Air Force special warfare assessment and selection ( A&S) : 5 tips to get selected

 What is the Assessment and Selection? ( A&S)

There has been a big change in the Air Force special warfare pipeline since I went through it.  There is now a phase in the beginning known as the assessment and selection, or A&S.

You may have heard about this.  Gone are the days of a pipeline designed to build you up before crushing you at Combat Control school.  Pararescue and Special Recon, or S&R ( formerly known as Combat Weather, are also seeing this major change.   Even the old Pararescue Indoctrination has gone away.

The Combat Weather pipeline was pretty much just winging it.  They shared a lot of the combat control pipeline, but the pipeline order or location of schools could be vastly different from person to person.

I've gotten questions about this new phase like: Do I think they've made it easier?  Did they change it around because females are allowed to enter the training?  What happens at A & S?

I guess the only people that really know what happens there are the people running the course, and apparently their lips are sealed about the process.  

There's not much information about this phase because they make everyone sign a waver not to discuss what they experience there.

Well, I know they have their reasons for why they've changed the process and why it is kept quiet, but I'll share some of my thoughts on the new process.  I'll also share what I think goes on there because I never signed any waivers about the pipeline.

Why the change?

As someone who went through the Combat Control pipeline that was non standard ( in the early stages from being removed from the indoctrination, or indoc course), with made up games and regular hazing, but I personally don't think that they've made the pipeline any easier by implementing the A&S course.

The Combat Control course, as well as Combat Weather, was in desperate need of some standardization, and the PJ indoc needed updating.

I could look at what they're doing now and think they've made it easier, but I really don't think that is the case.

A few years ago when someone signed up for Pararescue, they had an idea of what to expect, which was a kick in the nuts for 10 weeks during the indoctrination phase.  

There was even information available about the course curriculum.  There was an understanding of what happens during the pipeline.  After indoc, came combat dive, for example.  Indoc was basically a really hard pre dive course.

For Combat Control, we still got the kick in the nuts. We just didn't know when.  The beginning of the pipeline was just an orientation.  When I went through, orientation meant: whatever the instructors felt like doing.  If they were pissed, then we got hazed.  If they felt like running, then we ran for a while.  

The orientation did have a method and some planned events, but it seemed like it was just made up because the pipeline needed something to begin the pipeline.

A few years after I completed the orientation course, it was made a couple of weeks longer and re named the selection course.  But the same things were still going on there.  It was like the pipeline was in the middle of an overhaul, but it still wasn't where it needed to be.  

The Combat Control pipeline was a lot different than the PJ pipeline because trainees were not getting the pre dive indoctrination in the beginning, and didn't attend a formal pre dive course until after they received their beret at Advanced Skills Training ( AST), about 2 years into the pipeline. 

Why are they trying to standardize training pipeline?

You want to be a Navy SEAL?  A quick search online will tell you about BUD/s; three phases, which week hell week is in , etc.  You'll learn that the first phase about the first phase, basic conditioning, and what it's purpose is.  

It's the same the Army special forces, who endure a similar selection phase as the new A&S in the Air Force, where there is a standard process for selection. They've been doing that for a long time. 

For CCT hopefuls, there wasn't a lot of information known about the course on the outside because of the inconsistent training.  Even the Air Force recruiters didn't know much about it.  The recruiter told me I'd be going through the indoctrination course, but I went through the two week orientation.

When the Air Force decided to create the A&S course, they also assigned special warfare recruiters who know all about the career fields.  This should help get more candidates.  Instead of a mysterious job called CCT, there will be information available about the career and what to expect in the pipeline.

It was cool to be silent warriors, but at some point the information needs to be available to young people all over the United States.  A lot of people may choose the Air Force if they have more infomation about it.

Now, the Air Force has standardized it's process for selection, and it's a phase with specific goals and tasks that were carefully thought thought out, which every candidate, regardless of the the career specialty, will have to get through.  And after that the order of schools is the same.

 Overall, I think this is a good thing.  Sure, it may have some kinks and growing pains, but overall the overall idea seems positive.  

Some possible benefits of A&S

Besides the lack of standardization as a whole in the CCT pipeline, there were a lot of guys that would have probably been great Combat Controllers that got injured during some of the events at the beginning of the pipeline during silly games the instructors were just making up

I knew one guy that almost broke his back back doing some games before the pipeline even started.  It didn't actually become broken, thankfully, but he was unable to continue the pipeline.

If the whole reason to split CCT guys off from the indoctrination course was to get more guys through, then what was happening wasn't working all that great.  

I even  saw guys who were injured by other trainees during a hazing session before the orientation even started.

In short, anything could happen at any time in the pipeline because when CCT pulled away from the difficult indoc course, nothing changed on the outcome needed for combat controllers.  

Combat Controllers still needed to be just as capable and elite as before, but the way the training was handled was inconsistent.

At the Air Force A&S, there are no physical training standards, or even PT graduation exit standards.  I know what you are thinking:  Is that because they are allowing females into the pipeline?  I cannot answer this question for certain, but I don't think so, or I least don't think that it is specifically targeted.  

