1. How to read an Officer SURF
SURF Extras
How to update your AAD on your SURF
See Website:
The most common updates are: Bachelors Degrees, Graduate Work - No Graduate Degree A.K.A. Bachelors Plus, (15 semester hours or 22 quarter hours), toward the award of the master's degree, master's degree, master's plus (30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours toward the award of the PhD), and PhD. The section also updates professional degrees (medical, law, chaplain, etc). NOTE: For Bachelor's Plus and Masters Plus all credits must be on a single universities transcript.
In order to obtain an educational level update; an official transcript from the university may be mailed or ed from the registrar's office reflecting your degree progress or graduation. ( s are preferred to be in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format and must be the official transcript. We cannot accept electronic documents from the student.)
All mailed correspondence requesting updates to academic level should be addressed to:
AFIT Academic Coding Branch Hobson Way Wright-Patterson AFB, Oh
Phone: (937) , x4324; DSN , x
Projected Grade: Will be blank unless officer is a select
DAFSC/Duty Title: Should match the first entry in the Duty History section of the SURF
DOR: Date of Rank to current grade
[Intermediate Developmental Education Select]: Selected for IDE (will be absent for an officer who is not a select)
Comm Src: Commissioning Source (if an officer is a distinguished graduate, DG will be shown here)
PME Information: Will show professional military education and year completed in residence (RESIDENCE) and by correspondence (NON-RES)
DAS: Date Arrived Station
DOS: Date of Separation (will be blank unless an officer has dropped separation/retirement paperwork)
TAFCSD: Total Active Federal Commissioned Service Date 12 13

2. Other useful Records Information
Letter of Evaluation (LOE)
There are two types of LOEs – mandatory and optional
Mandatory LOEs will be like 19 week or less Training Reports – they will be in your permanent record but will not change the dates of your annual OPR.
Optional LOEs are NOT A PART OF YOUR PERMANENT RECORD. If you wish for the information from an optional LOE to be a part of your record, the data must be used in an OPR. If the information is not used in an OPR, it can’t be used on a PRF.
Training Report (TR)
Training reports 20 weeks or greater: These reports will be a part of your permanent record and will take the place of an OPR. This will then change your annual OPR date as soon as you are released from your training program. Typical examples are flying training schools, aircrew Initial Qualification courses,
Training reports 19 weeks or less: These reports will be a part of your permanent record but DO NOT change your annual OPR date. A typical example is SOS.
Personnel Records Display Application (PRDA)
Located in the AF Portal under Career Links, this system can verify that all of your OPRs and Decorations are in your permanent record. Cross-reference the OPR dates on your SURF with the OPRs in PRDA – ensure there are no gaps in your dates of supervision
Viewing your SURF
AF Portal >> Career Links >> AMS
Flying Hours: Should be close to the numbers in your flying history report
Gates: Gates met
AADs must be updated through AFIT – see AAD section
OPRs in PRDA should match OPRs on SURF (format is year/mo/day). If a report is missing from the SURF but is in PRDA, it needs to be reported in MILPDS. If an OPR is missing from PRDA but shows up on the SURF, the report is NOT in your electronic records at AFPC and needs to be resubmitted. 14 11

3. Promotion Recommendation Form (PRF)
Other PRF Facts
How are senior rater “DP” allocations calculated?
Management Levels determine each senior rater's share of allocations by applying the appropriate allocation rate to their IPZ and BPZ eligibles and round down fractions to the next whole number. For example, a 55% allocation rate applied to a senior rater's 10 IPZ captains would yield 5 "DP" allocations. (10 IPZ eligibles x 55% allocation rate = 5.5 which rounds down to 5 allocations.) Since all allocations are rounded down by senior raters, the fractions of allocations left over accrue at the management level and result in allocations called "carry--over" DP allocations. These allocations are awarded to account for variations of quality within organizations under the management level. The management level then notifies each senior rater of the number of officers he or she may submit to compete for carry-over allocations at the Management Level Review. Senior raters who do not have the minimum number of IPZ officers to generate an allocation may compete them through the process known as "aggregation." Grouping of such officers and applying the allocation rate yields, after rounding down, the number of "DP" allocations available to officers competing in aggregation at the Management Level Review. 10 15

