Special Warfare Assessment and Selection (SWAS / A&S): What It Is and How to Prepare
Assessment and Selection is where the Air Force decides who continues toward a Special Warfare beret. Candidates call it A&S or SWAS. It is short, but it decides a lot. Here’s what the Air Force says it is, what it assesses, and how to arrive prepared.
Quick answer: A&S is a four-week course at Lackland AFB, Texas. Instructors, psychologists, doctors and human performance staff assess candidates on eight attributes. Enlisted candidates first complete the seven-week Special Warfare Candidate Course (SWCC).
Where A&S fits in the pipeline
For enlisted candidates the order is BMT, then the Special Warfare Candidate Course, then A&S. Candidates who are selected go on to Special Warfare Common Skills (Zulu) and their career-specific courses. Officer candidates for Combat Rescue Officer and Special Tactics Officer must first be selected at a Phase II screening before attending A&S.
For PJs, the selection role was once filled by the Pararescue Indoctrination Course (formerly called Indoc). The course design has changed. Selection still comes down to the water, the team, and how you perform tired. See the full path on how to become a PJ or how to become a combat controller.
The eight attributes A&S assesses
| Attribute | What it looks like in training | How to build it now |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | You keep working when no one is pushing you. | Train on a schedule you keep, especially on the sessions you dislike. |
| Integrity | Your reps, times and answers are honest. | Count strict reps. Log real times, not your best guess. |
| Problem solving | You think clearly when tired and under stress. | Practice tasks under fatigue. See the problem-solving guide below. |
| Physical fitness | You meet the standard on day one and keep meeting it. | Arrive well above IFT minimums, with rucking and fin swims built in. |
| Stress tolerance | You stay calm when things go wrong, especially in the water. | Build steady, supervised water confidence instead of avoiding the pool. |
| Teamwork | You help the people next to you without being told. | Train with a partner or a group and take turns leading. |
| Trainability | You take a correction once and apply it. | Film your technique, take feedback, and show the fix next session. |
| Communication | You pass clear, short information up and down. | Practice briefing a plan in a few sentences. |
The eight attributes are from the Special Warfare Training Wing. The descriptions and training ideas are BE A PJ coaching guidance, not official grading criteria.
What happens at A&S
The Special Warfare Training Wing says A&S events are anchored in real-world scenarios and give candidates a realistic preview of the job. Events include early morning obstacle courses, timed swims in full uniform, buddy breathing exercises and water confidence events that promote problem solving under stress.
The detailed schedule isn’t published, and it changes. Don’t prepare for a rumored list of events. Prepare to be fit, calm in the water, and coachable every day for four weeks.
How to prepare for A&S
1. Get far past the IFT
The IFT minimums get you in the door. Selection fitness looks more like the graduation standards: longer runs, rucks, fin swims and repeated hard days.
2. Make the water your strength
Timed swims in uniform, buddy breathing and water confidence are named events. Build supervised, steady water time. Start with the swim test guide and the underwater guide, and never train breath-holds alone.
3. Train problem solving under fatigue
Read tools to sharpen your problem-solving skills for A&S. Then practice: finish a hard set, then do a task that needs focus.
4. Follow a selection-specific program
Get Selected is the BE A PJ program built for A&S, also available in the store. It assumes you can already pass the IFT. If you can’t, start with the training plan guide.
5. Arrive recovered
Plan your last weeks so you arrive rested, not run down. Sleep, food and a sensible taper matter as much as the last hard session.
If you aren’t selected
Your options depend on your situation and on current policy, so ask your chain of command or recruiter. Brian’s answer on getting in a second time is in the FAQ archive.
What candidates have said about BE A PJ programs
“I wanted to let you know that I just completed SWAS (26-01) and was 1 of 2 SWOE PJ selects. … I only used your IFT program but the workouts were great and helped prepare me for selection.”Marshall R.
“I just made it through assessment and selection. I purchased your get selected program last August and I just wanted to thank you for it. It definitely prepared me physically and it put me way ahead of the majority of candidates.”Gabriel S.
These are candidates’ own words about BE A PJ programs and content, not reviews of the Selection HQ app. Individual results vary, and no program can guarantee selection.
Know where you stand before A&S
Selection HQ, the BE A PJ training app, shows your logged tests against your career field’s graduation targets and counts down to your selection date, so the weak link gets attention while there’s still time to fix it.
- Log every test and see how far you are from the minimums and from your career field's graduation targets
- Count down to your selection date and see the pace you need to hold
- Swim Strong: an eight-week swim progression with benchmark tests, plus side-by-side swim clip comparison
- Training calendar, journal, fuel log and Oura recovery data in one place
Founding membership: $15/month or $149 for a full year. Founding pricing is for the first 100 founding members.
See Selection HQ founding pricing14-day money-back guarantee on your first payment. Selection HQ helps you track your preparation. No app or program can guarantee selection.
Frequently asked questions
What is Special Warfare Assessment and Selection?
Special Warfare Assessment and Selection, called A&S or SWAS, is a four-week course where candidates are selected into Guardian Angel and Special Tactics career fields, including Pararescue, Combat Control and Special Reconnaissance. Instructors and human performance staff assess candidates on eight attributes.
What are the eight attributes assessed at A&S?
The Special Warfare Training Wing lists drive, integrity, problem solving, physical fitness, stress tolerance, teamwork, trainability and communication.
What events are in A&S?
The Special Warfare Training Wing describes early morning obstacle courses, timed swims in full uniform, buddy breathing exercises and water confidence events that promote problem solving under stress. The exact schedule is not published.
What is SWCC and how is it different from A&S?
The Special Warfare Candidate Course is a seven-week course that enlisted candidates complete before A&S. It prepares them for selection. A&S is the four-week course where selection happens.
Did A&S replace the Pararescue Indoctrination Course?
Yes, for selection purposes. The Pararescue Indoctrination Course, formerly called Indoc, used to be the main screening course for PJs. Today, Special Warfare candidates go through Assessment and Selection together before career-specific training.
How can I improve my chances at A&S?
Arrive with fitness well above the IFT minimums, real comfort in the water, and habits that match the eight attributes. Nothing can guarantee selection, but preparation is the part you control.
Sources
- Special Warfare Training Wing: What is Assessment & Selection? (official)
- AirForce.com: Pararescue (official recruiting)
- AirForce.com: Combat Control (official recruiting)
- AirForce.com: Special Reconnaissance (lists the Special Warfare Candidate Course)
- Task & Purpose, Oct 22, 2026: Air Force special ops trainees are graduating faster (news)
Official pages were checked on November 3, 2026.
General fitness information, not medical advice. Standards and course lengths change; confirm current requirements with a Special Warfare recruiter and the official sources above. No program, page or app can guarantee selection.