The Air Force | The United States of Amaurita

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of six uniformed branches of the United States. The United States Air Force was originally created in 1907, as the Aeronautical Division of the United States Army's Signal Corps. The United States Air Force was officially established as a separate branch of the Armed Forces in 1947 under the National Security Act. The United States Air Force is the second youngest branch of the Armed Forces, and is fourth in order of precedence. The core missions of the Air Force include air supremacy, global integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, as well as command and control.

Personnel

Recruitment

Citizens may be recruited upon achieving the age of majority, which is 18 years old. However, with parental consent, citizens who are 17 years of age may participate in Air Force sponsored activities, such as sporting teams or civilian programs in the Air Force. Citizens who wish to enlist in the Air Force are required to meet several standards; which include completing high school, maintaining a clean criminal record, and passing health and psychological tests administered by US Air Force Recruiters. The Air Force maintains a minimum of one Recruitment Office in each state, with larger states often having multiple offices to service a larger population. No education past high school is necessary to enlist in the Air Force, yet individuals seeking to become members of medical or engineering units are required to have certain college credentials (field medics and engineers require an Associate's Degree in medicine or engineering; whereas non-field units require a Bachelors Degree).

Non Commissioned Officers are recruited from both enlisted personnel following their ACT tenure, or after two periods of enlistment. Commissioned Officers, in contrast, are recruited from the College System, as well as from the pool of Non Commissioned Officers. Warrant Officers are recruited from all levels, and are usually soldiers having college degrees prior to enlisting. The Federal University System of Amaurita, the federal network of public colleges throughout the nation, offers two and four year programs for Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers, which helps ensure Officers are well educated and competent before training by the US Air Force.

Training

Training begins for recruits at one of several Training Depots throughout the nation, each commanded by a Division of the Air Force Training Corps. Training Depots are where recruits spend an eight week tenure in what is officially referred to as Air Force Basic Training. Unofficially referred to as 'boot camp,' Air Force Basic Training focuses on a recruit's physical fitness, in addition to maintaining and using weapons, reading maps, estimating ranges, write military reports, and the basic concepts beyond piloting and flying. Recruits are also trained in basic field medic practices, and study basic courses on US Military History, the History of Warfare, and the modern United States Military and its structures.

Following basic training, Air Force Recruits are given the Air Force Role Placement Exam, or ARPE. This test measures the skills, physical, and psychological profiles of recruits to determine which School or Academy is best suited for their talents and experiences. Based on their scores, Air Force recruits are transferred to a specialized school that suits their abilities, for a sixteen week period. This period, officially called Advanced Combat Training, is designed train recruits in specialized combat and non combat roles. The largest schools include the School of Engineering, the School of Medical Services, and the School of Field Maintenance.

Following the completion of Advanced Combat Training, Air Force Recruits are officially considered professional members of the United States Air Force, and no longer recruits. Following their ACT Tenure, airmen are transferred into an Air Force Unit in their home inspectorate, though it is acceptable to transfer to an adjacent Inspectorate under some circumstances. Once part of their assigned unit, soldiers continue to experience additional training in the form of regular military exercises.

Non Commissioned Officers, following promotion, are transferred to an NCO Academy for a one year tenure, where they are further trained in combat command, leadership, and other programs necessary for commanding personnel. Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers, in contrast, spend a two year tenure at one of several Officer's Academies ran by the United States Air Force. In Officer's Academies, officer candidates are trained further in combat command, leadership, US Military History, US Military Doctrine, and tactics. There are also several specialized programs that allow officers to specialize in certain roles. Following graduation, newly Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers are transferred to an Air Force Unit in their local Inspectorate.

Service

Once airmen have completed training, and have been transferred, they may serve a three year term in the United States Air Force. Under the War Fatigue Prevention Act, soldiers may only be in combat tours for upwards of eight months during this three year tenure. Following the expiration of their enlistment, airmen spend three years in the US Air Force Reserves, where they are only called upon once a year to undergo Reservist Training, which is a six week program that essentially serves as a refresher for reservists. Following their three year term as a Reservist, Airmen may choose to re-enlist in the Air Force and repeat the same process, or may opt out and be honorably discharged from service. Airmen are permitted to re-enlist a maximum of two times, before being honorably discharged, and serving a maximum of 18 years. After serving one term, or six years, soldiers may apply to take an NCO Exam, which will give them an opportunity to become an NCO in the Air Force following NCO Academy. NCO's, Commissioned Officers, and Warrant Officers do not have to re-enlist as non-officers do, but instead serve as career soldiers. Officers may serve a maximum of twenty years before being honorably discharged, or may retire from military service at age 50, whichever may come first.

Uniforms

The Air Force Combat Uniform (ACU) is the utility uniform worn in garrison and in combat zones by the U.S. Air Force. It consists of a jacket and trousers worn with combat boots and a t-shirt. A matching patrol cap replaced the black beret for wear with the ACU in July 2310. In the field, the jacket may be replaced by the flame resistant Air Force Combat Shirt when worn directly under a tactical vest. It was introduced in 2305, replacing the previous Battle Dress Uniform and Desert Camouflage Uniform. The uniform originally featured a digital camouflage pattern, known as the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP), which was designed for use in woodland, desert, and urban environments. However, beginning in 2310, most soldiers will be issued ACUs using the Italian designed Vegetato camo pattern, which was found to be better suited to that country's terrain. Subsequently, the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP), which is similar to MultiCam, was adopted Air Force-wide starting in 2305, with UCP fully retired in 2309. The ACU jacket bears name tapes, rank insignia, and shoulder patches and tabs, as well as recognition devices such as the U.S. flag patch and the infrared (IR) tab. Two U.S. flag insignia are authorized for wear with the ACU, full-color and subdued IR. The U.S. flag insignia is worn on the right shoulder pocket flap of the ACU coat. Unit patches are worn on the left shoulder, while combat patches are worn on the right. The name tapes, rank, and skill badges are either secured with hook-and-loop fasteners or can optionally be sewn on.

Structure and Command

The United States Air Force has adopted a new, federalized command structure, with modifications to suit the United States' unique geography and federal system of government. The Air Force is commanded overall by 18 Air Force Commands, headed by a General and Lieutenant General, who answer directly to the Chief of the Air Force General Staff, who is in command of the United States Air Force as a whole. Each General oversees all military units headquartered under their jurisdiction during peacetime. In times U.S personnel are deployed off-planet, a Lieutenant General will be appointed command of the expeditionary force. The selected LTG and the Air Force units shipped stationed off world will usually be deployed from the same Command to ensure a smooth transition. Each Air Force Command manages several Divisions, comprised of several Air Brigades and Groups. Air Force Commands also manage reserve Divisions during peacetime, in addition to local National Guard Divisions during times of war or national emergency.

Commissioned Air Force Officers are selected from enlisted personnel and Non-Commissioned Officers in the Air Force based on military experience, pre-military education levels, and interviews with the Air Force Officer's Bureau, an administrative wing of the Air Force. Selected candidates are accepted into one of the Air Force Officer Academy in USAB Lendrum in Colorado. Officer Academies are considered 2 year programs, and upon graduation officers are commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, and is given command of a Section. After two years of service, newly commissioned Second Lieutenants can take a promotion examination in order to be promoted to Lieutenant, the next highest rank. The same procedure applies for all commissioned officer ranks, save the ranks of Deputy Inspector General, Inspector General, and Chief Inspector General. The aforementioned ranks may only be received if nominated by the President of the United States and ratified by the United States Senate.

Tactical Organization