PARARESCUE
Phase 1 (Only for Prior service/officer candidates)
package submission
This is the first step for Officers and Prior Service. Eligible candidates will submit a package as the initial application to join Pararescue. Contact a USAF Special Operations Recruiter via airforce.com for further specifics on eligibility and Phase 1 package requirements, deadlines, etc.
phase 2 (Only for Prior service/officer candidates)
Hurlburt field, florida
This is a pre-selection for all prior service and officer candidates to attend in order to ensure strong leadership on the team in an effort to lead and mentor those people just out of BMT. If you are coming in to the careerfield after already having another career, the cadre expect you will have the ability to problem solve, be at the front of the pack physically and have the stoicism, resolve, and leadership ability to not only succeed but help others succeed as well. Do not go to phase 2 with numbers just passing the PAST. What the cadre are looking for at this course is your ability to stay calm, complete the task, and utilize your problem solving skills to provide the best outcome for the team.
USAF BASIC MILITARY TRAINING (BMT)
LACKLAND AFB, SAN ANTONIO TX- 8 WEEKS
The first course in the Air Force for all non-prior service enlisted personnel. This is where you learn how to be an Airman, and the basics of the USAF. As a Special Warfare candidate, you will meet with Cadre every week to perform preprogrammed exercises in an effort to optimize your performance for the pipeline. You will make your first impressions on the instructors as well as on your future teammates. Show up prepared and be a good teammate. Expect to graduate BMT on a Friday, spend time with family (if they come to your graduation), then start SW Prep the following Monday.
Photo Via basictraining.af.mil
Special warfare preparatory course
LACKLAND AFB, SAN ANTONIO TX- 8 WEEKS
SW Prep is designed to give you the best possible chance of getting through selection. Collegiate level strength/conditioning coaches, running coaches, swimming coaches, nutritionists, physical therapists, among other specialties use their combined expertise to maximize your level of fitness and prepare you for the rigors of Selection, both mentally and physically. Utilizing world class facilities, you will be exposed to sleep deprivation, extended training days, and the importance of performing as a team. This is not meant to be a complete smoke session but meant to prime you for the difficult selection course ahead. This course is currently only for Non Prior Service Airmen, while Prior Service Airmen attend an abbreviated 2 week course.
Special warfare ASSESSMENT & SELECTION
LACKLAND AFB, SAN ANTONIO TX- 4 WEEKS
This is the actual selection course you will be attending. It is a Selection, not Indoctrination, so you will be expected to perform at a very high level right out of the gate. Gone are the days of cadre mentorship, this course will constantly test your physical and mental abilities. Cadre will literally take notes on your every move during this Selection course. You will be evaluated on your potential and natural abilities to perform and lead. This means that it is no longer enough to just be the gray man, you will need to step outside your comfort zone (you will be pushed) in order to be the most effective team member or leader you can be. It is more important than ever to show up prepared mentally and physically.
Combined with other career fields, PJ candidates will be alongside CCT/TACP/SR candidates as well. Expect to be tired, sore, hungry, and to keep working anyway. Also, expect to make some of the best friends you will ever have and find out that you can push yourself further than you thought possible. This is where the heat is really turned on and your career begins, and those in your Selection course will remember you and the impression you made if you were the person who was always coming up for air or panicking. People have made it through the physical portion and have still not been selected. You need to show up everyday with a purpose and remember why you started in the first place. Dont give yourself any other option than success.
Special warfare pRE-DIVE
LACKLAND AFB, SAN ANTONIO TX- 4 WEEKS
Just when you thought the hard part was over. Get ready for all the difficult watercon the PJ Pipeline is known for, in an effort to prepare you for Combat Dive school. Expect more technical watercon in this course compared to A&S. In this course, there will be focus on the most difficult watercon activities, and as of mid 2019, this course eliminates 30% of the candidates going through. Why? Because being competent and confident in the water is crucial when you are out in the middle of the ocean with 20 ft swells while trying to package a patient quickly because the helo only has a certain amount of loiter time. The pressure is on in the real world and training needs to match it as much as possible. Check out the Indoc Grad standards page for an idea of the types of tasks you will be facing. Just know that nothing gets easier, you just get better.
