LEAD seeks Airmen for USAF Academy

The Air Force is looking for outstanding enlisted Airmen with leadership potential to fill appointments to the U.S. Air Force Academy.

There are 135 slots available each year through the Leaders Encouraging Airmen Development program. The deadline for completing the initial application is Feb. 15 for entry into the fall 2006 class. The LEAD program is an ongoing Air Force effort to provide its brightest Airmen the opportunity to excel by offering them appointments to the academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The LEAD program delegates authority to unit and wing commanders to nominate highly qualified Airmen to attend the prep school with the intention of an academy appointment to follow. Fifty slots are reserved at the prep school for Airmen who meet entry criteria. Airmen must be a U.S. citizen or be able to obtain citizenship before entry into the academy the following year, be unmarried and have no dependents, must not have passed their 22nd birthday by July 1 of the entry year, be of high moral character and have less than six years of service. There are also 85 slots available for active-duty Airmen for direct entry into the academy. Those Airmen must be no older than 23 July 1 of the year entering the academy.

The initial application − AF Form 1786 − requires the Airman’s personal information, immediate commander’s endorsement (no lower than squadron commander or equivalent), and Military Personnel Flight assignments coordination.

The completed form must reach the Air Force Academy Admissions Office no later than Feb. 15 of the entry year. Once an application has been processed, Airmen will be notified by the admissions office concerning additional requirements such as the physical aptitude exam, an extensive medical evaluation, completion of an interview with an Admissions Liaison Officer, completion of the writing sample, and attainment of qualifying scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test or the American College Test.

For more information, contact the local Education Services Center.
(Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe news service)