Squadron Officer School traces its roots to the
Air Corps Tactical School, which was founded in 1926 and closed in 1946. When SOS was established at Maxwell AFB in 1950, it became an arm of
Air Command and Staff College. Colonel Russell V. Ritchey, USAF, was the founder of SOS and its first commandant. In 1959, SOS became a separate Air University school reporting directly to the Air University commander. Originally established as a 12-week in-residence program at Maxwell AFB, SOS was shortened to an 8-week program in the early 1990s due, in part, to post-
Cold War budgetary pressures. In 1997, in an effort to emulate
The Basic School (TBS) program of the
U.S. Marine Corps, the Air Force established the
Air and Space Basic Course (ASBC) for all newly commissioned Second Lieutenants in the Regular Air Force, the
Air Force Reserve and
Air National Guard, regardless of commissioning source (e.g.,
USAFA,
AFROTC,
Air Force OTS, Academy of Military Science, direct commission, etc.), graduating its first class of Second Lieutenants in early 1998. Concurrent with this action, the Air Force shortened the in-residence SOS curriculum to 5 weeks. ASBC shared Building 1403 at Maxwell AFB with SOS until military construction at Maxwell AFB later expanded classroom space for both schools. In 2000, both ASBC and SOS merged to form an integrated
Squadron Officer College (SOC), with both schools sharing a common curriculum directorate and mission support staff. SOC's mission changed again in 2011 with a decision by the Air Force to eliminate ASBC, extend SOS from 5 weeks back to 8 weeks, change SOC's name back to SOS, and pursue 100% SOS resident attendance opportunity for all Line-of-the-Air Force captains.
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (four times) • January 1, 1969 – December 31, 1970 • January 1, 1973 – December 31, 1974 • May 1, 1980 – April 30, 1982 • January 1, 1983 – December 31, 1984
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award (ten times) • January 1, 1985 – May 31, 1986 • July 1, 1993 – June 30, 1995 • July 1, 1997 – June 30, 1998 • July 1, 1998 – February 7, 2000 • February 8, 2000 – June 30, 2001 • July 1, 2002 – June 30, 2003 • July 1, 2003 – June 30, 2004 • July 1, 2005 – June 30, 2006 • July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007 • July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008 == Transfer Credit ==