There were many guys that I'm sure could have made great Combat Controllers, but they failed the course because they were one pull up away from the standard.  Several guys were removed because they missed the 3 mile run time by a minute.  I know one guy that was a complete animal, yet he was set back for sit ups during the orientation course.

By removing these types of standards, they hoped the wrong people weren't removed because of a made up PT standard.

Yes, this may help a female get through the training, but it won't get them out of doing tasks that are much harder than a simple PT test.  They use other measures to decide who gets selected, and who doesn't.

The idea of: Just because you're a physical beast, doesn't mean we want to you in the career field, seems to be the case now.

The New Air Force Selection process

Although I have not been in the pipeline for a while, and I've never been to the new selection process, I learned some interesting details about the course.

The most obvious change to note is all three specialties ( CCT, PJ, and S&R will attend the new A& S course, and you don't sign up for any specific specialty at the recruiter; you sign up for special warfare.

I have communicated with individuals who've said people can usually choose which route to take after the initial selection, I'm not sure how often that happens.  Some people probably get different routes based on the needs of the Air Force.

What is A&S like?

I cannot say for certain, but I have received some information from people who've watched my youtube videos, especially the one I did on hell week,  that A&S has events that are similar. Although I'm pretty sure they've removed hell week from the beginning of CCS, it still exists in some form in the pipeline.  

As you can probably guess, the only logical place to put it is in A&S, which is an assessment and selection.  What better way to find out how people handle stress than to keep them up for days and put a lot of weight on their back?

If you haven't already, you can even read about what took place during hell week ( the best I can remember) in this article.  Why not get a sneak peek?

I'm not sure if it is actually 5 days now, but in some form, you will experience something like that.

What does having no standards mean at A&S?

The Australian SAS have an interesting approach to their training process known as " silent running".  

I'll be honest, silent running sounds like it messes with your mind because the instructors don't give any feedback during the initial selection phase.  

Imagine going through a grueling selection process without any feedback whatsoever, and at the end of the course you find out if you were selected or not.

This means there are standards, but you won't know what they are.

You don't know what the evaluators are looking for, but you keep going doing the best that you can, hoping you are showing them the right stuff.

The Australian SAS is similar to the British SAS.  The British have been doing this stuff a long time, and our own special forces use their training as templates for our own special ops training.  

They know when you get people really sleep deprived, and make them physically exhausted, their true character is displayed.  It's tough to hide who you really are during these conditions.  

The SAS want to strip people down to their soul.  This is some serious, intense stuff, but it is a great way to find who they want in the battle field.

I think the Air Force are creating an environment similar to the Australian SAS.

They want to assess how people react to difficult tasks, when they don't really know a concrete standard.

If I asked you to run 100 meters with a ruck sack on in a certain time frame, or you are kicked out of the course, then you'd probably bust your ass to make the time goal.

However, if I gave you no time limit, but I had a doable number in my head how fast would you go?  Some may bust their ass and give 100 percent, but some people may conserve their energy for the next task and take it slow.

On top of that, when you get done, I say nothing.  If you are the right person, I could probably figure out ( to some degree) how you would react in a difficult situation in the middle of nowhere.

So, Although you won't be given the standards to graduate the course, like the PT grad standards, doesn't mean you aren't evaluated all the time on your performance.

It's like they want to find out what kind of person you are.  You could even crush every event physically, but if you aren't a team player, or you are dishonest ( even show the traits) you'll probably be shown the door.

What Are they looking for at A&S?

If you take nothing else away from this article, this next section may peak your interest.  How you get selected?

If you give everything you have and don't quit, that doesn't guarantee a selection and may be shown the door at the end.  Just because you're a PT stud you might not make it. So what exactly are they looking for?

The staff at the A&S course are simply looking for people they think would be successful in the rest of the pipeline and the career, the people they want to work beside. The challenges you face there are set up to find out who has those traits.  

We all can put on an act.  We can act like we are team players for a while.  We can act like we can work as a team player even if we don't like the people around us; just like we can act like we have a high degree of autonomy with the ability to accomplish tasks alone, without the help of others.  

But is that who we really are?

We've all met our fair share of fake people.  These are the people that show us a false representation of who they really are.  We all do this from time to time, but some people live their lives that way.  If people walk into A&S with qualities that the instructors are not looking for, and they try to hide them, then they will probably be exposed.

What are these bad qualities?

Some of these are not bad qualities, but they are probably the wrong qualities.  I'll list some of them below.

If you are honest with yourself, you may have some of these, but you can try to improve them, or decide Air Force special warfare is not for you.  But the good news is we can all honestly look at our blind spots and change how we operate.

What better way to improve your life than to work on some of your weak spots.  I think there is no better way to spend your time.  The entire world can benefit from it.

When you think about what it takes to be a special operator, the bad traits I list below may not be surprising, but they are worth noting.

