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) specialists 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.

YOU DON’T APPLY, YOU PROVE.

SWIPE TO SEE THE TRAINING PIPELINE TO BECOME A PJ.

  • 01

    BASIC MILITARY TRAINING (BMT)

    Eight 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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  • 02

    SPECIAL WARFARE PREPARATORY COURSE (SW PREP)

    Eight 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 Physical Ability and Stamina Test (PAST) to see if they’ll move on to tech training.

  • 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 CCT training or find another career field.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 09

    PARARESCUE EMT-B COURSE

    Seven weeks/Kirtland AFB, NM

    The primary job of a PJ is to provide medical aid to downed personnel. This is the first step in how to do that by learning basic emergency medical training.

  • 10

    PARARESCUE EMT-P COURSE

    30 weeks/Kirtland AFB, NM

    After obtaining the fundamentals of emergency medicine, PJ candidates continue onto advanced medical training where they learn additional lifesaving procedures in pressure situations in order to become certified paramedics.

  • 11

    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.

GET SPECIAL WARFARE READY.

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

  • 01

    Swim 25 meters underwater

  • 02

    Swim 500 meters (breaststroke, sidestroke and freestyle)

  • 03

    Run 1.5 miles

  • 04

    Pull-ups in one minute

  • 05

    Sit-ups in two minutes

  • 06

    Push-ups in two minutes

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

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Qualifications summary

Minimum Education

High school diploma, GED with 15 college credits or GED

ASVAB Requirements

General

Qualifications

  • Successful completion of the Pararescue Physical Ability and Stamina Test
  • Minimum score of 60 on PJ selection model completed in Tailored Adaptive Personality Assessment System
  • Physical qualification for aircrew, parachute and marine-diving duty
  • Normal color vision and depth perception
  • Qualification and proficiency as a static line and military freefall parachutist and as a military SCUBA diver
  • Certification from the National Registry for Emergency Medical Technicians
  • Completion of a current National Agency Check, Local Agency Checks and Credit Check
  • Completion of 8.5 weeks of Basic Military Training
  • Must be between the ages of 17 and 39

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SPECIAL WARFARE CAREERS