Air Reserve Technician Program
Encyclopedia
Air Reserve Technicians, commonly referred to as ARTs, are a nucleus of managers, planners and trainers who have knowledge and expertise to smooth Air Force Reserve Command
(AFRC) and Air National Guard
(ANG) units' transition from a peacetime to a wartime
environment. They provide management continuity, equipment maintenance and training support to help keep their units combat
ready.
Air Reserve Technicians carry dual status, working as full-time civil service
employees for the Air Force and as military
members in the same AFRC or ANG units where they work as Air Force civilians and performing the same job.
In their civilian role, Air Reserve Technicians provide full-time support throughout the month for their units. Air Reserve Technicians participate with other traditional reservists in AFRC and traditional guardsmen in ANG on weekend unit training assemblies, additional weekday or weekend drills, annual training active duty tours and additional active duty tours for training or operational support. ART personnel are also subject to recall to full active duty with the Regular Air Force pursuant to Title 10 U.S.C 12301 and 12302.
ART jobs span a broad spectrum, including commander
at the squadron, group and wing level, pilot
, navigator/Combat Systems Officer, flight instructor
, aircraft
mechanic
, nurse (including flight nurse
), aircraft maintenance officer
, loadmaster
and personnel officer. ARTs comprise approximately 17 percent of the AFRC and ANG unit manpower with aircraft maintenance employing about 60 percent of the technician work force, where they average 17 years of job experience.
The program was implemented in 1958 as the result of a study, which showed that Air Force Reservists and Air National Guardsmen could be trained by fewer Air Reserve Technicians than by full-time active duty USAF personnel. The Air Reserve Technician program saved the Air Force $13 million (in 1958 $USD) during its first year of operation.
There are approximately 10,000 Air Reserve Technicians assigned in the AFRC and a slightly higher number in the ANG.
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
(AFRC) and Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
(ANG) units' transition from a peacetime to a wartime
Wartime
The term wartime could refer to:* Wartime, Saskatchewan, a small community in Saskatchewan, Canada.* Wartime Station, Saskatchewan, a small community in Saskatchewan, Canada.* A formal state of war, as opposed to peacetime...
environment. They provide management continuity, equipment maintenance and training support to help keep their units combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
ready.
Air Reserve Technicians carry dual status, working as full-time civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
employees for the Air Force and as military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
members in the same AFRC or ANG units where they work as Air Force civilians and performing the same job.
In their civilian role, Air Reserve Technicians provide full-time support throughout the month for their units. Air Reserve Technicians participate with other traditional reservists in AFRC and traditional guardsmen in ANG on weekend unit training assemblies, additional weekday or weekend drills, annual training active duty tours and additional active duty tours for training or operational support. ART personnel are also subject to recall to full active duty with the Regular Air Force pursuant to Title 10 U.S.C 12301 and 12302.
ART jobs span a broad spectrum, including commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
at the squadron, group and wing level, pilot
U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Ratings
U.S. Air Force aeronautical ratings are military aviation skill standards established and awarded by the United States Air Force for commissioned officers participating in "regular and frequent flight", The standard by which flight status has been defined in law, executive orders, and regulations...
, navigator/Combat Systems Officer, flight instructor
Flight instructor
A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to fly aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate the knowledge and skill level of an aviator in pursuit...
, aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
, nurse (including flight nurse
Flight nurse
A Flight Nurse is traditionally a specialty where highly trained Registered Nurses provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and critical care to all types of patients during aeromedical evacuation or rescue operations aboard helicopter and propeller aircraft or jet aircraft.Flight Nurses are...
), aircraft maintenance officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
, loadmaster
Loadmaster
A Loadmaster is an aircrew member on military transport aircraft. Loadmasters serve in the Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Navy of many nations...
and personnel officer. ARTs comprise approximately 17 percent of the AFRC and ANG unit manpower with aircraft maintenance employing about 60 percent of the technician work force, where they average 17 years of job experience.
The program was implemented in 1958 as the result of a study, which showed that Air Force Reservists and Air National Guardsmen could be trained by fewer Air Reserve Technicians than by full-time active duty USAF personnel. The Air Reserve Technician program saved the Air Force $13 million (in 1958 $USD) during its first year of operation.
There are approximately 10,000 Air Reserve Technicians assigned in the AFRC and a slightly higher number in the ANG.