1. Not being a team player 

This is super obvious, right.  But remember, are you really a team player, or are you kind of selfish?  These tendencies will show up when you've been up for days with no end in sight, and the instructors peer into your soul.  I know this because some of mine were exposed in training.  I found out that I get a little selfish when I have opportunities to be that way. 

 When it is time to help with gear, tents, or anything for that matter, do you take a couple of minutes to sit on your ass while everyone else figures it out?

Do you have the opportunity to be the first one done with a ruck march, or do you fall to the back to help someone carry their ruck who may have a twisted ankle?  You may be surprised what you choose when the opportunity appears, but you are completely exhausted, more tired than you've ever been in your life.

2. Are you there for the right reasons?   

This is why it may be better to develop  yourself and your goals in life about why you want to go through this process, before you show up for training.

I get it.  I remember when I was in college, and I was out drinking with my friends.  I loved telling girls I met that I was gonna be a Combat Controller.  It gets attention and it is an admirable goal, but is it your true desire?

The information you find about these career fields make it seem like when you become one of the elite that you will be somebody special.  I even felt special wanting to do it.

You must have a strong why when you enter the training because it is designed to be long and painful to make sure you've fully committed.

Again, now is the time to think about this. 

 My strong why was I felt that is was my only way, at the time, that I could use my perfect vision, my ability to endure long endurance events, and stubborn nature, and put these to good use.  I felt it was my only option to be a part of something truly important, and had a huge impact all the people in the U.S.

I also enjoyed the thought of doing something miserable so everyone I loved and knew could be comfortable.  

These are some examples of my why.

When you are trying to move a huge trailer that is missing a wheel for an unknown distance, while feeling completely fatigued for the past couple of days, some examples of a weak purpose are:

Wanting to join the Air Force, but you don't want some ordinary job that is beneath you

Wanting to be the toughest or coolest guy in the every room you enter

You think you will get the respect you never felt you have received

You want to be in special ops, and you think the Air Force is the easiest route  Definitely not this one!

You get the idea.  Make sure that the reason you are there is solid because it WILL be tested.

3. Can you work with other people, even if you may not like them?

Have you ever been a little tired, but you had to work with others to get something done, but you start to get frustrated with a certain individual because all their little annoying habits are amplified because you are a tired?

Well imagine having to figure out how to conduct a mission at night with 100 pounds of gear on, and you've been up for three days.  You know that guy that always tries suck up to the instructors, or he yells, " Come on, man you got this!", trying to get the instructor's attention, when you've lost all your strength after 15 minutes in the leaning rest ( he fell several times before unnoticed) but his yelling causes all the instructors to look at you?

Well, he may try his shit on during a mission objective later.  You may make a smart remark back, next thing you know you are back and forth.  Not only will that suck your mental energy, but you probably won't get selected when you can't control your emotions.  And it gets harder the more tired you get.

You must have the mindset of letting the process work.  Let him act like a fool.  He may be there at the end, but he'll more than likely be sent packing.  Don't go with him.

You must remember there is no more acting.  If the person was a jerk all their life, they will be a jerk eventually at A&S.  You need to expect getting to know people's true nature very quickly.  When the pressure is on, it won't be possible to fake it anymore.

Overall you must have an open mind and put differences aside for the greater picture.  This will be hard, but it's extremely important.

4. Attention to detail 

This was difficult for me during hell week.  I seemed to miss the small things when I was stress and tired because it was in my nature earlier on in my life.  Although I've addressed it now, I overlooked this weak point when I was in training.  

You can practice slowing down now because the saying, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast rings true in training,

Nobody is going to want a person who overlooks the small things on simple tasks working with them in the career field, especially when the heat will be turned up even more in the real world.

When you are told to do a task, no matter how mundane, or how insignificant it may seem, do it exactly as prescribed.  Some are better than others at this, but it doesn't mean it can't be done.  You'll need this skill throughput the pipeline, not just at A&S.  Dive School is another good example.

Treat every task in your everyday life in this way now, and make it a habit if you haven't already because it could be the reason you aren't selected.  Everything is important.  You could be missing small details and never be told about it until you are not selected.

5.  Take ownership of your performance  

Do you blame everyone and everything else on your place in life, or your sub par performance.  Are you a victim of everything?  If you are, it not uncommon, but it will probably be noticed at A&S.

If you make a mistake, or cause an issue, don't make excuses.  Own the fact you messed up, and move on, even if you aren't questioned by an instructor. Try to learn from your mistakes and don't make them again if at all possible.

The instructors probably notice.  These qualities won't work in the pipeline, but they will emerge when you want nothing more than to be selected and perform under high stress.

As a special operator, you will be asked to do tasks that seem impossible.  You won't be successful at everything, especially with the difficult nature of this work.  You can learn from your mistakes and continue to improve your performance and knowledge.  If you are the type that wants to blame everything else but yourself, you will not be a special operator.

Remember you can't fake your way into getting selected.  This may work at other places where the stakes aren't as high.

I hope this article helps give a little insight to the Air Force special warfare pipeline.

Live your everyday life like an operator now, so you will be someone they want to select at A&S.  

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Kevin