4. Recommended Techniques for Writing PRFs
Stratifications
Who said it might be more important than the stratification
Example: #2/35 Pilots—Sq/CC is better than #1/45 co-pilots—Sq ADO
A stratification by a wing CC is generally better than a group CC which is better than a squadron CC… etc.
Stratifications must say who said them without being SOF specific
Example: #1 of 98 CGOs – Sq/CC instead of #1 of 98 CGOs – 15 SOS/CC
Look for stratification among the member’s peer group (CGOs, FGOs)
x/xx Capts is usually better than x/xx CGOs depending on who said it
Other stratifications (crew position, in year group, in functional area, etc.)
Weak stratifications are better than no stratifications at all
Awards
Distinguished Graduates (PME, commissioning source, UFT, individual training courses…)
Other awards on training reports (Top Third, Outstanding Contributor…)
Yearly awards won above the Squadron level (Group CGO/Yr)
Squadron Quarterly awards are good, but group, wing and MAJCOM level winners may carry more weight
Include the who, what, when (i.e. the level, the award name and the year)
BAD: Lance P. Sijan Award nominee
GOOD: AFSOC ’07 Lance P. Sijan Award nominee
Combat and Deployments
Remember OPSEC and classification!
Listing combat and deployments is a key way to distinguish records
Days deployed or number of deployments is important since it is masked at the board
Don’t assume that Air Medals will be keyed in on at the board, include them on the PRF
Link actions together . Example: 12 deployments in Iraq in 6 yrs…first assault on Baghdad; AFCAM & 15 AMs”
Be careful not to list too many numbers that don’t mean anything (HVTs, Detainees, buildings destroyed) unless you can explain why they are important (largest number of enemy killed in Iraq –50 friendly forces saved, #1 HVT in Iraq captured, etc)
When possible, use Iraq or Afghanistan instead of OIF/OEF
List any big events or battles with high significance or general knowledge (Fallujah, Najaf, flew CAP in Washington D.C. in response to 9/11, etc)
Detainees are not the enemy unless it specifically says so in the report
Structure and Content
There are different styles of writing, all a matter of personal preference
‘T’ Method with hardest hitting strats in first line
‘C’ Method with each line starting with a strat
A generally accepted principle is to use no more than the first two lines with strats
Typical Arrangement of bullets for the ‘T’ Method
Line 1: Stratifications
Line 2: Awards or Stratifications (depends on strength of record)
Line 8: Should be one of strongest bullets to end
Line 9: Push line
Remember to show impact in a bullet
Example: “Superior performance in ORE—led to Wing “excellent” rating”
Try not to use SOF specific words – the board member reading the record may be a finance officer who has no idea what CAF/SOF is
Line lead-ins (intros) are never required and may not be necessary depending on the record, especially if you need to room on the line to show impact
Don’t use sub-bullets
Avoid double lines if possible
Avoid using the slash ‘/’ to join ideas – it makes it difficult to read
Quotations around the stats are not necessary but can be used to fill up space
Avoid uncommon concatenations (i.e. use “sorties” instead of “srts”)
Big things that should go in a PRF
Stratifications
Awards and Accolades
Emphasis on depth of experience (instructor, evaluator, WIC, Wing Safety, etc…)
Any firsts, largest, only (1st airdrop in OEF, largest anti-narco msn ever, etc)
Wing/MAJCOM events (ORIs, UCIs, Exercises….)
Combat Experience
Consider the scope, just because something is in an OPR doesn’t mean it’s factual (i.e. claiming that a member was apart of the “most forward deployed unit in the AF!” 16 9

5. AFPC Website: https://gum.afpc.randolph.af.mil
Promotion Recommendation Form (PRF)
Helpful Promotion Board Information
AFPC Website:
Officer Promotions: AFPC Website  Officer  Promotions (under My Records)
Program Overview
Promotion Board Eligibility (by date of rank) and Promotion Board Schedule
Status of Boards (status of boards that have met)
Officer Preselection Brief
Milestones (timeline prior to each board)
Promotion Increments
Locate by month
Promotion Select Lists
Locate by Corps (Rated officers are Line of the Air Force (LAF)) 8 17

