Air Force Training Ribbon

The Air Force Training Ribbon is the lowest military award of the United States Air Force, ranking only above foreign military awards.

Air Force Training Ribbon
Air Force Training Ribbon
Awarded by the Department of the Air Force[1]
Type	Ribbon
Eligibility	Completion of initial accession training
Status	Current
Statistics
Established	October 12, 1980
First awarded	Retroactive to August 14, 1974
Precedence
Next (higher)	Air Force Marksmanship Ribbon[2]
Equivalent	Army Service Ribbon
Ribbon as worn by prior enlisted personnel who complete officer accession training.

The Air Force Training Ribbon was authorized by the Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force on October 12, 1980. It is awarded to U.S. Air Force service members on completion of initial accession training after August 14, 1974. Initial accession training in USAF is defined as Basic Military Training (BMT) for enlisted personnel, Basic Cadet Training (BCT) at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), or commissioning through Air Force ROTC (AFROTC), Officer Training School (OTS) or other specialized USAF officer accession programs.[3]

In December 1986, the criteria expanded and authorized the ribbon to anyone who was on active duty in December 1986, regardless of when they completed initial accession training. The ribbon was designed by the Institute of Heraldry. The ribbon has a wide center stripe of red, flanked on either side by a wide stripe of dark blue and a narrow yellow stripe edged by a narrow dark blue stripe.

Devices and Subsequent Awards

The Air Force Training Ribbon may not be awarded for completing flight training, technical training, career development courses, professional military education (PME) and other services' basic training or officer training. USAF enlisted personnel who initially accessed through BMT who later complete USAF officer accession training (i.e., OTS, AFROTC, USAFA and so forth) are entitled to a subsequent award denoted by a bronze oak leaf cluster.

Officers who complete Air Force officer accession training, but completed their enlisted training in the Army, receive the Air Force Training Ribbon on the basis of their officer accessions and wear it in addition to the Army Service Ribbon.

Authorized Device: Oak Leaf Cluster

Sister Service Equivalents

The United States Army grants the Army Service Ribbon in a manner similar to the Air Force Training Ribbon.

The United States Navy and United States Coast Guard do not have an award corresponding to the Air Force Training Ribbon. The ribbon is prohibited on all USN and USCG uniforms worn by former USAF personnel.

The United States Marine Corps does not have an equivalent ribbon, but instead awards their trademark Eagle, Globe & Anchor insignia upon completion of Recruit Training or Officer Candidate School, or at commissioning for those Marine Corps officers accessed via the United States Naval Academy (USNA), Naval ROTC (NROTC) Marine Corps Option or USMC Platoon Leaders Class (PLC). Like the Navy and the Coast Guard, wear of the Air Force Training Ribbon is also prohibited on all USMC uniforms worn by former USAF personnel.

References

1. "Production publication" (PDF). static.e-publishing.af.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
2. "Awards and Decorations". Air Force Personnel Center Library. Air Force Personnel Center. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
3. Air Force Training Ribbon Archived 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine