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The NASA Super Guppy arrives following the lead of a C-130H Hercules from the 179th Airlift Wing, Mansfield, Ohio, Nov. The 179th Airlift Wing is assisting the NASA Super Guppy in transporting parts of the Orion Space Project to Mansfield where it can be transported by truck to the Glenn Research Center in Sandusky, Ohio. Maine Air National Guard Environmental Commitment Statement The Maine Air National Guard is committed to a sustainable environment as one of our core competencies balanced with our mission. The organization will help ensure its future by using resources to meet current missions without compromising the ability of future airmen.

I have been getting a few questions about how the commissioning process differs for the Air National Guard. As an active duty member I don’t know a lot, but one of the followers of this blog sent me this info to clarify the process. I have sent this to a few people and they confirmed that this sounds about right, so I am posting this for everyone else’s benefit. Please send me any additional info to fill the gaps and I will include in on my site. I am sure that readers will also be curious to know how your story or timeline differs from this one.

So, as you can imagine, the guard process is much different from the AFR or AD process…

First, a little background info on me – I’ve been ANG for my entire AF career; I enlisted in early 2001 and am currently a MSgt select and officer select. I’m with the [redacted] Wing, [redacted] Air National Guard, and just before I was selected for the MSgt position, I had boarded and was selected for a pilot slot with the [redacted] Squadron in my unit, which flies the [redacted]. I had joined with the intent of becoming a pilot; however, back when I was applying there were many circumstances that made finding a Guard pilot spot next to impossible, and I eventually aged-out. Since the update to the 36-2005, I was able to apply to the Guard [redacted].

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The way the Guard selects officers generally follows the same process from base to base, but each state might do it a little differently. It really all depends on the state and individual unit on how they want to open up the positions. The way I typically see it (and how it works at the [redacted]), there will be a formal selection board scheduled each year for rated and non-rated officer positions… Some units will board all positions en masse once a year, others will board a single position as it becomes available. My former unit would post an announcement to the base that there is a commissioning opportunity for a specific job (MX officer, Intel, PAO, etc.) and it would list the application requirements, who it was open to (unit only, state, national), the application submission deadline and contact info, and date of the formal selection board. My current unit does something similar, but applicants don’t apply to a specific position necessarily… they apply to the commissioning board for an interview to be selected so they can be offered a position, and usually the board is scheduled during a drill weekend. The selects are notified and assigned a recruiter to work with them to get their package completed and submitted to the National Guard Bureau in DC for final approval. This is the process for both rated and non-rated positions, although pilot selection boards are ALWAYS more complex since only current unit pilots and the flying squadron CC organize and run the selection boards.

The normal timeline from application to stepping foot on Maxwell ranges anywhere from 6 months to a year, depending on the type of position the person is selected for. For me, this has been my timeline (so far):

• Jul 2017 – RPA Pilot selection board announcement made to the unit (see attached).
• Sep 2017 – Submitted application package to the Officer Recruiter for the unit, package reviewed and approved for submission, package forwarded to the [redacted] pilot selection board president.
• Late Sep 2017 – Notified of selection for interview.
• Oct 2017 – Formal selection board held at the unit… it is important to note that even though someone applies, this doesn’t mean they will be offered a chance to interview. There were 22 people who applied, 9 selected to interview, 3 candidates offered a pilot spot (including myself).
• Late Oct 2017 – Notified of selection. Assigned an Officer Recruiter to work with me for completing my officer package that would be submitted to the NGB.
• Nov 2017 – Conducted commissioning physical at my unit, AF Form 422 submitted to State Air Surgeon for commissioning approval.
• Nov-Dec 2017 – Completed package with recruiter; A3OC Form 6 (for Flying Class 1 physical), AF Form 24, AF Form 2030, AF Form 215, TS security clearance e-QIP, and a bunch of state forms which may or may not be common in other states.
• Late Dec 2017 – AF 422 returned as approved from the SAS, worked with base training office to schedule FC-1 physical at Wright-Patterson AFB.
• Early Jan 2018 – FC-1 physical dates set; completed orders and travel request through base training for my trip to W-P.
• Jan 2018 – Commissioning package routed to Wing/CC for approval, a week later it was routed to State HQ for approval, as of early Feb it has been submitted to the NGB in DC… Still waiting on final approval.
• Feb 2018 – Went to W-P for FC-1 physical (it took a week to complete).
• Mar/Apr 2018 – Expected to receive final approval from NGB. Normally, once the NGB approves a commissioning package it is sent directly to the officer recruiter at the unit, the member is notified of final approval and is instructed to contact base training to begin securing training dates for OTS and any follow-on training.

So far, I’ve been at this for about 6 months… I’m still waiting for the NGB approval and FC-1 clearance. Once the approval is made, it is up to the base training office to work with the Holm Center directly to secure OTS dates. What I have seen in the past is that a request will be submitted from the Guard unit to the Holm Center, and they will respond with class availability (whether they have spots reserved for Guard/Reserve… I don’t know). The candidate will have to select a class and the base training office will inform the Holm Center which date they would like. This process may have changed though… It may now just be a request for training, and the Holm Center just puts them in an open spot somewhere and tells the unit what the Course Start Date (CSD) is. Either way, it’s usually takes a month or so between getting the final approval from NGB to getting a CSD from the Holm Center – which really depends on how ambitious the base training office is in contacting the Holm Center and working with the member to actually schedule the dates. From there, it’s just a waiting game…

Most of the process is internal to the Guard unit. There is very little interaction between the unit and the AFPC… For the most part, Guard commissions are dealt with as an autonomous process, even when scheduling training.

November 2018 Update: I received temporary appointment from the National Guard Bureau. I also submitted a request for the January TFOT class. I am hoping for 19-04 because I Heard 19-03 might be full already.

The Air National Guard is feeling the pressure of maintaining a full-time pilot force amid a national pilot shortage, according to the chief of the National Guard Bureau.

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The Guard is about a couple hundred pilots short when it comes to its full-time positions, Gen. Joseph Lengyel said at an Air Force Association event near Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

In the Air National Guard, full-timers are categorized as either technicians or Active Guard and Reserve, or AGR. Those under the technician umbrella are civil servants and paid on the government scale. The Air Force created the technician slots as a way to train Guardsmen and maintain operational readiness without needing as many people.

“It would be my choice to turn those [technician slots] into AGR slots,” Lengyel said, which would help fill out the full-time Guard numbers.

The National Guard Bureau is also looking at the same options as the Air Force when it comes to retaining pilots, including improving pilots’ quality of life and possibly even retention bonuses.

But there’s a key difference between the active force and the Guard.

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“The only good news for me is you can be an airline pilot and a National Guard pilot” at the same time, he said, referencing how the Air Force is losing active-duty pilots to commercial airlines.

Part-time pilots, however, tend to stay longer than their full-time counterparts.

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Losing battle: Cash, incentives won’t be enough to tackle Air Force pilot crisis

The total Air Force — active, Guard, Reserve — is short about 1,500 pilots, about 1,300 of whom are fighter pilots.