Special warfare combat dive
NDSTC, Panama City, FL - 5-6 weeks (depending on draeger qual)
Learn basic fundamentals of SCUBA/UBA equipment usage/maintenance, as well as how to plan and execute basic mission sets. This like every other course is physically rigorous and you will do regular Physical training beginning early in the morning followed by academics to include Dive physics, dangerous marine life, emergency procedures, and how to read/interpret dive tables. The first couple weeks will be dry until you begin pool week around the third week of training. during pool week is the the highest rate of attrition. you will be exposed to one man and two man drills as well as doing many other tasks. During this phase is when all of your water confidence skills will be truly tested in a safe environment. You will be expected to remain calm while your air source is removed then you will need to calmly execute the appropriate procedure to facilitate you and your buddy’s air supply. Additionally you will learn how to navigate in the water from an insertion point thousands of meters away from your target infiltration site. Have fun with it and stay calm!
Via www.afsoc.af.mil
Via www.goarmy.com
airborne school
fort benning, ga - 3 weeks
Get your wings, stop being a leg. Expect to show up early to the early show time, Go Army. This is where you earn your first jump wings, you will practice parachute landing falls (PLF) till you have worn out the side of your boot and will be a part of a proud heritage of warriors who are willing to jump out of a mostly functional plane to complete the mission. This method of parachute insertion utilizes a cord wrapped around a piece of fabric which breaks under pressure and opens the parachute. It is not as sexy as MFF but it certainly does what it is intended to. Have a good attitude and embrace the heritage around you.
military free-fall school
ypg, az or jamul, ca - 4 weeks
Learn how to fall to earth and pull your parachute at the right time while making sure you dont hurt yourself or others in the air. You will learn how to pack your parachute and you better do a good job because you are going to be depending on it to save your life. Yes you will learn how to fall/fly appropriately using a wind tunnel in order to make sure you can adequately maintain altitude and airspace discipline while in free fall. You will learn about canopy control, team parachuting, and how to properly don and inspect your equipment. You will also learn how to perform High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jumps in addition to High Altitude High Opening jumps (HAHO). There are very few people in the military who get the privilege to be MFF qualified, it is a great time but take it seriously and learn from these experts as there is a lot of technique involved.
Via www.army.mil
Via www.airforce.com
sere training
fairchild afb, spokane, wa - 3 weeks
Students will spend extended time out in the field learning navigation and survival techniques. These survival techniques include food/water procurement, shelter and bivouac selection/construction, map and compass techniques, and emergency signaling/radio procedures. Additionally, you will learn how to properly respond during a myriad of interrogation techniques and how to resist in the event that you are captured by the enemy.
Lastly you will attend underwater egress training - 1 day
During this training you will learn how to escape a submerged and rotated helicopter utilizing an environment tank which can simulate the experience of being submerged in a real world open ocean scenario.
pararescue paramedic course emt-b/emt-p
KIRTLAND AFB, ALBUQUERQUE, NM - 37 weeks
Become a nationally registered paramedic, learn how to assess a patient, bandage/package them up and keep them alive until they reach definitive care whether its 10 minutes or 10 hours away. The Air Force will bring in some of the best paramedics from all over the US to train you how to become a super paramedic able to do things that other paramedics on the street are typically not allowed to perform. This is your bread and butter, every other course you have attended prior to this means nothing if you cannot effectively and efficiently perform the medical procedures necessary to keep your patient alive and bring them back to higher medical care. People will fail out during this portion as well, but only if they do not have the discipline to study at least 2 hours per day after 9 hours of studying. You are expected to maintain your physical fitness, while attending this academically rigorous course.
Via www.airforce.com
Pararescue Apprentice Course
KIRTLAND AFB, ALBUQUERQUE, NM - 22 weeks
This is where you bring it all together, everything you have learned over the past 2+ years. You will learn field medicine, learn how to operate in fixed and rotary wing aircraft, hoist, rappell, fast rope, climb mountains, set up rope rescue systems, do search and recovery dives, package and send boats and packages out of aircraft while jumping out after it, and of course shooting tactics and generally learning the basic fundamentals of becoming a functional member of the special operations community.