Two pararescue Airmen jumping from plane
Enlisted

Pararescue

SAVING THE LIVES OF FELLOW AIRMEN

When an injured Airman needs saving from a hostile or otherwise unreachable area, it’s our duty to bring them home. As members of Air Force Special Warfare, Pararescue (PJ) rescue and medically treat downed military personnel all over the world. These highly trained experts take part in every aspect of the mission and are skilled parachutists, scuba divers and rock climbers, and they are even arctic-trained in order to access any environment to save a life when they’re called to do so.

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Special Warfare: Pararescue

YOU DON’T APPLY, YOU PROVE.

SWIPE TO SEE THE TRAINING PIPELINE TO BECOME A PJ.

  1. 01 BASIC MILITARY TRAINING (BMT)

    7.5 weeks/Lackland AFB, TX

    The first step to becoming an Airman happens in BMT where trainees learn military structure, the core values of the U.S. Air Force, and to prepare both mentally and physically for life as an Airman.
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  2. 02 Special Warfare Candidate Course (SWCC)

    Seven weeks/Lackland AFB, TX

    If they have what it takes to join Air Force Special Warfare, it will be revealed here. Candidates will undergo intense strength and conditioning training by running, rucking and swimming extensively. They’ll also learn about the rich history of Special Warfare, Esprit De Corps and ultimately take the Initial Fitness Test (IFT) to see if they’ll move on to their pipeline training.

  3. 03 SPECIAL WARFARE ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION COURSE

    Four weeks/Lackland AFB, TX

    This is the moment candidates must prove they are worthy to advance in PJ training or find another career field.

  4. 04 SPECIAL WARFARE PRE-DIVE COURSE

    Four weeks/Lackland AFB, TX

    Pre-dive prepares candidates physically and mentally for the rigors of combat dive school. It consists of intense calisthenics, middle- and long-distance running, swimming and, most importantly, water-confidence training.

  5. 05 SPECIAL WARFARE COMBAT DIVE COURSE

    Five weeks/Panama City, FL

    Becoming an expert diver happens here. Building upon what they learned during the pre-dive course, PJs undergo extensive combat dive training so they can render medical aid whenever, wherever.

  6. 06 AIRBORNE SCHOOL

    Five weeks/Fort Benning, GA

    When an aircraft goes down, it’s often in the middle of nowhere, which means PJs must airdrop in to help the survivors. During airborne training, they learn basic parachuting and prepare for static line jump operations.

  7. 07 MILITARY FREE-FALL COURSE

    Four weeks/Yuma, AZ; Jamul, CA

    In addition to being certified paramedics, PJs are also advanced skydivers. This is where they take that next step by building on the training they received at airborne school.

  8. 08 SERE TRAINING

    Three weeks/Fairchild AFB, WA

    Special Warfare Airmen conduct missions in some of the most extreme and hostile places on the planet. This is where they receive survival, evasion, resistance and escape training that will likely one day save their lives.

  9. 09 Modernized Pararescue Provider Program (MP3)

    39 weeks/Lackland AFB, TX

    The primary job of a PJ is to provide medical aid to isolated personnel. The Modernized Pararescue Provider Program (MP3) will provide the necessary training for PJ candidates to become Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Nationally Registered Paramedics (NRPs), as well as fundamental combat medical skills necessary to meet the medical mission of a PJ and be interoperable with Joint Special Operations counterparts. The combat medical block includes training in aeromedical/dive physiology, casualty evacuation, Tactical Combat Casualty Care - Combat Paramedic (TCCC-CP), prolonged casualty care, small unit care, K9 tactical combat casualty care and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear environments.

  10. step 10 PARARESCUE APPRENTICE COURSE

    22 weeks/Kirtland AFB, NM

    PJs are combat medics and rescue specialists who will often find themselves in the middle of a war zone. This is where they learn to apply their training under pressure while obtaining fundamental combat skills utilizing a range of weapons and strategies.

What is Air Force Special Warfare?

GET SPECIAL WARFARE READY.

SWIPE TO SEE WHAT IS REQUIRED TO BECOME A PJ, SO YOU CAN PREPARE BEFORE ENTERING THE PIPELINE.

  1. 01 Swim 25 meters underwater

  2. 02 Swim 500 meters (breaststroke, sidestroke and freestyle)

  3. 03 Run 1.5 miles

  4. 04 Pull-ups in two minutes

  5. 05 Sit-ups in two minutes

  6. 06 Push-ups in two minutes

DOWNLOAD A 21-DAY FITNESS PROGRAM TO GET YOURSELF READY.

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key things to consider

REQUIREMENTS

You must meet several requirements before joining the Air Force. These concern your background, overall health and other standards set by the Air Force, Department of Defense and federal law.

VIEWS FROM REAL SPECIAL WARFARE

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SPECIAL WARFARE CAREERS