Cadets

The first step to joining the Flyin’ Irish™—or if you have more questions not addressed here—is to contact the Recruiting Officer to schedule an informal meeting either in-person, on the phone, or over Zoom.

Flyin’ Irish™ cadets are required to wear one of their uniforms every Tuesday and Thursday during a normal semester at Leadership Laboratory (LLAB) and during regular classes. Uniforms are also to be worn to physical training (PT) sessions and at various events throughout the academic year.

Along with their normal school classes, Flyin’ Irish™ cadets must enroll in an Aerospace Studies (AS) class and its Leadership Laboratory (LLAB) each semester. Cadets in their first year of the AFROTC program enroll in the AS100-level AS class and LLAB, second-year cadets enroll in AS200, etc..

The Flyin’ Irish™ Air Force ROTC detachment office is room 211 on the second floor of Notre Dame’s Pasquerilla Center.

Leadership Laboratory (LLAB) occurs every Tuesday afternoon. This is a mandatory class where officer skills are developed and fine-tuned. This course is instructed by junior and senior cadets with guidance from active-duty cadre members.

Physical training (PT) is a time when the entire cadet wing meets to maintain physical fitness standards. Cadets are required to attend the mandatory scheduled PT session each week, as well as a secondary session. Cross-town cadets are required to meet twice a week at their respective schools for PT.

Field training is a mandatory two-week summer training program focused on leadership skills, military bearing, physical conditioning, followership, and expeditionary training. It will develop you into a polished leader and provide you with the skills needed to enter the Professional Officer Course. You will also receive junior officer training, career orientation, and learn how the Department of the Air Force operates. Field training usually takes place between your sophomore and junior years.

After you are commissioned, you will be required to serve a minimum of four years on active duty. Depending on your career selection, you may be required to serve additional years: pilots are required to serve a minimum of ten years on active duty, and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) pilots, combat systems officers (CSO), and air battle managers (ABM) are required to serve a minimum of six years on active duty.

Air Force ROTC is the largest and oldest source of commissioned officers in the United States Air Force. AFROTC’s mission is to produce leaders for the Department of the Air Force by recruiting, educating, and commissioning officer candidates based on Department of the Air Force requirements. It is typically a four-year program, consisting of the General Military Course (GMC) followed by the Professional Officer Course (POC). For more information, please visit AFROTC.com.