What Is It Like to Be an Air Force Readiness Officer

What Is It Like to Be an Air Force Readiness Officer? Logistics officers coordinate USAF activities in and out of combat. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images News/Getty Images. Related Articles. 1 The Differences Between a Commissioned & Non-Commissioned Officer in the Army 2 Duties of an Air Force Protocol Officer 3 Becoming an Officer in the Rangers 4 Ways to Become an Officer in the US Air Force. Like any branch of the military, the U.S. Air Force goes where and when it is most needed, but getting to a theater of operations doesn't happen on its own. Coordinating the movements of Air Force units, equipment, and personnel demands the skills of a trained readiness or logistics readiness officer. What Readiness Officers Do. Air Force readiness officers make their living in logistics. This includes planning for movements, operations and deployment, as well as maintaining daily operations. Readiness officers also coordinate and manage the use and operations of vehicles by evaluating their care and maintenance, determining operational requirements for using vehicles and developing policies regarding vehicle misuse. They coordinate military and commercial aircraft schedules and direct the distribution of supplies, equipment and weaponry. They also arrange contingency transportation support with outside agencies and other military branches. Logistics Readiness Officer. A more involved avenue of readiness in the Air Force is logistics readiness. These officers specialize in preparing airmen for deployment, operations and battle. Logistics readiness officers integrate the entire spectrum of logistics processes of operations and management specifically as preparations for missions, whereas readiness officers manage day-to-day operations. Logistics readiness officers direct airlift operations, develop programs and policies for wartime requirements, and manage supplies and equipment. Their planning begins well before any units move. Skills and Interests. To be an Air Force readiness or logistics readiness officer takes a cool head during chaos. The job requires critical-thinking and superior planning skills, plus the ability to see several moves ahead. The work is closely related to transportation logistics and emergency management response in that major events can show up with little warning. The job demands computer savvy, technical prowess the ability to focus on several diverse moving parts at once. Becoming a Readiness Officer. To become a readiness or logistics readiness officer, you must first become a commissioned Air Force officer. This first requires a bachelor's degree, followed by a rigorous nine-week program at the USAF Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base, outside Montgomery, Alabama. After officer's school, readiness and logistics readiness officers train in operational and management techniques, such as materials management, vehicle and fleet management, fuel management, acquisitions, support procedures and contingency operations.