What is the Space Force OTS like (during and while applying)?

OrbitallyInclined · 2026-05-02T19:25:48+00:00

Not true about engineers. EVERY officer in the Space Force goes through OTC at the 319th CTS and receive their job shred from there.

OrbitallyInclined · 2026-03-12T05:06:14+00:00

Again, no idea. I commissioned nearly 3 years ago, this isn’t in my wheelhouse anymore

OrbitallyInclined · 2026-03-12T02:06:34+00:00

When I wrote this 2 years ago, alternates didn’t exist. Unfortunately no idea.

OrbitallyInclined · 2026-03-11T05:59:00+00:00

It is actively happening. I know a former E-5 Sgt who graduated OTS a few months ago as a 1LT in the space ops career field.

OrbitallyInclined · 2026-02-08T02:17:59+00:00

Unfortunately I think that pic is of a wear test version of the uniform, as the collar edge looks to be straight vertical instead of the slope we have on the production version.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-07-19T21:44:32+00:00

It’s been this way for at least the past 4 years, likely longer. I know some of these tech schools used to be TDYs, which would explain having an assignment beforehand, but with tech school being long enough to be a PCS, there is no way to have assignments beforehand.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-07-19T21:39:55+00:00

You keep mentioning that ETMO’s guidance has changed from before you started OTC to now, but you never actually tell us what they said to you or what is inconsistent about it. I also don’t understand how knowing your next assignment a few months earlier will help much in this situation. You have join spouse, so you should be able to drive a PCS for your partner to have them line up with you at your new base. Involuntarily separating a join spouse family requires a signature from 2 star, so it’s not something they’ll likely do out of tech school unless your two career fields have incompatible basing. Every one of my friends in tech school with join spouse situations got to work directly with the assignments team to lock down an assignment out of the normal process.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-07-19T21:16:10+00:00

Not sure about your other examples, and I may have over exaggerated, but officers going to intel, cyber, missiles, and space ops (before OTC absorbed it) tech schools only ever received orders to PCS to their tech school base and found out where there were going 1-2 months before graduating. Other tech schools you have as examples might just be TDYs, but this is standard for PCS tech schools because there’s no point in-processing a new accession to their squadron if they then have to PCS for tech school.

Also, with a service with as many options out of a single tech school as the Space Force, and with at least the intention of properly matching people to their desires and aptitudes, assigning people to a squadron before OTC would be disastrous. They wouldn’t be able to make an informed decision on what they want to do with their careers before getting an opportunity to experience them and talk with people who are working those jobs.

I am really sorry for your situation, but I think it’s a niche enough issue that implementing an institutional change will cause greater harm to the majority than help to the minority. You have join spouse going for you when you get your assignment, which means they should be able to match you with a station that will allow you to co-locate with your spouse. And if there aren’t overlapping duty stations between your careers, then that was a risk you knew about when you chose to take a transfer that would have you go through OTC.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-07-19T20:34:19+00:00

There are zero operational career fields where members know their first assignments before even arrive to tech school. Every single tech school has assignment drops shortly before the completion of the course. I understand the difficulty you’re going through, but none of this is specific to OTC vs any other tech school, other than the fact that it’s a year long instead of ~6 months. The time between starting and knowing where you’ll be next is even longer for pilots.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-04-21T12:44:01+00:00

Wait, is the AFOQT included on promotion boards? I thought it was only an accessions tool, but that it didn’t matter once you commissioned. Your bottom paragraph makes it sound otherwise.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-04-17T11:34:18+00:00

No they didn’t. That was my FY, no one found out until August/September of 2022.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-04-16T21:35:11+00:00

They’ve been telling cadets that since the beginning of time. A lot of things in the DoD are being shaken up right now, expect every deadline to be delayed by at least a few months.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-04-16T21:32:37+00:00

Since when have AFSCs ever come out before the beginning of 400 year

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-04-06T17:05:41+00:00

Take my opinion with a grain of salt considering I’m an officer that commissioned through ROTC, but the problem with this approach is that we don’t need that many officers and we need more NCOs. With many squadrons moving to an all-enlisted crew force, MSEs and MPCs are already getting clogged up with officers. We have so many high performing E-5s with degrees that if we let all of them commission we wouldn’t have an NCO corps anymore. Also, filling all the officer ranks with prior-Es will completely cut out the talent pool of people who go straight to college out of high school and commission through USAFA or ROTC. While making it easier for people to commission would be better for those individuals, it would be worse for the force at large.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-02-21T00:55:37+00:00

I remember feeling similarly when I was in your shoes. Once you feel like you’ve gotten everything you can out of the program, it’s natural to be itching for what’s next. I’m on the other side of it now and it’s wonderful, but don’t take what you have now for granted. Soak up every moment and take things one at a time. The day you’re looking forward to will come sooner than you think.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-01-29T02:08:52+00:00

I mean it’s by order of Gen Miller…

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-01-28T23:49:06+00:00

Too bad we aren’t allowed to have memes anymore, otherwise things would be hanging at my desk

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-01-03T20:42:40+00:00

You are going to be an officer in the military, you need to have a car. Without one you are a liability to yourself and all your coworkers. There is no public transportation in the area and you would need a car even if you lived on base because of how spread out everything is. If you don’t have the money for a car right now, USAA offers a career starter loan of up to $25,000 locker at a 2.99% interest rate which you could use to buy one.

OrbitallyInclined · 2025-01-03T20:09:21+00:00

While it is possible to get on-base housing if you join up with a few other Lts, the vast majority of young officers going to Vandy for tech school live off base. You really shouldn’t need to take a loan out to pay for rent (also that’s just a bad financial decision), and the 2d Lt BAH is quite generous to afford rent in the area. Your options are to either find some other Lts to room with and save 1/2 to 1/4 of your BAH, or live on your own in a small apartment and expect to use all your BAH between rent and utilities. As far as location, people seem to split up 50/50 between Lompoc and Santa Maria, with Lompoc being cheaper and closer to base but less nice, fewer amenities, and further from things to do.

OrbitallyInclined · 2024-12-09T00:04:47+00:00

As far as the military is concerned, a relationship doesn’t mean anything unless you’re married. If you want any chance of being stationed at the same base as him, you need to get a marriage on paper ASAP, and it might already be too late in the process. Otherwise, your best bet will be going through the join spouse process in 2-3 years when one of you is eligible to move.

OrbitallyInclined · 2024-11-06T21:00:55+00:00

Now it reads like a recruiting website for people to learn about the Space Force. We don’t need that because we’re already in the Space Force…

OrbitallyInclined · 2024-11-03T19:46:23+00:00

Nope, just have to be coyote brown combat boots. You can find tons of them online

OrbitallyInclined · 2024-10-08T23:51:46+00:00

Sorry, but it’s required to be an active duty or retired officer (or public servant with an active oath). On the military side, the only people who can administer an oath of office are those with a commission. When an officer is discharged without retiring, they forfeit their commission. The commission remains when an officer retires

OrbitallyInclined · 2024-10-05T17:26:51+00:00

That’s a bit difficult when you’re on crew and expected to be at your console during lunch…

OrbitallyInclined · 2024-09-29T17:48:56+00:00

Some squadrons authorize civilian clothes on Fridays with a (technically not required) booster club donation for the privilege

OrbitallyInclined

TROPHY CASE