The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of three major sources for commissioned officers in the United States Air Force (USAF.) It was created following World War II after the creation of the USAF itself. AFROTC units, called detachments, exist on college and university campuses. Within a detachment students (cadets) are organized into wings, groups, squadrons, and flights, which mimic USAF personnel structures. Cadets take AFROTC courses each semester, in addition to maintaining physical fitness, and Field Training exercises over the summer. If they continue in the program past their junior year, or have accepted a three year scholarship, then following graduation cadets serve at least a four-year term in the USAF.

The Ohio State University, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) was established on campus in 1946 as part of the Department of Military Science. It was originally called the AirCorps, and was a part of the reactivation of the ROTC program on Ohio State's campus following World War II. Joining an ROTC program was compulsory for males of an appropriate age for drafting into the United States Armed Forces. Following completion of the program, cadets would earn an Air Force Reserve Officer Commission, though as of 2019, an officer commission is not guaranteed. In 1952, the Ohio State University AFROTC was designated as Detachment 645.

As of 1961, the Ohio State University Board of Trustees ended compulsory enrollment in ROTC for males at the university. By the end of the decade in 1969, OSU was the testing ground with four other AFROTC detachments to allow female cadets to enter the program. As of 2019, there are 145 AFROTC co-ed detachments across the country.