Pararescue

What does the Pararescue career field do?

Performs, plans, leads, supervises, instructs, and evaluates Pararescue activities. Performs as the essential surface-to-air link in Personnel Recovery (PR) and materiel recovery by functioning as the technical rescue and recovery specialist on surface elements or as mission crew on flying status. Provides rapid response capability, special operations mission execution, and application of airpower across the full spectrum of military operations in all geographic and environmental conditions. May be employed alone or as part of an Air Force, joint, interagency, or coalition force in support of Combatant Commander’s objectives. Capable of rapid deployment during day or night, to any environment, including permissive, hostile, denied, or politically and/or diplomatically sensitive locales. Operates in the six geographic disciplines: mountain, desert, arctic, urban, jungle and water. May operate under austere conditions for extended periods. Provides technical rescue, emergency medical care, and security. Moves recovered personnel and materiel to safety or friendly control when recovery by aircraft is not possible. Related DoD Occupational Subgroup: 105000.

Duties and responsibilities

• Plans, coordinates, and conducts Personnel Recovery (PR). Recovers priority aerospace personnel and material. Provides assistance in and performs survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE).
• Plans, coordinates, and conducts technical rescue. Employs specialized equipment and Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) to access and recover personnel and/or equipment from avalanche, alpine, confined space/structural collapse, high angle, swift water, and underwater environments.
• Plans, coordinates, and conducts emergency medical care. Employs specialized equipment and KSAs to assess, diagnose, treat, stabilize, and transport patients with minor to immediate life threating illnesses and/or injuries.
• Plans, coordinates, and conducts support to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Human Space Flight Support (HSFS) in recovery of aerospace personnel and materiel. Guides recovery of priority NASA space materiel.
• Performs tactical mission planning and preparation. Understands special operations tactics, techniques, and procedures. Studies operational mission requirements. Rehearses mission plan, makes reconnaissance, conducts briefs, and loads and configures employment vehicles/aircraft.
• Deploys into permissive, hostile, denied, or politically and/or diplomatically sensitive environments, and forward operating locations by land (mounted, special purpose vehicle or dismounted), sea (surface or subsurface naval vessel, small watercraft, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus [SCUBA], or surface swim) or air (parachute, airmobile, air-land) to participate in the full spectrum of military operations to include air expeditionary force, force projection, direct action (DA), counterinsurgency (COIN), counter narcotic (CN), counterterrorism (CT), countering weapons of mass destruction(CWMD), foreign internal defense (FID), unconventional warfare (UW), security force assistance, humanitarian assistance, hostage rescue and recovery, personnel recovery (PR), noncombatant evacuation operations (NEO) and advanced force operations (AFO). Provides ground-to-air interface, keeping aircraft and monitoring authorities apprised of the status and requirements of the patient and mission.
• Performs, supervises, and evaluates overt, low visibility, or clandestine movement, search, contact, and on- scene authentication in permissive, hostile, denied, or politically and/ or diplomatically land and water areas. Conducts discrete surface-to-air and surface electronic and visual communications and signaling activities. Maintains qualification on assigned primary, foreign, and crew served weaponry. Directs emergency close air support (ECAS). Provides reception for resupply operations.

Specialty qualifications

Knowledge and Capabilities. This specialty requires the successful completion of the 1Z1X1 Technical Training pipeline; knowledge of Air Force Special Warfare (AFSPECWAR) doctrine and implementation; technical recovery operations; emergency trauma and field medical care; mission planning and preparation; aircraft and load characteristics; infiltration and exfiltration; insertion and extraction; surface movement; objective area actions; debriefing and reporting; team leader actions; basic and advance parachuting; adverse terrain and mountain operations; SCUBA and water operations; NBC warfare defense; SERE; night vision devices; firearms and munitions; communications and signaling; photographic documentation; legal responsibilities and ethics; vehicle operations; security, occupational safety and health, administration, and publications; individual fitness; and equipment qualification, inspection, maintenance, and accountability.

Education. Not Used.

Training. For award of AFSC 1Z131, completion of the following courses is mandatory:

• Special Warfare Assessment & Selection.
• Special Warfare Pre-Dive.
• Air Force Combat Dive.
• SERE Level-C Training
• USAF Underwater Egress Training (UET)
• US Army Airborne Parachutist Course.
• Military Freefall Parachutist.
• Modernized Pararescue Provider Program (MP3). NOTE: Graduates of the legacy “Pararescue Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic Course” or Special Operations – Advanced Tactical Practitioner (SO-ATP) meet this requirement. Modernized Pararescue Provider Program (MP3). NOTE: Graduates of the legacy “Pararescue Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic Course” meet this requirement.
• Pararescue Apprentice Course.

