Attitude vs. Aptitude Published May 3, 2011 By Maj. Michael Tomm 436th Contracting Squadron commander DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Required: One year job experience, 24 semester hours in business related academic courses, a bachelor's degree, 69 hours of distance learning and 14 weeks of in-residence classes: are these the requirements for a Masters or a Doctorate? This is what it takes to be certified Acquisition Professional Development Program Level I. That's right, "Level I," the first of three. If those are the requirements for Level I, what does the APDP Level III require? Why, only the culmination of 193 hours of online courses, four years of experience on the job and 30 weeks of in-residences courses. Fortunately, the military and civilians of the 436th Contracting Squadron have the time and resources to acquire these certifications in conjunction with on-the-job-training to perform the core AFSC and 1102 series function. This is a statement I would have made when I read my first Career Development Course volume as a second lieutenant. But today's operational contracting environment is a sharp contrast. The military members, both officer and enlisted, are in Tempo Band E, which is a one-to-one deployment-to-dwell ratio. When not in the Area of Responsibility and able to be in-garrison and not attending Combat Skills Training, conduction ancillary training, Weighted Airman Promotion System testing or studying, taking reconstitution leave, taking annual leave, attending Professional Military Education, upgrade training and not performing their primary and additional duties, they are diligently working toward their certifications. Civilians also diligently work towards APDP certifications, and although they are not faced with either a Tempo Band E or military duties, they are busy with an additional workload they have taken on while military members are deployed. As if ops tempo wasn't enough of a challenge for squadron members to obtain the requisite classes for certification, it is now more difficult with the increase in competition for classes due to an influx of class applications. Demand for contracting and acquisition professionals is set to grow in the Department of Defense by 20,000 personnel in the next five years. Classes often fill within the hour of positing and squadron members have to balance their availability when registering, such as when they can expect to be back from a deployment or when in the most opportune time. The Air Force recognizes the importance of retaining military contracting professionals by offering a selective reenlistment bonus of up to $90,000 for enlisted and up to $80,000 for targeted officers. The real dilemma faced is balancing the pursuit of obtaining APDP certifications and executing the mission. This is why I am most proud of my squadron members. The more experienced civilians and military assist in training and bringing newly cross trained personnel up to speed. Out of a pool of 16 military members, only two have more than 10 years experience, and one of them is writing this article. More than half the squadron has less than five years of experience but that doesn't deter them from taking on the mission and ensuring the awarding and administering of contracts gets done. Day in and day out, the contracting squadron demonstrates that their attitude versus aptitude determines their altitude.