In a major step toward the goal of engraining the Total Force concept into its leaders, the Air Force Officer Training School conducted its first graduation ceremony incorporating Active Duty, Reserve, and Air National Guard trainees. The Oct. 10 ceremony at Maxwell AFB, Ala., commissioned 193 new second lieutenants, including 73 Active Duty and 12 Reserve candidates who completed the Basic Officer Training course, and 108 ANG trainees who finished the Academy of Military Science, according to a release. For the first time, all the officer candidates went through parallel eight-week training courses, rather than the 9.5 week program for Active Duty and Reserve and six weeks for ANG. “The simultaneous training provided the same great training to two great officer candidate groups,” said Col. Scott Lockwood, OTS commandant. The Total Force integration also is shown in the staffing and command at OTS, where the commandant’s office rotates between an Active Duty and an ANG officer. OTS is working to merge the BOT and AMS programs and training into a single culture.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