Experience. The following experience is mandatory for award of the AFSC indicated:

• 1Z151. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 1Z131. Also, experience performing Pararescue duties.
• 1Z171. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 1Z151. Also, experience performing or supervising Pararescue duties.
• 1Z191. Qualification in and possession of AFSC 1Z171. Also, experience performing or managing Pararescue functions as a Pararescue team leader.

Other. The following are mandatory as indicated:

• For entry into this specialty:
• Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) Pararescue candidates must complete the ANG or ARFC “PJ ONE LEVEL PROGRAM” for selection consideration.
• See attachment 4 for additional entry requirements.
• The following are additionally mandatory for Active-Duty retraining and prior service candidates:
• Successful completion of the AFSPECWAR Initial Fitness Test (IFT) within 60 days of EAD.
• Grade of E-5 or below with less than 10 years Total Active Federal Military Service who has not been eliminated from an AFSPECWAR pipeline course within the last 24 months. Exceptions must be approved by the 1Z1 Career Field Functional Manager.
• Current commander’s written recommendation.
• Completion of, and selection by the Pararescue Retraining Assessment (AD only, AFPC will provide requirements upon retraining approval, includes passing a second IFT within 60 days of course initial entry start date).
• For entry, award, and retention of these AFSCs,
• Meet qualification standards to bear firearms IAW AFI 31-177, Arming and Use of Force by Air Force Personnel, AFI 36-2654, Combat Arms Program, and AFMAN 36-2655, USAF Small Arms and Light Weapons Qualification Programs.
• Meet physical qualification for Special Warfare as outlined in DAFMAN 48-123, Medical Examinations and Standards, and the accompanying Medical Standards Directory (MSD), Special Warfare column. Applicants must also meet physical qualifications for entry into sister service schools such as Army Jump, Freefall, and Navy Dive, as applicable.
• Must possess a valid state driver’s license to operate government motor vehicles (GMV) in accordance with AFI 24-301, Vehicle Operations
• For award and retention of AFSCs 1Z131/51/71/91/00:
• Maintain qualification as a static line and military freefall parachutist, a military scuba diver and IAW AFMAN 10-3500 V2, Air Force Special Warfare Standardization and Evaluation.
• Passing completion of the AFSPECWAR Operator Fitness Test (OFT).
• Maintain certification as a National Registry Paramedic and Tactical Combat Casualty care – Tier 4 (Combat Paramedic) certifications. Maintain SO-ATP certification once awarded through a bridge program or initial skills training.
• For award and retention of these AFSCs,
• Must maintain local network access IAW AFI 17-130, Cybersecurity Program Management and AFMAN 17-1301, Computer Security.
• Specialty requires routine access to Tier 3 (T3) information, systems, or similar classified environment.
• Completion of a current T3 Investigation required IAW DoDM 5200.02, AFMAN 16-1405, Air Force Personnel Security Program, is mandatory.
• 1Z151 personnel filling positions within C2 and Operational UTC’s, require routine access to Tier 5 (T5) information, systems, or similar classified environments. NOTE: Award of the entry level without a completed T3 Investigation is authorized provided an interim Secret security clearance has been granted according to DoDM 5200.02, AFMAN 16-1405

Civilian career paths

Comparable civilian careers for this field pay roughly $25,020–$208,000 per year (median salaries; varies by role and location):

• Acute Care Nurses: $75,330
• Athletes and Sports Competitors: $50,850
• Broadcast Technicians: $43,570
• Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels: $77,130
• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary: $55,620
• Commercial Divers: $54,800
• Critical Care Nurses: $75,330
• Emergency Management Directors: $76,250
• Emergency Medical Technicians: $36,650
• Emergency Medicine Physicians: $208,000
• General and Operations Managers: $103,650
• Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Worker: $25,020
• Medical Assistants: $35,850
• Motorboat Operators: $55,910
• Paramedics: $36,650
• Security Managers: $98,890
• Surgical Assistants: $51,840
• Surveying and Mapping Technicians: $46,200
• Training and Development Manager: $115,640
• Training and Development Specialists: $62,700
• Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers: $96,390