6. Before meeting a Promotion Board…
PRFs and Evaluations: Your senior rater should provide you with a copy of your PRF approximately 30 days prior to the Central Selection Board. It is your responsibility to contact your senior rater if you have not received a copy of your PRF NLT 15 days prior to the CSB. You are responsible for reviewing your Record of Performance (ROP - PRF, OPRs, TRs, decorations) and the data on your preselection brief for accuracy prior to the board date. You must address all concerns and discrepancies through your servicing MPS, and if necessary, your chain of command, and senior rater.
Promotion Selection Folder Review: You should request a copy of your OSR from AFPC/PBR-1 at least 60 days or more prior to the board. Contact the records technician by telephone (DSN ) and go over the contents of your record. It is the officer's personal responsibility to ensure their records are 100% accurate. Requests for hard copies may be faxed
or ed. The request must include your signature and mailing address.
Upon receipt, check your performance reports to ensure they flow in the correct chronological order and no reports are missing. Ensure the record contains all awarded decoration citations and board certifications (Health Professions), if applicable. If any citations are missing, provide copies to your MPS for transmittal to AFPC/PBR-1 (550 C St W Ste 5, Randolph AFB, TX ) for inclusion in your selection record. Health Profession officers should provide board certification copies to the address listed in Item 9 of the previous section. (NOTE: If requesting a copy of your record post-board, your request should indicate you desire a copy of your record “as it met the board” and include the appropriate Board ID).
You can always call and ask for a telephone review of your record
AFPC Customer Support: DSN
Remember – nobody knows your records as well as you do. You should ALWAYS verify the accuracy of your records, especially before a promotion board.
PRF Accounting Date: This date defines which senior rater will sign your PRF. Even if you PCS the day after the PRF accounting date, your PREVIOUS senior rater will sign your PRF. 18 7

7. AFPC Website: https://gum.afpc.randolph.af.mil
Intermediate Developmental Education
So you want to be a major and go to school?
AFPC Website:
AFPC Website  Officer  Professional Military Education  Developmental Education and Special Programs
IDE/SDE School Descriptions (see IDE/SDE Program Description Guide)
Advanced Study of Air Mobility (ASAM)
Air Command and Staff College (ACSC)
Air Command and Staff College Political-Military Affairs Strategist (ACSC-PAS)
Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT)
Air Force Intern Program (AFIP)
Strategic Policy Intern, Washington, D.C
Joint Mobility Intern, Air Mobility Command
Air Force Legislative Fellow
CHECKMATE Strategic Studies Group Intern
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Fellow
McConn Public Policy Intern
National Laboratory Technology Fellows Program (NLTFP)
Political Advisor (POLAD) Fellow
Special Operations Legislative Affairs (SOLA) Intern
Strategic Communications Intern
Army Command and General Staff College
College of Naval Command and Staff
Foreign Services Intermediate Developmental Education
Foreign Services IDE Schools:
Argentine Air Command & Staff College – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Australian Command and Staff Course – Canberra Act, Australia
Brazilian Air Command and Staff College – Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Canadian Forces College – Toronto Ontario, Canada
Chilean Air Force Air War College – Santiago, Chile
German Armed Forces Federal Staff College – Hamburg, Germany
Indian Defense Services Staff College – Wellington, India
Indonesian Air Command and Staff College – Bandung, Indonesia
Japanese Air Command & Staff College – Tokyo, Japan
Korean Command & Staff Course – Ja Woon Dae, ROK
Norwegian Defense Staff College – Oslo, Norway
Royal Joint Services Command & Staff College – Watchfield, Swindon U.K.
Singapore Air Command and Staff College – Singapore
Spanish Joint Command & Staff College – Madrid, Spain
Joint Advanced Warfighting School (JAWS)
Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) Fellowship
Marine Corps Command and Staff College
National Defense Intelligence College (NDIC)
Naval Post Graduate School (NPS)
SOS Instructor for 2 years w/ACSC Follow-on
USAFA Squadron Air Officer Commanding (AOC)
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC)
When is the Development Team looking at my records?
Years of Service
#2 IDE
#4 SDE
#5 SQ/CC
#6 O-6 Initiated Review
DT Looks
Skill Sets are Grown
Over Time Through
Assignments and Education
Range of Vectors
Top 1%
JCS Staff
Air Staff
SAF/OS, SAF/AQ, SAF/IA, SAF/IG, SAF/LL, HAF/CC, HAF/CV, HAF/DP, HAF/RE, HAF/SE, HAF/TE, HAF/XI, HAF/XO, HAF/XP, & NGB
Joint Other Staff
OSD, CENTCOM, EUCOM, JFCOM, NATO, NORAD, NORTHCOM, PACOM, SOCOM, SOUTHCOM, STRATCOM, TRANSCOM, Joint Test, DCMA, DIA, DISA, DTRA, MDA, AFRICOM & NGA
MAJCOM
ACC, AETC, AFMC, AFRC, AFSOC, AFSPC, AMC, ANG, PACAF, & USAFE
FOA/DRU
AFDC, AFOTEC, AFPC, AFFSA, AFSAA, AFSC, AFTAC, AIA, ANG/AFRC Advisors, & CAP
NAF/SPO/Center
AMWC, TACC, 18 AF, EMTF, AMOG, ALO/AMLO, AMC Test, ACC Test, AFMC Test, AFSOC Test, AFOTEC Test, AFMC SPO
AF-Lvl Instructor
AU & USAFA (doesn’t include AFIT/PME students)
Wing/Base (Ops)
Any Ops/Training Requirement At Or Below Wing Level, UAV, FTU
Needs of the AF 6 19

