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First wave of ROTC field training gets underway

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jason Lake
  • Air University Public Affairs
MAXWELL AFB, Ala. --  More than 360 ROTC cadets, mostly upcoming juniors from 144 colleges nationwide, kicked off the first wave of summer field training May 8 at Maxwell Air Force Base.

In the next three months, Air Force ROTC officials forecast more than 2,300 cadets will participate in the annual training that serves as a right of passage for college students pursuing a commission as an Air Force officer.

The six waves of field training slated this summer won't be as familiar to returning senior cadets serving as cadet training assistants because the program has undergone several major changes, said Capt. James Oriani, the special projects officer for the first class of cadets.

The ROTC's four-week "basic training" now has 10 hours of hand-to-hand combat instruction, which is similar to what officer trainees counterparts receive at Officer Training School.

While field training includes 11 days of traditional training such as marching, leadership and orientation courses, nearly half of the new curriculum is deployment and combat training. Six days of expeditionary training at the Maxwell AFB Blue Thunder tent city and six days of intense combat operations training at the Air National Guard's Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center near Hattiesburg, Miss, were added in an effort to standardize officer accession training and instill a "warrior ethos" as directed by the Air Force chief of staff.

"The plan to consolidate AFOATS officer training has been in place for some time. Our commander, Maj. Gen. Alfred K. Flowers, wanted us to begin conducting all Air Force ROTC training in the same location as OTS. That way, AFOATS would be able to provide more of a shared common training experience for graduates of both programs," said Lt. Col. Geoffrey McClendon, the ROTC deputy director of operations. "Recent changes in the way we fight have driven a need for more tactical savvy Airmen with an expeditionary mindset. That made the consolidation of field training this summer the perfect time to restructure our syllabus as well. We've been able to mesh our curriculum with OTS, and increase the warrior ethos of our graduates at the same time."

At Camp Shelby, cadets will be immersed in urban combat, clear buildings during live-fire exercises, and learn about convoy operations firsthand.

"Adding expeditionary skills training at the Joint Forces Training Center was crucial to preparing warrior leaders with the ability to lead troops in today's environment and to fight and win the war on terrorism," Colonel McClendon said.

This is the first year ROTC summer field training will be hosted exclusively at Maxwell AFB. Last year, three groups were hosted at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., in addition to three groups hosted here. The decision earlier this year to make Maxwell AFB the exclusive host base for the training and incorporate extensive deployment training was one of the most significant changes to ROTC training in more than 60 years.