Recruiting for U.S. Air Force Special Warfare

U.S. Air Force Special Warfare (AFSPECWAR) career fields are among the most physically and mentally challenging jobs in the U.S. military. Thus, finding potential recruits who are both qualified and motivated to pursue such demanding career fields makes AFSPECWAR's recruiting mission particularly challenging. Individuals pursuing AFSPECWAR undergo an arduous, multiyear selection and training pipeline, with graduation rates well below the U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF) enlisted specialties. High attrition, a long-standing problem that leadership has been aware of, nonetheless has implications for recruiting goals and operational readiness. The goal of this report's authors is to identify ways for the DAF to improve AFSPECWAR recruiting practices. The authors focus on enlisted Regular Air Force recruits and the 330th Recruiting Squadron, which is responsible for the following Special Warfare (SW) enlisted specialties: Combat Control, Pararescue, Special Reconnaissance, and the Tactical Air Control Party. Their project approach included reviewing the literature, collecting stakeholder perceptions (from recruits, SW recruiters, and leadership), and analyzing existing personnel data. The authors present their findings and make recommendations for future courses of action to improve AFSPECWAR recruiting.