Following Basic Military Training, enlisted Airmen are sent to technical training schools for in-depth training in the Air Force Specialty to which they have been assigned. At these technical training schools, the Air Force has instituted the Airman Leader program, a system designed to identify Airmen who display leadership qualities and encourage their development by assigning them to positions of responsibility over their fellow Airmen in training.
Airman Leaders serve at three levels with varying degrees of authority that are identified with Airman Leader “ropes,” or shoulder cords starting with the lowest at Green and advancing to Yellow and finally Red. Selected from Green Rope Leaders who have proven they their capabilities and have handled their leadership roles responsibly, Yellow Rope Airman Leaders are given charge of more Airmen—an entire dormitory floor or a whole flight, for example—and are tasked with ensuring the area is maintained according to standards.
Yellow Ropes wear shoulder cords (no metal tip) with utility uniforms, fleece jackets, the Blue Shirt. On the Blue Service or Mess Dress jacket, they’re authorized to wear metal-tipped aiguillettes that are grounded on the left shoulder seam.