Air Education and Training Command

Air Education and Training Command's mission is to replenish the combat capability of America's Air Force with high quality, professional airmen.

Air Education and Training Command consists of 13 bases, more than 43,000 active-duty members and 14,000 civilians. The command has responsibility for approximately 1,600 aircraft.

The command includes Air Force Recruiting Service, two numbered air forces and the Air University.

Second Air Force, with headquarters at Keesler AFB, MS, is responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and support officers. The first stop for all Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve enlisted people is basic military training at Lackland AFB, Texas.

Nineteenth Air Force, with headquarters at Randolph AFB, TX, conducts AETC's flying training.

Air University, headquartered at Maxwell AFB, Ala., conducts professional military education (PME), graduate education and professional continuing education for officers, enlisted members and civilians throughout their careers.

Air University has responsibility for the Air Force Officer Accessions and Training Schools. The AFOATS commander provides direction for two of the Air Force's three commissioning programs. The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps commissions more than 2,000 officers annually through programs located at 143 detachments at colleges and universities across the country.

Officer Training School is located at Maxwell AFB, AL, and provides basic officer training, a 12-week program designed to commission 1,700 officers annually for the next several years. Additionally, OTS conducts a four-week commissioned officer training program for 1,500 new judge advocates, chaplains and medical officers each year.

Air University's PME schools prepare students from the Air Force, its sister services and allied nations for more responsible positions as they progress through their careers. Emphasis in these programs includes leadership, military doctrine and aerospace power.

Squadron Officer College includes two resident schools and one wing-level program: Aerospace Basic Course, Squadron Officer Course (taught at the wing level) and Squadron Officer School. The Aerospace Basic Course is the first residence course in officer PME and is for newly commissioned second lieutenants and selected civilians. The four-week class includes modules of study designed for students to comprehend their role as airmen. The mission of Squadron Officer School, the second officer PME course, is to develop dynamic leaders rededicated to the profession of arms. For captains with four to seven years experience, this five-week course is taught seven times per year, with about 520 students per class.

Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is the Air Force's intermediate officer PME school, preparing field grade officers (primarily majors and majors-select) and civilians to assume positions of higher responsibility within the military and government arenas. Geared toward teaching the skills necessary for command, ACSC focuses on shaping and molding future squadron commanders.

Air War College is the senior school in the Air Force PME system and annually prepares more than 260 participants including officers from all branches of the armed forces, international officers, and civilians of equivalent rank from U.S. government agencies. The 44-week class schedule emphasizes joint operations and the employment of aerospace power in support of national security.

The College for Enlisted Professional Military Education is responsible for the instructional programs and faculty development for all Air Force enlisted PME programs. This includes the Airman Leadership Schools, Noncommissioned Officer Academies and the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy. Airman Leadership Schools prepare senior airmen for supervisory duties and foster a commitment to the profession of arms. The course objective is for each student to gain an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the noncommissioned officer. Noncommissioned and Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academies provide professional military education to noncommissioned officers for positions of greater responsibility by broadening their leadership and supervisory skills and expanding their perspective of the military profession. The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) offers and awards job-related associate in applied science degrees and other academic credentials that enhance mission readiness, contribute to recruiting, assist in retention, and support the career transitions of Air Force enlisted members. Air Force enlisted members are automatically enrolled in the CCAF and begin earning college credit during basic military training.

The Air Force Institute of Technology meets the ever changing and challenging scientific, engineering, and technical management needs of the Air Force and the Department of Defense through its graduate and continuing education programs. AFIT's organization and mission is focused on exploiting the full potential of powered flight as an instrument of national defense.

The Ira C. Eaker College for Professional Development provides world-class professional continuing education and technical training to Air Force, international, and other DOD people. Its eight schools include the Commanders' Professional Development School; the Air Force Chaplain Service Institute; the Air Force Judge Advocate General School; the DOD Professional Military Comptroller School; the Air Force Human Resource Management School; the Air Force Historian Development School; the International Officer School; and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy, and offer 72 resident courses and 26 distance learning/exportable courses.

The College of Aerospace Doctrine, Research and Education assists in the development, analysis, and wargaming of the concepts, doctrine and strategy of aerospace power. It also educates Air Force and joint communities on war fighting at the operational and strategic level through research, wargaming and military education courses. The college prepares flag officers from all military services for leadership positions in the joint warfighting environment.

AETC's predecessor, Air Training Command, was formed in 1942 and trained more than 13 million people.

ATC installations between 1942 and 1993 ranged from a peak of more than 600 installations during World War II, to a low of 13 when it was redesignated July 1, 1993. Command headquarters was located in Fort Worth, Texas, and Barksdale AFB, La., during the mid- and late-1940s.

It was relocated to Scott AFB, Ill., in 1949, and moved to Randolph AFB in 1957.