8. Intermediate Developmental Education
What is the Advanced Studies Group?
Advanced Studies Group (ASG) students are officers selected through a competitive process from the current in-residence intermediate developmental education (IDE) class, to attend one of the following schools:
School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), Maxwell AFB, AL
School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), Fort Leavenworth, KS
School of Advanced Warfare (SAW), Quantico, VA
Naval Operational Planner Course (NPOC), Newport, RI
IDE students are briefed early in the school year by the Dean about SAASS and how to apply. The Army and Marine Corps conduct their own selection boards and notify selected Air Force officers on their selection to SAMS and SAW. The Navy selects NPC officers from their current College of Naval Command and Staff (CNCS) student population. NOPC students complete the program concurrently with CNCS.
What other opportunities are out there?
Olmsted Scholarship
White House Fellowship
Mansfield Fellowship
Information Assurance Scholarship
Force Development
Development Teams (DT)
Attempt to provide vectors based
-- AF requirements
-- Officer professional development
-- Commander recommendation
-- Officer’s desires/records
Recommend officers for development opportunities
Things you can do to get ahead of the power curve
Performance is key!
Complete correspondence PME early
Keep your records current
Get to know your surf and your records intimately
Update your Airman Development Plan (ADP)
Set goals and make a plan
Development opportunities have expanded – know what's available
Continually seek professional growth opportunities
Seek to earn an advanced academic degree
Learn the process (OPRs, Promotion, School)
Develop breadth and depth of experience
-- Learn your job inside and out
-- Then seek career broadening opportunities
Remember, development teams look at records every day
-- They could be looking at yours right now, are they good to go?
Generalized
Specialized
Capt
Maj
Lt Col
Col
DC Tour
Special Duty
Staff
IDE
Deployment
AAD
Skill Sets
SOS
Leadership
SDE 20 5

