March 25, 2014, JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) – Eligible active duty officers and Department of the Air Force appropriated fund civilian employees can apply beginning in March for intermediate and senior developmental education opportunities, Air Force Personnel Center officials said March 24.
According to Maj. Yulanda Bogany, AFPC officer developmental education chief, officer nominations with commander endorsements will be accepted beginning March 25 and are due to AFPC by April 22.
The civilian application window opened March 14 and applications are due to AFPC by May 1, according to Loretta Brown, AFPC civilian leadership development chief. Civilian applicants must be nominated by their local leadership for CDE.
Officer and civilian selections will be announced in November.
Various opportunities exist for those interested in continued growth and leadership, said Bogany.
Intermediate programs include the Air Command and Staff College, Air Force Institute of Technology, international services program opportunities, a variety of fellowship and internship programs and more. Senior programs include Air Force and defense fellowships, Army War College, Air Command and Staff College with an Air War College follow-on, international services senior development program opportunities and more.
Requirements and eligibility vary depending on the program, and submission requirements differ for officers and civilians, so applicants should carefully review the program guide, available on the myPers website, before preparing application documents.
Officer Process
Officers apply for developmental education using the AFPC secure web-based 3849 form, which is accessible via the myPers website. Eligible officers and their senior raters will have access to the form March 25-April 22.
“If you haven’t updated your AFPC secure account within the last 120 days, you’ll need to re-establish the password and register your common access card to be able to complete your 3849,” Bogany said.
Officers must be nominated by whoever their senior rater was on Feb. 1, even if the applicant has since changed station or will change station before the application window closes. Senior raters who do not have a secure account or who have not accessed their account within the past 120 days also need to update the access information.
Once in the secure site, applicants must identify the education preferences in priority order. Applicants may request in-residence and equivalency programs, but must prioritize those as well.
IDE equivalency credit can be awarded for some PhD and master’s degrees through the Air Force Institute of Technology, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Captains’ Prestigious PhD program, Olmsted scholars and White House fellows programs and a variety of other options. SDE equivalence credit is also possible through such PhD and fellowship programs. Eligible officers may request that credit on the 3849 during the IDE or SDE eligibility window.
School of Advanced Air and Space Studies program graduates of the School of Advanced Military Studies, the School of Advanced Warfighting and the Maritime Advanced Warfighting School who are pursuing a faculty development SAASS-sponsored PhD may request SDE equivalency credit upon successful completion of comprehensive exams and admission to PhD candidacy under the terms of the school they are attending, if they are “all-but-dissertation” complete, Bogany said.
Officers selected for IDE or SDE will incur a three-year active duty service commitment, and officers who do not successfully complete their program will incur a two-year ADSC. Officers in their last year of eligibility who do not want to be considered for IDE or SDE may decline consideration on the 3849.
All applications must be complete, including senior rater nomination, by April 22, when the 3849 access window closes. Applicants will be considered by respective career field development teams and those selected will be forwarded to the Developmental Education Designation Board, which convenes in October.
Full eligibility criteria and application requirements are available on the myPers website at https://mypers.af.mil. Enter “Developmental Education” or “IDE/SDE/CDE” in the search window and select the Personnel Services Delivery Memo 14-19.
Civilian Process
The Civilian Developmental Education Board will convene in September to consider high-potential employees for education opportunities that best suit their career goals and the needs of the Air Force, said Brown, AFPC leadership development chief.
“The Air Force has an ongoing need for capable leaders and will continue to develop current and future Airmen – civilian and military – to expand their knowledge and increase their understanding of the role they play in national security,” said Brown. “Developmental education enables us to develop those leaders, and positively impacts retention efforts, as well.”
Approximately 700 civilians between GS-07 and GS-15 (and equivalent grade) will be selected for schools and programs that range from Squadron Officer School to Air War College. Applicants must be nominated by their local leadership and endorsed by their chain of command, said Brown.
All applicants must meet basic eligibility requirements, including have the appropriate grade and education levels required for the specific program and two years in the Air Force civil service by May 2014. Completion of intermediate or senior level professional military education is also required for senior developmental education applicants.
Nomination packages are prepared and submitted through the myPers website. Packages must include a completed AF Form 4059, Air Force Civilian Competitive Development Nomination Form, with the appropriate level signature; a resume (per guidance on the website); a master’s degree application form if applying for a master’s program, a letter of acceptance if applying for AFIT, a signed mobility agreement and signed waiver request (if applicable).
Required documents and full completion instructions as well as a complete list of opportunities and criteria, are available on the myPers civilian force development page.
The Civilian Strategic Leadership Program will also accept applications from GS-14 and 15 employees willing to accept multifaceted challenges designed to prepare them for increased responsibility in functional and enterprise-wide positions, Brown said. Prospective nominees have until May 1 to apply.