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Leadership Development is at the core of the Air Force ROTC program. And while we emphasize physical training, academics and discipline, the cadets find time to have fun.

Program timeline

Wingman Culture

Detachment 027 embraces the Air Force tradition of supporting our fellow Airmen. The cadet wing has a strong mentorship program and mandates counseling and other support functions for academic and physical success within the chain of command. Once enrolled, cadets find strong bonds in Air Force ROTC, more than with sports teams, clubs, sororities, or fraternities.

Detachment Cadre and Cadet Wing leadership demand ALL cadets assume responsibility for one another’s well being. It’s an extremely rewarding feeling to know you’re not alone when struggling in new surroundings and intense studies while in college.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Students who are not on scholarships participate in AFROTC for the program’s benefits (an emphasis on discipline, academics, physical fitness and most importantly leadership development) and the fact that completion and a degree warrant a commission in the world’s greatest air, space, and cyberspace forces.

Graph depicts percentages of scholarship vs non-scholarship cadets and those that work while in college. 22% of our cadets on scholarship also work. 43% of non-scholarship cadets work in college.

Only ~60% of the Cadet Wing is from Arizona. California represents the next majority with ~17% followed by Colorado and Hawaii with ~4%. The remaining cadets come from all over the United States (as of April 2019).

Cadets pursue all kinds of majors at NAU and CCC.

As soon as cadets meet physical fitness and weight standards they will be issued physical training gear uniforms. After at least one semester in the program meeting all standards, cadets will be issued the Air Force blues and ABU/OCP uniforms . Until cadets have received uniforms they will wear standardized workout clothes to PT class and business casual to AS and LLAB classes. Uniforms are issued at no-cost, but must be kept in good condition to be returned when cadets leave or complete the program.

All required materials for AS classes are provided online at no-cost.

Air Force ROTC strives to provide you with a wide variety of professional and social activities. The program offers many optional activities for students and cadets to participate in, including:

Arnold Air Society
Silver Wings
Civil Air Patrol
Color Guard
Drill Team
Military Dining Events (formal and informal) and BBQs
Base Visits
Incentive flights
Project Go

All cadets that have been issued uniforms and meet requirements will be required to wear the appropriate uniform to PT, AS, and LLAB classes and wear their uniform during the day on Thursdays.

Field Training is officer-preparation basic training for ROTC cadets. Cadets will be trained and evaluated on leadership and followership skills on a daily basis in a stressful but encouraging environment. Field Training is a pre-requisite for the upper-class Professional Officer Course (the last two years in the AFROTC program). It is held over the summer in between sophomore and junior year at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Most cadets will tell you that it is the most challenging and rewarding experience in the Air Force ROTC program.

The Cadet Wing is organized into a hierarchical rank structure that mirrors the operational Air Force. The upper-class Professional Officer Course cadets are responsible for planning and instructing Leadership Lab. The class is held from 3:45 to 5:45 PM on Thursdays. It focuses on hands on training and experiential learning including drill and ceremonies, group leadership projects, sports, team building, physical fitness, and exceptional guest speakers.

No. ROTC cadets have no preferred or recommended campus housing locations. Your living arrangements are your choice. Nearly half of our current cadets live off-campus and many live together. However, we do recommend living on-campus at least your Freshmen year. You’ll find NAU’s dormitories quite nice and we have several cadets who go on to become RA’s.

Absolutely not! Cadets are not committed to the Air Force until they activate a scholarship or the first day of their junior year of classes, whichever occurs first. Additionally, any NAU student may take AFROTC AS courses without becoming a cadet or incurring a commitment to the Air Force.

No. Leadership is not gender based. About 50% of our cadets are female.

Absolutely! We highly encourage cadets to be involved in campus life. We have many cadets who are involved in fraternities and sororities and several who participate in intercollegiate or university sports. These experiences make better leaders.