Squadron Officer School
| Squadron Officer School | |
|---|---|
Squadron Officer School emblem | |
| Active | 1 November 1954 to present |
| Country | United States of America |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Professional Military Education |
| Size | 4,200 students annually |
| Part of | Squadron Officer College, Air University, Air Education and Training Command |
| Base | Maxwell AFB, AL |
| Colors | blue and gold |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (4), Air Force Organizational Excellence Award (10) |
| Website | https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/SOS/ |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Kevin Lee |
Squadron Officer School (SOS), is a 5.5-week-long Professional Military Education (PME) course for U.S. Air Force and Space Force Captains, Department of the Air Force Civilian (DAFC) equivalents and International Officers. It fulfills the U.S. Air Force's requirement for primary developmental education (PDE). SOS is based at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and the in-residence version of the course is taught there. SOS is an element of the Air University.
The Distance Learning version of SOS is conducted by the Air Force Global College (AFGC) - College of Online Professional Military Education (COOL PME), a separate school within Air University. It has different curriculum and admission eligibility than the in-residence version.
Unlike the more senior courses at Air University (e.g., Air Command and Staff College and Air War College), attendance at SOS does not include any U.S. officers from sister services.
Eligible senior members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the civilian U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, who hold the rank of captain or above are entitled to attend SOS. The curriculum is accessed by CAP student officers through the SOS distance learning platform.