Air and Space Basic Course

Air and Space Basic Course (ASBC) is a Professional Military Education (PME) course taught by the Squadron Officer College, Air University, at Maxwell AFB, AL. It is the first level of PME for U.S. Air Force second lieutenants and is required regardless of commissioning source. Together with the Squadron Officer School, ASBC completes the Air Force basic developmental education (BDE) program. Each ASBC class has approximately 12 students and is taught by an Air Force Captain.

Newly commissioned officers and Department of Defense (DoD) civilians GS-7 or NSPS Pay Band 2 or above who have completed a baccalaureate degree are eligible to attend. Air Force guidance is for 100 percent of line, active-duty Air Force officers to attend ASBC. Typical classes include representatives from all major commands and job specialties in the Air Force, and include Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members, as well as DoD civilians.

History
ASBC was activated on 12 September 1997 as part of the Air Education and Training Command. On 8 February 2000 it joined with the Squadron Officer School to form the Squadron Officer College. Since its activation, the program has been awarded the Organizational Excellence Award seven times.

ASBC will close after the final group of lieutenants graduates from the course in the summer of 2011. The course will then merge to become part of the curriculum in the Squadron Officer School. The new eight-week SOS course is scheduled to open in early 2012.

Curriculum
ASBC is a six-week in-resident course, with approximately ten start dates a year. One week of the course runs concurrently with a combined program at the Senior NCO Academy at Maxwell-Gunter Annex.

The program is dedicated to inculcate "a warrior ethos in the Air Force’s youngest officers through a rigorous experiential and academic program aimed at imparting critical warfighting skills while simultaneously introducing students to the full range of Air Force operations, organizational constructs, and doctrinal concepts." A component of the airpower doctrine instruction takes place through classroom "wargames" that simulate theater-level combat operations. Recently the course has added a "combatives" element that applies the classroom instruction to the expeditionary combat culture of the modern Air Force.