MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Air Force announced the opening of the first Military Officer Montessori School this week as part of an effort to invigorate the service’s various commissioning programs. Although MOMS will run alongside the traditional commissioning program located at Maxwell Air Force Base, the differences are readily apparent.

“Traditional commissioning programs are, by definition, extremely rigid,” said Lt. Col. Dan “Moon” Beam, the commander of the newly established 123 Officer Training Squadron. “But this very rigidity not only stifles creativity, it dissuades many from joining our ranks. We believe that MOMS will invite a wide range of new talent into the force.”

Beam explained that instead of exposing aspiring officers to the traditional basic training experience, where they would be subjected to intense physical training and leadership challenges for three months, the new approach will be largely self-driven and pleasantly tactile.

“The era of cookie-cutter commissioning has to come to an end,” said Beam. “The Montessori method seeks to unleash an officer trainee’s full potential by letting him or her decide what they want to learn.”