JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas – Today, the Air Force released its Officer Instructor and Recruiting Special Duty candidate lists, which identify officers selected by a central screening board as those most suitable to serve in formal instructor and recruiting positions.
The release of the candidate lists is the next significant milestone in the Air Force’s initiative to transform the officer talent management process used to fill education, training and recruiting positions.
“Our officers who serve in formal instructor and recruiting positions are directly responsible for producing the next generation of Airmen,” said Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services. “This candidate list is the next step in a rigorous selection process through which we’re able to place the right officers in the right positions to recruit and teach Airmen…they’re our competitive advantage, and this selection process helps ensure we retain that advantage in the future.”
The inaugural OI&RSD selection board met in June and considered nearly 1,200 officers for approximately 380 requirements to fill between June 2020 and May 2021. Of the officers considered for this special duty, the board identified more than 300 candidates for instructor duty at the U.S. Air Force Academy, more than 500 candidates for Air University and Basic Military Training instructor positions and officers for recruiting duty. The Air University positions include Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps detachment commanders and instructors, as well as other instructors across the AU enterprise.
With the exception of candidates for AFROTC detachment commander positions, the officers on the candidate list are now eligible to bid for open positions through Talent Marketplace and commanders will use Talent Marketplace to bid on officers from the list who are eligible to fill their requirements. Following the bidding process, AFPC will finalize the matches and release a selection announcement in the fall. AFROTC will match candidates for detachment commander positions through a separate process.
This year the board considered more than 380 nominees for AFROTC detachment commander positions, compared to less than 100 nominees in previous years.
“The board was impressed with the overall quality of officers that senior raters chose to nominate for the many education, training and recruiting opportunities,” said one of the selection board members. “By and large, we assessed that the pool of candidates selected for special duty consideration measured on par or above their peers.”
“These officers should be justifiably proud of their selection from among a competitive group, and look forward to the impact they will have on finding and developing our Airmen. I truly believe this new boarded process can be a game-changer for those who serve in these important developmental positions.”
Candidates who are matched will also receive various ancillary benefits designed to purposely incentivize this key duty. These include having instructor and recruiting duties identified on the Officer Selection Brief and with associated language provided to promotion boards valuing these duties. Where possible, other incentives include deployment exemptions, variable tour lengths (two or three years), alma mater preference for AFROTC instructor positions and follow-on assignment preference.
The OI&RSD candidate selection lists have posted to myPers. Click the Assignment link from the active-duty officer landing page or select the active-duty officer category from the dropdown menu and search “recruiting.”
For more information about Air Force personnel programs, visit AFPC’s public website at http://www.afpc.af.mil/.