Development teams provide career opportunities Published March 7, 2008 By Senior Master Sgt. Kelly Mazezka Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs DENVER -- Ten to 15 minutes is all it takes to radically change an Air Force Reserve career - or not. It's ultimately up to the members to decide if they want to move up, move on or just stay put. But in any case, completing a Reserve Officer Development Plan can help make it happen. The R-ODP is Reserve officers' opportunity to communicate with their supervisors, commanders and career field leaders on what they want out of their careers - and learn how to get there. R-ODPs can be completed online at http://arpc.afrc.af.mil/vPC-GR/rodp/FDP/z_Career_Dev.asp. R-ODPs are studied by career-specific development teams that convene at the Air Reserve Personnel Center here. The 22 career fields that have met to date have provided more than 14,000 vectors, and have recommended many officers for continued education and 872 for command certification. But does it work? Is it worth the effort? Ask Lt. Col. Judi Patton, a traditional reservist in the Medical Services Corps. A true traditional reservist with no prior active-duty experience, Colonel Patton spent her entire 20-year military career with the 911th Airlift Wing at Pittsburgh, Pa. She completed her R-ODP for the June 2007 Medical Services Corps DT, and the DT decided she was command certified - they saw her leadership potential. Because of the DT, she was recommended, and subsequently chosen, for the position of the 926th Aerospace Medicine Flight commander at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. "Would I have had command opportunities at the 911th?" she asked. "Yes, probably. But they would have been limited." Colonel Patton was one of five Air Force Reserve Medical Services Corps officers identified as command certified during the June DT who were then selected for command billets. "Instead of looking at a small group of applicants, commanders can choose from a much larger pool of individuals identified by the DT," said Col. John Whitchurch, the Air Force Reserve Medical Services Corps career field manager, who leads the Medical Services Corps DTs. "They can choose the most qualified, rather than the most senior. We give them options. "Through force development, the Air Force Reserve gets much better rounded officers, more able to support the mission because of their broader experiences," he said. "It increases the capabilities of the Air Force Reserve. I see force development as nothing but positive." But traveling across the country to perform Reserve duty is not practical for many reservists. Not to worry, said Lt. Col. Vince Bugeja, Force Development Division chief. "We hold fast to the Citizen Airmen concept," he said. "We are Reservists: we have civilian careers and families. We don't all have the same flexibility. We understand and honor that." The DTs can't know, however, if Airmen don't tell them. "Are you happy where you are? Do you have higher aspirations? Just open your heart," the colonel suggested. "Filling out an R-ODP is not an extensive process like completing an OPR. You don't have to use fancy words or worry about filling all the space available." Once members complete their R-ODPs, Colonel Bugeja said it's critical to get their leaders' recommendation. He suggests Airmen contact their career field manager to decide who can sign the R-ODPs. Continuing to develop its own force, the force development team recently hired Maj. Kurt Schuh and Lt. Col. Patti Pettine as the first assignment facilitators. A career intelligence officer, Major Schuh participated in the Jan. 21-25 intelligence DT, and will now help intelligence Airmen understand what opportunities are available and provide commanders a deeper candidate pool from which to choose. Colonel Pettine will facilitate the civil engineer officers, Colonel Bugeja said. "Assignment facilitation will first encourage all officers to complete the R-ODP," he said. "When we come to the end of a DT, we provide counsel - we call them vectors - to the Airmen. Once the vector is out, we ask, 'Do you understand the counsel?' Finally, we try to identify members wanting to take action and help them make it happen." For the latest force development information, visit http://www.arpc.afrc.af.mil/library/developmentteams/index.asp.