Can a Non-Rated Officer Effectively Fill the Position an USAF Air Liaison Officer

Book excerpt: An USAF Air Liaison Officer (ALO) is the senior TACP member attached to a ground unit who functions as the primary advisor to the Army ground commander on air power. The large majority of USAF officers assigned to be ALOs are Rated Officers (Fighter/Bomber Aircrew). This proposal is seeking to examine the feasibility of non-rated officers effectively filling the position of an ALO. The paper will discuss the history and origin of the USAF ALO, a review of relevant literature including John P. Olivero's 1999 research study, and data that seems to support the creation of a non-rated ALO career field. It is this author's hypothesis that a non-rated officer can effectively fill the position of an ALO and we will discuss why the USAF will benefit from that positioning. The research methodology to be used will be quantitative survey research. Data collected for this thesis indicated that the majority of Army and AF respondents felt that a non-rated officer could perform the duties of an ALO effectively. Likewise, the majority also felt that the creation of a non-rated ALO career field would benefit the USAF. Finally, discussion will include a recommended training program for non-rated officers to become qualified ALOs.