Glossary of Military Terms

A–C

  • ABU

    Airman Battle Uniform

  • AECP

    Airman Education and Commissioning Program—for enlisted personnel to pursue their bachelor’s degree while remaining on active duty. Upon graduation, members attend Officer Training School to receive their commission.

  • AETC SG

    Air Education Training Command/Surgeon General

  • AFIT

    Air Force Institute of Technology

  • AFOQT

    Air Force Officer Qualifying Test. A standardized test similar to the SAT and ACT that measures aptitudes and is used to select applicants for officer commissioning programs or specific training programs; a required test for all cadets and students on scholarship or in the POC.

  • AFROTC

    Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps

  • AFSC

    Air Force Specialty Code

  • Air Force Unit

    An Air Force organization, whether it be a flight, wing, squadron, detachment, etc.

  • APAS

    Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies

  • AS100

    Aerospace Studies—a freshman-level course focusing on the structure and missions of Air Force organizations, officership and professionalism

  • AS100 Cadets

    Cadets in their freshman year of college

  • AS200

    Aerospace Studies—a sophomore-level course concerned with the beginnings of manned flight and the development of aerospace power in the United States

  • AS200 Cadets

    Cadets in their sophomore year of college

  • AS300

    Aerospace Studies—a junior-level course studying the anatomy of leadership, the need for quality and management leadership, the role of discipline in leadership situations and the variables affecting leadership

  • AS300 Cadets

    Cadets in their junior year of college

  • AS400

    Aerospace Studies—a senior-level course covering the role of the professional military leader in a democratic society, societal attitudes toward the armed forces, the requisites for maintaining adequate national defense structure, the impact of technological and international developments on strategic preparedness and the overall policy-making process and military law

  • AS400 Cadets

    Cadets in their senior year of college

  • ASCP

    Airman Scholarship and Commissioning Program—allows enlisted personnel to separate from active duty and receive a scholarship worth up to $15,000 per year while pursuing their commission through Air Force ROTC

  • AAS

    Arnold Air Society (community service organization)

  • Basic Aptitude Test

    BAT—A computerized test battery; it is used as an aid in the selection of United States Air Force Pilot candidates.

  • Cadets

    Members of the student population of AFROTC

  • Cadre

    Members of AFROTC faculty population

  • CAP

    Civil Air Patrol

  • COC

    Commandant of Cadets

  • Commander

    The officer in charge of running an Air Force unit’s day-to-day operations

  • Commission

    Bestowed upon an AFROTC graduate by the president of the United States, recognizing them as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.

  • Commissioned

    Appointed by the president of the United States

  • Contract

    The document cadets have to sign stating they are committed to joining the Air Force after graduating from college

  • Crosstown Schools

    A school that has an agreement with a nearby AFROTC detachment

D–F

  • Det or Detachment

    Air Force ROTC unit at a host university

  • DoD

    Department of Defense

  • DODMERB

    Department of Defense Medical Examination Records Board

  • Dream Sheet

    Job and assignment preference worksheet for cadets

  • Enlisted-Friendly Schools

    Colleges and universities that award college credit for technical school courses completed and community college of the Air Force degrees

  • Field Training

    Five-week encampment in which cadets receive officership training

G–I

  • GMC

    General Military Course—an ROTC course offered to freshmen and sophomores designed to improve communication skills and provide instruction about the profession of arms

  • High School Scholarship Program

    Provides three- and four-year scholarships in three different types to high school seniors

  • Hispanic-serving Institutions

    A college or university that’s Hispanic enrollment must be at least 25 percent of the total student enrollment

  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities

    HBCUs—institutions founded primarily for the education of African Americans, although their charters were not exclusionary

  • Host Detachment

    A detachment’s physical location where it conducts classes

  • Host Institution or University

    A college or university that has an AFROTC detachment physically located on its campus.

  • HQ AETC

    Headquarters Air Education Training Command

  • In-College Scholarship Program

    ICSP—open to college freshmen and sophomores in any major, the program is divided into two selection phases and awards Type 2 (tuition capped at $18,000 per year), Type 3 (tuition capped at $9,000 per year) or Type 6 (tuition capped at $3,000 per year) scholarships for two or three years

  • Installation

    Another term used to describe an Air Force base

J–L

  • JAG

    Judge Advocate General—lawyer

  • Leadership Laboratory

    LLAB—ROTC course for all cadets to learn management and leadership skills

M–O

  • Military Schools

    An institution that provides students with higher education opportunities combined with teachings on military strategy and tactics. Military schools’ populations can be either totally military or combined military and regular students.

  • Nontechnical Majors

    Nontechnical majors are those majors not grounded in a scientific basis OR deemed critical to the Air Force

  • Other Minority Schools

    Minority schools not fitting under HBCU and HSIs. One example would be Native American universities.

P–R

  • PAS

    Professor of Aerospace Studies

  • PDT

    Professional Development Training

  • PFA

    Physical Fitness Assessment. An exam consisting of three events—crunches, push-ups, and a 1.5-mile run—used to determine physical fitness level as part of the application process for the college scholarship program.

  • PFT

    Physical Fitness Test. An exam composed of three events in the following order: push-ups, crunches and a 1.5-mile run. The test is used to ensure cadets maintain an acceptable level of fitness.

  • POC

    Professional Officer Course—ROTC course for juniors and seniors

  • POCERP

    Professional Officer Course Early Release Program—available to Airmen who do not qualify for a scholarship through the SOAR or ASCP programs within two years of completing their degree program

  • PT

    Physical Training

  • RDA

    Regional Director of Admissions

  • Recruiting Flight Commander

    The Air Force officer located at each detachment responsible for in-college and local area recruiting

S–Z

  • Service Dress

    Complete blue uniform

  • Space-A

    Space-available travel on military aircraft

  • TDY

    Temporary duty

  • Technical Fields

    Fields mostly related to careers in the Air Force that have a scientific basis such as engineering, chemistry and meteorology, and that the Air Force considers a need for its officers

  • Technical Majors

    Technical majors are those majors requiring a scientific understanding and background such as engineering, chemistry and meteorology

  • Type 1

    Pays full college tuition, most fees and $600 per year for books

  • Type 2

    Pays college tuition and most fees up to $18,000, and pays $600 per year for books

  • Type 7

    Pays college tuition up to the equivalent of the in-state rate and $600 per year for books

  • Type I

    Pays full college tuition, most fees and $600 per year for books

  • Type II

    Pays college tuition and most fees up to $18,000, and pays $600 per year for books

  • Type VII

    Pays college tuition up to the equivalent of the in-state rate and $600 per year for books

  • UNT

    Undergraduate Combat Systems Officer Training

  • UPT

    Undergraduate Pilot Training

  • USAFA

    United States Air Force Academy