ENLISTED
PARARESCUE
PARARESCUE
YOU DON’T APPLY, YOU PROVE.
SWIPE TO SEE THE TRAINING PIPELINE TO BECOME A PJ.
SKIP Pararescue Training CAROUSEL
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step 01 PRE-BASIC MILITARY TRAINING (BMT) DEVELOPMENT
Variable Timeline | 300+ locations worldwide
This is designed to physically and mentally prepare a candidate for the challenges associated with the Special Warfare and Combat Support pipelines. During development, you will be trained and mentored by current and former SW/CS Operators who will assess your fitness level frequently and provide feedback and custom training programs to help ensure ideal preparedness prior to BMT. -
02 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.LEARN MORE -
03 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. -
04 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. -
05 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. -
06 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. -
07 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. -
08 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. -
09 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. -
10 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. -
step 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 PJ, SO YOU CAN PREPARE BEFORE ENTERING THE PIPELINE.
SKIP Test1 CAROUSEL
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01 Swim 25 meters underwater
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02 Swim 500 meters (breaststroke, sidestroke and freestyle)
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03 Run 1.5 miles
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04 Pull-ups in two minutes
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05 Sit-ups in two minutes
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06 Push-ups in two minutes
Qualifications summary
Minimum Education
A High School Senior (age 17 or older)*, High school diploma, a GED, or 15 college semester hours *High School Students may start their application as early as the end of their junior year.
ASVAB Requirements
49 General (G)
Qualifications
- Successful completion of the Special Warfare Operator Enlistment IFT
- 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 7.5 weeks of Basic Military Training
- Must be at least 17, but has not reached age 42 on the date of enlistment
VIEWS FROM REAL SPECIAL WARFARE
