The goal of this research was to improve the Air Force’s knowledge of the effects of career broadening jobs on the leadership development of its officer corps. Specifically, the study sought to find significant relationships between incidents of career broadening in the officers’ background and their odds of being selected for promotion and in-residence professional military education (PME). Selection under these two areas is considered recognition of an officer’s ability to handle more responsibility and greater leadership challenges. Therefore, they are logical assessments of an officer’s leadership development. Duty histories of officers who met the Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel promotions boards in 2004 and 2005, as well as, those officers who competed for selection to in-residence PME programs at the intermediate and senior development levels in 2003 and 2004, were analyzed to determine the impact on the odds of selection provided by career broadening experiences. Results indicate that the Air Force needs to communicate the value of career broadening more effectively to its officers. Additionally, the developmental aspects of career broadening jobs should be explored in the future
