Air University (United States Air Force)

The Air University
Emblem of Air University Part of Air Education and Training Command
Active	1920–1942; 1943 – present
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Professional Military Education
Commanders
Current commander	Lt Gen Steven L. Kwast

The Air University (AU) is a major component of the United States Air Force's Air Education and Training Command (AETC). AU is headquartered at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama and is the U.S. Air Force's primary center for professional military education (PME).

The institutions that fall under The Air University include:

The Carl A. Spaatz Center for Officer Education (Spaatz Center) unifies the continuum of Air Force officer professional military education. Activated on 29 Apr 2008, the Spaatz Center is named in honor of the Air Force's first Chief of Staff, General Carl A. Spaatz. The Spaatz Center remains committed to being the global leader in officer education by developing leaders, spurring innovation, and nurturing partnerships to advance air power.

Squadron Officer College (SOC) was a short-lived successor to the previous legacy twelve-week and the current eight-week Squadron Officer School (SOS).

SOC was a shortened five-week version of the previously conducted twelve-week SOS for 1st Lieutenants and Captains. SOC was based on the premise that all newly commissioned USAF 2d Lieutenants from all officer accession sources (e.g., USAFA, AFROTC, OTS, etc.) would attend the since-discontinued six-week Air and Space Basic Course (ASBC) at Maxwell AFB as 2d Lieutenants prior to reporting to their initial duty assignments. Under the ASBC/SOC construct, these same officers would return to Maxwell AFB three to four years later as Captains in order to complete the five-week SOC course as a temporary duty (TDY) assignment in residence.

SOC's mission was to develop company grade officers as leaders of integrity, ready, willing and able to overcome the challenges of today’s complex security environment. SOC and its successor, the since-reinstated eight-week Squadron Officer School (SOS), provided/provides a professional military education experience devoted to junior officer leadership development. SOC was open to all active duty Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard Captains (O-3), their international counterparts, and civilian equivalents.