ENSURE AIRMEN SURVIVAL

Whether it’s in the desert, the arctic, at sea, in the jungle or as a prisoner of war, Airmen must be prepared to survive, evade, resist and escape any situation. And it’s the SERE specialists' mission to train them. These experts know how to survive in the most remote and hostile environments on the planet. It’s up to them to make sure that when a mission doesn’t go as planned, the Airmen involved are ready for anything and can return with honor.

Prepare aircrew and high-risk-of-isolation personnel to return from any type of survival situation.
Train and operate in remote and austere environments, day or night.
Provide direct support to Personnel Recovery (PR) programs through preparation, planning, execution, and adaptation.
Conduct developmental and operational testing of SERE and Aircrew equipment.
Perform static line, military free fall, and emergency parachuting techniques in support of various operations and exercises.

Career tasks

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

MINIMUM EDUCATION

Completion of high school
ASVAB REQUIREMENTS

Minimum score of 55 in the General category of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test
QUALIFICATIONS
- Be a U.S. citizen and qualify for a “Secret” security clearance.
- Be between the ages of 17 and 39.
- Obtain an 11th-grade reading level on the Air Force Reading Abilities Test.
- Must not have a speech impediment that interferes with clear enunciation.
- Meet the minimums of the SERE Physical Abilities and Stamina Test (PAST).

SURVIVE ANY SITUATION

Swipe to see the training pipeline for SERE specialists.

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 how to prepare both mentally and physically for life as an Airman.
Learn More
02
SERE SPECIALIST TRAINING ORIENTATION COURSE (SST-0C)

15 days | JBSA-Lackland/Chapman Annex

The SERE Specialist Training Orientation Course is designed to gauge your potential success in the SERE pipeline. You will be evaluated on your physical fitness, leadership/followership abilities, time management, speaking ability and commitment to becoming a SERE specialist.
03
SERE SPECIALIST TRAINING APPRENTICE COURSE (SST-AC)

5.5 months, 17 training phases | Fairchild AFB, WA

During this course, you’ll train to become a subject matter expert in SERE tactics by training in remote forest, desert, coastal, tropic and open-ocean environments. You’ll also train to become a personnel recovery expert, proficient in wilderness responder first aid, rough land evacuation and hand-to-hand combat.