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Airmen from the 720th Special Tactics Group out of Hurlburt Field, Fla., jump out of a C-130J Hercules aircraft during water rescue training over the Destin coastline.

Air Force Special Tactics are special operations personnel of the United States Air Force under the Air Force Special Operations Command or AFSOC, a branch of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The 720th Special Tactics Group is responsible for all Special Tactics personnel and consists of six operational squadrons and numerous supporting organizations.

There are several types of USAF special operations personnel, they are: S.E.R.E. Specialist (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape), Combat Controllers (CCTs), Pararescuemen (PJs, AKA Pararescue Jumpers or Parajumpers), Special Operations Weather Technicians (SOWT), Combat Rescue Officers (CROs) which are the officer version of PJ's, and Special Tactics Officers (STOs) which are the officer version of CCT's. CROs and PJs share a separate pipeline from STOs and CCTs (who also share a pipeline). SOWT personnel do not attend either the Pararescue or CCT pipeline, but attend a separate weather school and receive Basic Airborne qualification from the U.S. Army's Airborne School at Ft. Benning.

They typically operate in close cooperation with other special operations units, such as the Marine Corps Force Recon, Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, and Navy SEALs.

The S.E.R.E. (Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) 1TOX1) The Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) Specialist career field was born in 1947 when Gen Curtis LeMay, the Commander, Strategic Air Command created the first survival training program at Marks AFB, Alaska. As the demand for SERE training increased the school relocated in December of 1949 to Camp Carson, Colorado. The first arch can be traced back to this approximate point-in-time.

The SERE Specialist mission is to prepare aircrew and high risk of capture DOD personnel to survive under any conditions. SERE Specialists train over 6,500 aircrew members and other appropriate DoD personnel every year in the proper use of principles, techniques, equipment, and procedures necessary to survive anywhere in the world.

SERE Specialist are experts on the methods used to survive in both peacetime and combat/captivity situations anywhere in the world. Through training, they learn the skills necessary to pass their knowledge on to others. SERE Specialists can "talk the talk" because they have "walked the walk.” Additionally, because of the intense training program, they are authorized to wear the SERE Beret, SERE Specialist Arch, and the AETC Instructor badge upon completion of Tech school.

After completion of the SERE Indoctrination Course at Lackland AFB TX, all approved applicants are assigned to Fairchild AFB, Washington, where their training will take place. Before starting technical training, they will complete the Combat SERE Training course and the Water Survival, Non-Parachuting course. The Combat SERE Training course is a 17 day course that includes eleven days of academic, laboratory, and field training over survival and evasion techniques followed by six days of academic and laboratory training on surviving captivity. The Water Survival, Non-Parachuting course provides aircrew members with two days of hands-on training with the equipment they would actually use in a water survival situation.

After completion of these courses, SERE Specialist candidates attend the 6 1/2 month SERE Specialist Training (SST) Technical School. This is where candidates receive in-depth training on survival tactics, techniques, and proceedures in all environments and conditions. Candidates undergo field training in Temperate, Arctic, Desert, Jungle, Coastal, Open-ocean, and Mountain regions. Candidates also learn instructional techniques during SST in order to effectively pass their knowledge and experiences to others. Upon completion of SST, graduates are assigned to a Field Training Flight where they will undergo an additional 4-8 month certification process to be fully certified to teach appropriate DoD personnel combat survival skills.

After successfully completing training, the certified SERE Specialists will be ready to take their place alongside other 300+ SERE Specialists in the Air Force. While their primary base of operations is in Fairchild AFB, Washington, positions are available at several bases around the world. After graduating Tech school they have the option to volunteer to attend a variety of DoD courses, such as the Army's Basic Parachutist Course at FT. Benning, Military Freefall (HALO) and SCUBA, to name a few.

Their motto is "Return with Honor"

720th Special Tactics Group

The Combat Controllers (Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) 1C2X1) are ground operators certified to act as air traffic controllers in hostile and dangerous environments. They can take over or construct an airstrip, set up navigational equipment, and direct airplanes and helicopters to a safe landing without the use of a tower or elaborate communications system. They also control air attacks of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft from all military services.

Their training includes Air Traffic Control School at Keesler AFB, Combat Controller School at Pope AFB, U.S. Army Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, AFSOC Advanced Skills Training at Hurlburt Field, Florida, U.S. Air Force Combat Dive Course in Panama City, Florida, U.S. Army Military Freefall School, and U.S. Navy Underwater Egress Training at NAS Pensacola. Their training pipeline lasts approximately two years and is sometimes referred to as "Superman School". On average, eight out of every ten trainees fail to graduate.

