Active Duty Officer Force Development: Is the Air Force Doing It Right?

To keep up with changes in an age of an uncertain and unstable international environment and equalize the affects of mounting manpower reductions, the Air Force identified a need to change the way it develops its active duty officer corps. Force Development is the latest paradigm for how the Air Force will cultivate its officer corps now to adapt to the uncertainties of the future. The major focus is to place the right person at the right place and the right time, with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to effectively lead teams and accomplish the mission. The goal of Force Development is to provide a system that is simple, deliberate, and develops occupational skills and enduring leadership competencies officers need to meet mission requirements. In this respect, it appears promising. However, the Air Force populace may experience unintended consequences. Air Force people, organizations, and mission could be adversely affected by this new construct. Field grade officers may find themselves in situations where they must operate at a disadvantage--they may experience difficulties, even failure. This paper examines whether leadership traits/skills are all that is needed to be effective and whether officers should phase to new career specialties at the Field Grade level, or if immersion into different career fields should take place earlier in an officer's career.