9. IDE SDE Developmental Education Attendance Opportunity
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” -- President John F. Kennedy
100 80 65
100 90 85
Promotion Board
Selects
Promotion Board
Selects
Some Thoughts on Leadership
Lead from the front – lead by example – lead to inspire
Leaders are found everywhere in the organization
Informal vs. formal all ranks, all positions
The best may be working for you…learn from them!
Simply holding a position of leadership isn’t enough
Actions speak louder than words
Think strategically – have a vision
Know yourself, your strengths, your weakness (Focus most of efforts on your strengths, minimize your weaknesses)
Practice: writing, speaking, leading – reading adds to your tool kit
Grow where your planted – attitude and work ethic can move mountains
Grow your replacement – advise and mentor always
“Feed the horses, feed the men, feed yourself “ (OEL: officers eat last)
Never walk by an opportunity to lead…
DT Nominated Candidates
DT Nominated Candidates
Candidates
Candidates
IDE
SDE
Non-residence Developmental Education
Early completion of non-res DE matters – it increases competitive edge
Knowing Others Is Intelligence; Knowing Yourself Is True Wisdom. Mastering Others Is Strength; Mastering Yourself Is True Power Lao Tzu
~ 4 yrs lack of DE complete becomes an indicator at DT/ Boards
~ 3 yrs lack of DE complete draws negative conclusions
~ 2 yrs post pin-on, Board expects DE complete
Leadership Bumper Stickers
The mission is ALWAYS the “primary” focus
Delegate authority, NOT responsibility
People are the most important resource
AF is a family – take care of each other
Leadership is situational
AF Core Values are the bedrock of leadership
Work hard, play hard
Physical fitness is not a luxury, it’s the price of admission
Communication: Making it Stick
Keep your message:
Simple
Unexpected
Concrete
Credible
Emotional
Whole Person Concept
Most review boards look at the whole person
-- Deployments, Exec, Stan/Eval, Awards & Recognition, Group/Wing level positions
Discriminators (what sets your record apart…)
-- Special programs, DE in-residence, advanced academic degree consistent stratification 4 21

10. AFSOC CC/CV/DS Understanding Staff Career Planning
CHAPLAIN
FINANCIAL MGMT HC FM
AFSOC CC/CV/DS
What do board members key in on?
Adv Acad Degree
BDE (res/non-res)
DLAB Score
DLPT (language proficiency)
Updated ADP
AFSC Specialties (Safety,
WIC, etc.)
AFSC Prefixes (Instructor (K),
Evaluator (Q), etc.)
Command (Flight, section,
squadron, etc.)
Above the squadron level
experience
Nominal Career Timing Chart
Year
Rank
Promotion
2000
2Lt
2002
1Lt
2004
Capt
2008
IPZ Major
2009
2010
Maj
1st Look IDE
2011
2nd Look IDE
2012
3rd Look IDE
2BPZ Lt Col
HISTORIAN
INSPECTOR GENERAL HO IG
STAFF JUDGE ADVOCATE
PUBLIC AFFAIRS JA PA
SAFETY
SURGEON SE SG
MANPOWER, PERSONNEL & SERVICES
INTELLIGENCE
AIR & SPACE OPERATIONS
LOGISTICS A1 A2 A3 A4
PLANS, PRGMS, RQMTS & ASSMNTS
COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION
INSTALLATION & MISSION SUPPORT
A5/8/9 A6 A7
Sample Five Year Plan
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Duties
- Grow as A/C
- Shop Chief
Deploy
- Flight CC
- Upgrade to Instructor
Upgrade to Evaluator
DOV
OGV
Tactics
Ed / PME
SOS in-res
Masters
- WIC/Safety
- ACSC corsp
- IDE 1L
- IDE 2L
Promotion
- IPZ Major
- PIN on
Other
- 96 Gate Mos
- Senior Pilot
- 120 Gate Mos
Common Staff Terms
4-Digit Coordination Working issues at the lowest level on a staff
(e.g. A3VT – Talon Stan/Eval) Normally at the Major/Lt Col level
3-Digit – Working issues one level above 4 digit
(e.g. A3V – Stan/Eval) Normally at the Colonel level
2-Digit – Working issues one level above 3 digit
(e.g. A3 – Operations) Normally at the General Officer level
LEADERS
L Lead: from the front, never walk by a problem
E Example: Work hard, play hard, stay in shape
A Attitude: attitudes are contagious
D Direction: stay focused and clear
E Evaluate: think before you act (or react)
R Recognition: recognize early and often (what gets recognized gets repeated)
S Success: train your replacement 22 3

