Exploring the Roles of Personality and Intellect in Completing U.S. Air Force Weather Technical Training

Abstract

Completion rate of military training programs is a commonly observed metric across the U.S. Air Force (USAF). Although Basic Military Training aims to identify recruits who possess the foundational elements for all Airmen, USAF technical school training programs aim to produce specialized and operations-ready Airmen. These training programs vary in duration and intensity to best simulate an operational environment and for Airmen to demonstrate the minimum competencies necessary for career progression within the respective USAF specialty. This study explored how intellectual aptitudes and personality tendencies differentiate between Airmen who are successful versus Airmen who are unsuccessful in completion of the weather specialist (1W0X1) technical training course. Results suggest that intellectual aptitudes and the addition of a narrow operationalization of personality traits were associated with higher performance. The challenge lies in making the analysis as precise as possible to gain a deeper understanding of the specific factors associated with optimal training results.