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Professional Development - Senior Program & Ranks

How do I progress through the CAP Senior Program?

Similar to the U.S. Air Force, there are several ways to progress through the ranks. Certain individuals who bring specific skills or experience with them which are useful to CAP may qualify for direct commissions to a higher rank after Level I training, e.g. Ministers, Teachers, Medical Professionals, Pilots, etc. Similarly, commissioned officers of any U.S. military service may be granted equivalent rank in CAP (up to Lt Col).

What is described below is the normal progression of rank through the training program for most members. Exceptions from the normal progression (CAPR 35-5 Section C - Special Appointments) apply to professional appointments. For the details, check in CAPR 50-17 (Training) and CAPR 35-5 (Officer and NCO Appointments and Promotions).

Senior Member Ranks

Rank, [Award] - Abbreviation - Term of Address

Level 1 - Introduction

Senior Member, Membership Ribbon - SM - Sir/Ma'am

Flight Officer* - FO - Sir/Ma'am

Technical Flight Officer* - TFO - Sir/Ma'am
Second Lieutenant - 2d Lt - Lieutenant

First Lieutenant, Leadership Ribbon - 1st Lt - Lieutenant

Level 2 - Technical Training

Senior Flight Officer* - SFO - Sir/Ma'am

Captain, Certificate of Proficiency - Capt - Captain

Level 3 - Management

Major, Grover Loening Aerospace Award - Maj - Major
Level 4 - Command and Staff

Lieutenant Colonel, Paul E. Garber Award - Lt Col - Colonel
Level 5 - Executive

  - Gill Rob Wilson Award -
Command

Colonel (reserved for Wing Commanders, Region Commanders & Region Vice Commanders) - Col - Colonel

Brigadier General (reserved for the National Vice Commander) - Brig Gen - General

Major General (reserved for the National Commander) - Maj Gen - General

*NOTE: The Flight Officer Ranks are for Senior Members under the age of 21. They are not in the normal progression of ranks.

Level I - Introduction

You receive your introduction to the Civil Air Patrol. In this day-long course, you will learn about its proud history, its three primary missions of Cadet Programs, Aerospace Education, and Emergency Services, the chain of command, and the services that CAP provides to other organizations, communities, and to the nation. Upon completion of Level I earns the Membership Award, and you are eligible for promotion to the rank of:

Flight Officer, after three month's service (age 18-21);
Second Lieutenant, after six month's service (age 21+).

Level II - Technical Training

You become a part of the squadron team, contributing your time and talents to helping the squadron run smoothly. You will choose a functional specialty, or an area to focus your efforts on in order to earn promotions and awards. You can also choose a mission specialty that you will perform when CAP is called into action.

Achieving a Technician Rating in your functional specialty earns the Leadership Award, and you are eligible for promotion to the rank of:

Technical Flight Officer, after six month's service as a Flight Officer (age 18-21);
First Lieutenant, after one year's service as a Second Lieutenant and/or Technical Flight Officer (age 21+).

In Level II, the emphasis turns from introduction and learning how the squadron works to professional development and leadership. Here, officership and command ability become more important. CAP provides you with the tools and the opportunity to move ahead. The capstone to Level II is the Air Force Institute for Advanced Distributed Learning (AFIADL) CAP Senior Officer Course 13 (taken by correspondence) and the Squadron Leadership School (SLS). SLS is a weekend-long course conducted in your area, that teaches leadership and the proper functioning of the program at squadron level.

Completing Course 13 and the SLS earns the Certificate of Proficiency Award, and you are eligible promotion to the rank of:

Senior Flight Officer, after one year's service as a Technical Flight Officer (age 18-21);
Captain, after 18 month's service as a First Lieutenant and/or Senior Flight Officer (age 21+).

Level III - Management

This level signals your commitment to CAP and to your career. Here, the emphasis shifts from the squadron to the group, wing, and national level. Completion earns the Grover Loening Aerospace Award and you are eligible for promotion to Major after three years as a Captain.

Level IV - Command and Staff

The emphasis here shifts to the educational aspects of CAP by focusing on leadership in CAP training activities. Completion earns the Paul E. Garber Award and you are eligible for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel after 4 years as Major.

Level V - Executive

This is the top of the Senior Program. Group, Wing, or National Leadership is attainable at this stage for those who are willing to see the program through. The focus here is on making CAP run smoothly nation-wide. Completion earns the Gill Robb Wilson Award.

Command

Wing, Region, and National Command are the next steps. Achieving these positions is the only way to be promoted past Lieutenant Colonel.

Wing Commander

A wing is composed of all the units in a state. The Wing Commander is responsible for these units, their personnel, and the equipment assets at CAPs disposal and holds the rank of Colonel.

Region Commander

The next step is Region Command, which entails command of several wings. Region Commanders and the several deputy Commanders are Colonels.

National Vice Commander

The National Commander and Vice Commander are the only serving General Officers in CAP, although there are several past national commanders who retain flag rank. The National Vice Commander holds the rank of Brigadier General.

National Commander

The National Commander, who holds the rank of Major General, will do so for about three years, when a new National Commander will be named.

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