11. Aviation Career Incentive Pay (ACIP) – “Flight Pay”
SOF Truths
Humans are more important than hardware
Quality is better than quantity
Special Operations Forces cannot be mass produced
Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after a crisis
occurs
Aviation Career Incentive Pay (ACIP) – “Flight Pay”
Operational Flying Duty Accumulation (OFDA) credit/“gates” are governed by AFI The gates are basically a measuring tool established by congress to make sure that only deserving people collect flight pay. Must be on active flying status at least 15 days in a month to receive OFDA credit for that month.
Note: If moving from an active to inactive billet, out-process after the 15th, likewise if moving from an inactive to active billet, in-process before the 15th.
If you do not meet your gate months, you are then removed from continuous Aviation Career Incentive Pay (ACIP) to conditional ACIP meaning you need to fly to get paid.
Thoughts on the mission
We are a nation at war, get ready for it, because it won’t wait for you If you lack a warrior mindset, you’re already behind the power curve
Tomorrow’s AF CANNOT be just a smaller version of your father’s AF If it is, we have failed
Focus on effects, not functions
Add value from Customer’s perspective
Somebody’s life, happiness, well-being, morale, mental attitude depends on you – make it count
Special Operations officer’s need to understand the full spectrum of aerospace operations, they must be articulate in staff, joint and operational assignments – regardless of their core specialty
Our officers must be professional, diplomatic, culturally aware, responsive and innovative
Gate
OFDA Mos
Prior to
Flight Pay Till 1 96
12th year
18th year 2
120
22nd year 3
144
25th year
Start UFT
Years of Aviation Service
Start
Continuous
ACIP
96 or more OFDA
Less than 96 OFDA
144 or more OFDA
Less than 120 OFDA
120 to 143 OFDA
“…every piece of equipment or person moved by air, means less convoys on the roads of Iraq and Afghanistan.”
- Maj. Gen. Maury Forsyth, Deputy Combined Forces Air Component Commander
Competence in the mission is a prerequisite for leadership
Remember, special ops is more than just eliminating targets, think strategically about hearts and minds, cultural awareness and development
At some point you will be the expert in the room, and quite possibly lives will depend on how well you know your job and how it fits into the big picture
“…If you come off of the battlefield with a heartbeat and get into the AE system, there is a 98% chance that you will survive.”
- 332 MDG/CC
Continuous ACIP
Conditional ACIP (Must Fly) 2 23

12. 415th Special Operations Squadron
OPRs, EPRs and PRFs
General
The report you write today may be the deciding factor for promotion years from now
Make every report count, you owe it to them – its your duty as their rater
Last line is the overall assessment– the most important line on the report
Bullets should be active, specific, descriptive and show impact
Bullets should be past tense, i.e. “led a team” not “leads a team”
Avoid two line bullets, most long sentences can be broken up
Avoid more than two sub bullets per main bullet
Read the Wing Writing Guide
EPRs
Stratifications are only authorized for TSgt and above
No school push
Should have a promotion statement
Give them the opportunity to lead, encourage extracurricular activities, etc
Should reference recently completed degrees/programs (i.e. CCAF)
OPRs
Stratifications are important (examples in order of impact):
#1,2,3,etc of XXX CGOs, Top 5%-10%, One of my best, superior CGO
Creative stratifications are better than no stratification at all
-- The first should be the hardest hitting, have the most impact
-- Last line should have stratification, overall assessment, a job recommendation, and a school push
No promotion statements, reference to ongoing schools or legal issues
Cannot speak beyond authority, i.e. only the Sq CC can say best in sq
Cannot reference advanced academic degrees
PRFs
All bullets (except Senior Rater’s overall assessment – last line) must come OPRs, TRs, Awards, etc.
As with OPRs/EPRs, the first and last lines are critical
Top 10% of eligibles can be a Def. Promote (DP) vs. just a Promote (P)
School Selects
If you are looking to advance your career, aim to go to school
Do not need to be a DP to be a select, likewise a DP does not guarantee a school slot, selects are ID’d by the DT using the whole person concept
As with anything else, school slots and the schools themselves are competitive,
CGOC
Provides an excellent opportunity to get involved, become a mentor or learn from others
Is there for you, take advantage of it
415th Special Operations Squadron
CGO Development Guide
Progressing down the road from young Lieutenant to wizened Major-select is fraught with the perils of uncertainty. Unfortunately most CGOs don’t have the time to attend a great number of CGO development courses, so a majority of the corporate knowledge is passed down from first hand accounts, usually at the last minute.
With that in mind, we have developed a handout to help guide you through the hurtles of understanding professional development, promotion, school and staff.
Growing leaders means securing the future…
POC: 415 SOS/CCE