Air Battle Manager

Air battle manager (ABM) is a rated flying position in the United States Air Force.

Air battle manager has been a rated career field (Air Force Specialty Code 13BX) since October 1, 1999. This means that ABMs are career aviators who receive flight pay and must actively fly a certain number of months (called gate months) to maintain their rating. As a result, all active duty ABMs and those assigned to the Air Force Reserve AWACS unit at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma and the Air National Guard J-STARS unit at Robins AFB, Georgia are assigned to flying duties after completion of undergraduate training. In the past a small number of graduates were initially assigned to ground assignments in the control and reporting centers (CRCs). This practice was temporarily ceased in 2004 but now occurs based on student merit and assignment availability. ABMs serving in the Air National Guard are typically assigned to a CRC unit, an air defense sector, or an air operations center (AOC). ABMs do receive flight pay and earn rated aviator wings though, at one time, were not awarded them at the completion of UABMT. Under the old system, only ABMs who had completed follow-on training for the E-3 or E-8 were awarded wings to wear on their uniforms. As of May 2010, a new training syllabus at Tyndall AFB allows ABMs (with the exception of CRC assigned ABMs in the Air National Guard) to receive their wings at the conclusion of UABMT, finally bringing them in line with pilots and navigators. As of October 27 2014, the Air Force Personnel Center reported that there are currently 1,436 ABMs serving on active duty.

Undergraduate air battle manager training (UABMT) for the active US Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve is conducted by the 337th Air Control Squadron under the command of Eglin AFB, FL but remains at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Training at Tyndall is academically challenging from the start to the end, and the wash out rate varies from class to class. There are, at most, 12 officers that make up a class but the average is about 10. About one to three will never achieve combat mission ready status at their line squadron, either due to washing out of training at Tyndall or advanced training at their next base. From there, active duty officers are sent for additional training at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma (for the E-3), Robins AFB, Georgia (for the E-8) or directly to a CRC. A select few will be sent to Geilenkirchen AB, Germany to train on the NATO AWACS (E-3A.) Small numbers are also assigned to overseas assignments at either Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, AK, or Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan to fly on the E-3 once the follow on training at Tinker is completed. In the past, ABMs received their wings from Air Combat Command or from NATO once their flight training was completed, making it the only line rated career field that received its wings outside of AETC. However, as of May 2010, a new training syllabus has begun. Aimed at overhauling the entire course, the new syllabus places significant emphasis on the aeronautical ratings that mission-ready ABMs currently enjoy. Subsequently, all ABM student (except Air National Guard Officers belonging to CRC and air defense units) under the new syllabus will receive their wings at the conclusion of UABMT at Tyndall. Students under the new syllabus will also receive flight pay while taking the course.

...
Wikipedia