A week in the program consists of PT (Physical Training) on Mondays and Fridays, and Leadership Laboratory on Wednesdays. Air Force class schedule will depend on year: AS100s' class is on Wednesdays, AS200s' on Fridays, and upperclassmen's on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
AS100 year is your first year and is where you will learn the very basics of military culture, customs and courtesies, dress and appearance, and how to march. You will attend an ROTC class once a week where you will learn about the history of the Air Force as well as how to give a military briefing and how to write to the Air Force standard. In the spring, you will learn practical skills such as combat first aid, land navigation, fire and maneuver, and how to move as a fireteam. the whole year you will establish the foundation of your leadership skills.
AS200 year is your second year in the program. Here, you will assume a leadership position within your flight to continue to develop your leadership skills. Your primary focus here is to hone your leadership style while also retaining the information you learned in your 100 year. In the spring, you will begin preparing for Field Training. This semester is largely considered to be the most difficult in your ROTC career as it will test your mental and physical toughness as well as your wingmanship with your classmates. Field Training preparation will test your proficiency in all the skills that you have learned and your ability to lead under pressure, but will also more than adequately prepare your for success at Field Training.
Field Training is a two and a half week evaluation of your leadership and practical skills at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. It is broken into two phases: garrison and field. In the garrison field, located at Maxwell, the focus is evaluating your critical thinking skills and your skills with drill. The second phase, known as Vigilant Warrior, the focus is evaluating your leadership skills in a "field" environment. Here, you will experience war games and combat scenarios. This is where your proficiency in practical skills will come in handy. At the end, you will graduate and return to the detachment triumphantly as new POC.
In your third year you are now part of the POC corps. The responsibility is now on you to ensure the cadet wing operates efficiently and effectively. You will be assigned a job, whether that is a support role such as Public Affairs or the Armory, or operational, where you will be responsible for training the new AS100s and 200s. Overall, you are the "doers" of the wing, executing the plans and vision of the AS400s.
This is it, your final year in ROTC. You are now entrusted with running the cadet wing at a higher level than when you were an AS300. You are the leaders of the wing, often occupying roles such as flight and squadron commander. You will further develop your leadership skills here as you manage larger groups of people, simulating conditions as an active-duty lieutenant. You will spend this year preparing for active-duty service, and will also receive your job assignment early this year. At the end of this year, all of your work will pay off as you graduate and commission.
