an Air Force. They are pretty much responsible for leading the personnel under their command. They give them orders, which must be obeyed. And in turn, they received orders from senior officers. Discipline is also an important part of Air Force service life.

Air Force officers must be prepared to make decisions and they must be prepared to make those decisions instantly and often under difficult conditions. They are responsible for the deployment and safety of their personnel. They usually have additional duties which include responsibility for the welfare of personnel, helping them and their families with problems, and assisting in the running of the Air Force Base. They are expected to contribute to life on the base by taking part in an organizing social activities for personnel in their off duty time. In addition to general duties, all officers have specific roles. Pilots and navigators spend most of their time on foreign duties. Highlights are usually trained to fly in one type of aircraft including fast jets, other fixed wing aircraft, or helicopters. They also pilot warplanes, transport, or patrol aircraft. Much of the fighter pilots time is spent in training and on exercise. The navigators plan routes, guide the pilot using radar or by map reading, and watch for any aircraft's.

Although the popular image of an Air Force career is of flying, pilots and navigators are in the minority and many more officers are employed in support roles for on ground duties.

Air traffic controllers provide pilots and navigators with information and control aircraft landings and takeoffs. They are responsible for Air Force planes near their own airfields, but they must liaise with civilian air traffic controllers when their aircraft enters general airspace.

Fighter controllers coordinate air battles. They also operate air defense and missile warning systems. They keep a constant watch for hostile aircraft's entering a nation's airspace and when necessary send up a plane to intercept them and escorted them back into neutral airspace.

Some Air Force officers work as administrators and general officers. They are in charge of teams of airmen and air women, they run the Air Force bases. They may specialize in accounts, property management, or personnel work. They are not restricted to one type of work are generally given new duties every two or three years. They may for example, spend some years working in personnel, then be transferred to accounts work. They may be getting a posting to a basic training school where they construct new entrance to the Air Force officers or airmen and their women. Most administrative general officers enjoy the variety of different postings bring.

Although air forces have made great progress in terms of equal opportunities in the workplace, certain jobs, generally those involving direct combat are not usually available to women.

Training involved:

All Air Force officers follow a basic training course of instruction that covers the following: drill, physical fitness, military discipline, law, skills, and tactics, and teamwork and leadership. Training is intensive and consists of classroom work and practical exercises. After basic training air force officers are trained for their specialist work. Pilots receive basic flying training followed by training on the type of aircraft they are to fly. All other officers are posted to specialist training centers where they follow proprietary courses. Specialist training may last a few months or several years. Those who have civilian professional qualifications attended short induction courses in the Air Force's way of working and procedures. All applicants have to attend a selection Center for a series of aptitude and medical tests and interviews.

Future prospects:

There is a very well defined job promotion structure based on rank as you may or may not know. Air Force officers normally move through the first few ranks automatically. Promotion to higher ranks is on merit. Overall, promotion prospects are decreasing, since most countries are reducing the size of their armed services and the number of higher ranking officers in proportion. However, new officers are still being recruited to replace the older officers taking normal or early retirement but you should probably go that competition for entry is severe.

For further information, contact a local Air Force recruiting office for national Air Force department or Defense Ministry.