Combat controllers are a part of the 720th Special Tactics Group and are assigned to 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 320th, 321st, 123rd Special Tactics Squadron and 125th Special Tactics Squadron. They can be distinguished by their scarlet beret.

Their motto is "First There, Last Out".

Pararescuemen (AFSC 1T2X1) have what some consider to be the most difficult job in the Air Force—combat search and rescue, typically of (but not limited to) downed pilots. They are trained and able both to fight with virtually any special operations unit and are paramedics on the battlefield.

In addition to some of the initial training listed above, they must first pass a ten week indoctrination course. The goal of the indoctrination is to weed out all of those who are not physically and mentally fit enough to be pararescuemen. A 24-week Paramedic Course at Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, New Mexico to attain EMT-Paramedic certification, a 20-week Pararescue Recovery Specialist Course (for integrating what they have learned in the pipe-line training; i.e. combat tactics, advanced parachuting, helicopter insertion and extraction, mountaineering, and field tactics training), U.S. Air Force Combat Dive Course in Panama City, Florida (open and closed circuit), and Underwater Egress Training at Spokane, Washington. Their training pipeline lasts approximately two years and is sometimes referred to as "Superman School". On average, nine out of every ten trainees fail to graduate.

Their motto is "That Others May Live".

They wear maroon berets and many tattoo green footprints on their body. The green feet originated in Vietnam due to a tradition of calling the rescue helicopters used "The Jolly Green Giant". These Pararescuemen are affectionately refferred to as "PJ's" or "Para Jumpers".

Special Operations Weather Technicians (special duty AFSC 1W0X1C) are airmen that gather and interpret meteorological and oceanographic information, as well as act as forward ground combatants. Their primary mission is collecting and disseminating forward observations in denied, hostile or otherwise data-sparse regions. They are a critical element in mission planning and work mostly with Army Special Operations. Recruits must score high to meet the entrance score requirement, and must already be in the weather career field.

In addition to weather technical school and the initial training listed up top, selected trainees attend the final two phases of AFSOC Advanced Skills Training which includes modes of employment, weapons training, small unit tactics, advanced communication, navigation, et al.

Special Operations Weather Technicians are a part of the 720th Special Tactics Group and are assigned to the 10th Combat Weather Squadron, 24th, 320th, and 321st Special Tactics Squadron.

SOWT is an acronym referring alternately to both Special Operations Weather Technician and Special Operations Weather Team.

Their motto is "Coela Bellatores" or "Weather Warriors". They can be identified by their gray berets.

Special Tactics Officers (AFSC 13DXB), formerly known as Combat Control Officers, are commissioned officers whose primary responsibility is to manage and lead Special Tactics Teams (STTs) comprised of, but not limited to, the three AFSCs specified above. Because their training mirrors that of the CCT pipeline, they can function on a team as mission commander or direct combatant or they can serve on battle staffs to provide expertise in terminal control, reconnaissance, and personnel recovery operations.

In 2000 the Air Force, recognizing the importance of the personnel recovery/combat search and rescue mission, created the Combat Rescue Officer career field (AFSC 13DXA). CROs are commissioned officers whose primary duties are to lead PR/CSAR operations as direct combatants, provide advocacy for the Pararescue & SERE Specialist programs, and serve on battle staffs to provide expertise to commanders and facilitate command and control during rescue and recovery operations. Their training pipeline mirrors that of the Pararescue pipeline (minus the in-depth field medicine and Paramedic level training a "PJ" receives) in order to understand Pararescue capabilities. CROs also attend advanced SERE training as well as various command and control courses that focus on PR/CSAR operations.

• Combat Control Teams, or CCTs, consist of Combat Controllers in the role of extending the Air Force's operational reach.

• Special Operations Weather Teams or SOWT, are Special Operations Weather Technicians attached to Army Special Forces, Rangers, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (SOAR), or operating on their own. (They are not to be confused with Combat Weather Teams or CWTs that provide meteorological support to conventional Army units without a ground combatant role.)

• Special Tactics Teams, or STTs, consist of airmen from the three aforementioned careers: combat control, pararescue and SOWT. This formation allows the unit to operate as a self-sufficient unit in the commando role.

After the Quebec Conference in August 1943, the 5318th Air Unit was redesignated "Provisional Composite No. 1 Air Commandos" and tasked with supporting the Chindits. Eventually they were designated the 1st Air Commando Group. The group consisted primarily of C-47 air transports but it also contained gliders, fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and liaison aircraft.[1] [2]