Professional Development Training

Air Force ROTC offers various Professional Development Trainings (PDT) that consist of specialized classes and opportunities in a variety of Air Force fields. PDTs are designed to educate cadets on the wide range of activities and missions that the Air Force accomplishes. Air Force ROTC cadets compete for slots in PDTs, and they typically occur during summer breaks when school is not in session. Listed below are some PDTs that Det 280 cadets have participated in during recent years.

Air Force Academy Freefall (AFAFF) Parachute Training Program

AFAFF is a 12-day parachute training program that is conducted at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado Springs, Colorado. The course is comprised of strenuous physical training, conditioning, ground school, and five freefall jumps from 4,500 feet above ground level. Cadets completing all five jumps are awarded jump wings. Cadets under 18 years of age are not allowed to attend AFAFF without parental consent.

Azimuth

Azimuth is a unique summer program for Academy cadets as well as Navy, West Point and ROTC students considering a commission in the U.S. Space Force. The two-week opportunity provides an immersive introduction to operations in the space domain. Modeled after NASA’s two-year Astronaut Training Program, Azimuth introduces the cadets to space through academics, industry and military visits, neutral buoyancy, zero gravity, and rocket building.

Project Global Officer (GO)

Project GO is an initiative of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO), administered by the Institute of International Education to promote critical language and study abroad opportunities to Air Force ROTC students. The U.S. military needs future military officers who possess the necessary critical language and cross-cultural communication skills required for effective leadership in the 21st century operational environment. Project GO scholars study the following critical languages in domestic and overseas programs: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu.

National Character and Leadership Symposium (NCLS)

NCLS is USAFA’s flagship event on character and leadership. It brings together distinguished scholars, military leaders, corporate executives, and world-class athletes to motivate and equip participants for honorable living and effective leadership. It is a two-day event held at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.