{"id":25312,"date":"2019-07-16T23:50:16","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T23:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/16\/officer-training-scool-braces-for-its-record-setting-godzilla-class\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:45:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:45:38","slug":"officer-training-scool-braces-for-its-record-setting-godzilla-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2019\/07\/16\/officer-training-scool-braces-for-its-record-setting-godzilla-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Officer Training School braces for its record-setting \u2018Godzilla\u2019 class"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Air University\u2019s Officer Training School in Alabama is bracing for the largest influx of officer trainees in its history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Class 19-07, comprising 800 officer trainees, is more than twice as large as the previous record-holding class at Officer Training School and has been nicknamed the \u201cGodzilla\u201d class by the folks down at Maxwell Air Force Base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last March, 340 officer trainees attended OTC, which was then the biggest class ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a recent news release<\/a> from the Air Force, the colossal class size is needed to meet the Air Force\u2019s demand<\/a> for new officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OTS is considered the \u201cshock absorber\u201d for Air Force officer accessioning, said Lt. Col. Erick Saks, 24th Training Squadron commander, in a news release. The school works with the Air Force manpower directorate and Air Force Recruiting Service to meet any projected shortfalls in the number of commissioned officers from the service\u2019s other commissioning sources \u2014 Air Force ROTC and the Air Force Academy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Godzilla class, OTS nearly tripled the typical number of seats allotted for line officers, going from about 170 to 500, the majority of the increase, according to the release. The 800 officer trainees coming in will be split between OTS\u2019s two training squadrons, the 24th TRS and Detachment 12. Previously, each squadron typically received a class of 250-300 officer trainees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the larger numbers, the number of military training instructors will remain the same, six. But OTS leadership does not expect the increase in trainees to cause a decrease in quality of training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about getting numbers out, it\u2019s about making sure our trainees leave here with the skills they need to be great officers,\u201d said Capt. Kaitlin Daddona, OTS 24th Squadron assistant director of operations, in the release. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re really focusing on with this many people in one class.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Godzilla class puts the school at maximum capacity and the team at OTS is concerned the sheer numbers of trainees could \u201ctake a major toll\u201d on the facilities. However, they also regard this as an an opportunity to become better at what they do and believe they are prepared for the assignment ahead of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven though Godzilla seems like a terrifying beast, we recognize the importance of getting these officers through and giving them the training that they need,\u201d Doddona said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even ordinary aspects of the OTS program, like lectures and meal times, will require more preparation due to the high number of trainees.<\/p>\n\n\n\t