NCOA changes curriculum and eligibility requirements

  • Published
  • By By Airman 1st Class Mozer O. Da Cunha
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. - --  Non-Commissioned Officer Academy Course announced changes in eligibility requirements at a briefing Oct. 30, here.

The new NCOA course consists of Course 15, which is a 12-month long Professional Military Education correspondence course designed to provide foundational concepts to NCOs, prior to the 4-week in residence Intermediate Learning Experience.

"Before [the changes], you had to wait two years after making technical sergeant before being put on a waiting list for NCOA," said Tech. Sgt. Nicholous Banks, 2nd Security Forces Squadron flight chief. "It didn't matter what the circumstances were, everyone went. It was a requirement. Now they got rid of the rank requirement."

The new NCOA is a two-part system, with Course 15 being the initial stage and ILE being the last.

"The ILE portion of NCOA and Course 15 are sort of one in the same," Banks said. "On one hand you have Course 15 and in the other hand you have ILE. If you decide not to do the Course 15 or do not complete it you will not be qualified for the ILE."

The new NCOA is available to all Airmen with seven to 12 years in service regardless of rank, while limiting Airmen with more than 12 years in service to the computer based training portion only.

"People must understand that the most important part of this process is if you are in that window of seven to 12 years and you have not started Course 15, you are behind the power curve," Banks said. "You must enroll in Course 15, if you do not, you might miss your window for the ILE portion."

With the new changes made to eligibility Airmen can now attend NCOA earlier in their career. 

"The timing has changed," said Tech. Sgt. Jessica Chebaro, 608th Strategic Operations Squadron logistics planner. "Where before you had to be a certain rank for a certain amount of time, now they are trying to get people to go at an earlier time in their careers."

While Airmen with 12-years of service or more will not be qualified to attend the ILE portion, they will qualify for Course 15, which completes the PME requirements for promotion.

"Every technical sergeant has the ability to do Course 15," Banks said. "Once they complete it they satisfy PME, they can still promote."
In order to begin the process, Airmen must enroll in Course 15.

"It's up to the individual to enroll Course 15 and ensure it gets done within their time frame," Chebaro said. "Course 15 has a longer time frame and it's up to the individual to start and complete it."

For enrollment visit Air University at https://auportal.maxwell.af.mil for more information.