CAN YOU OUTPERFORM TOP AIRR CANDIDATES?
Check the AIRR PST leaderboard and find a testing event near you.
Travel the world to capture military operations, develop high-profile media campaigns and tell the story of America’s Navy.
Navy Musicians perform at special events, celebrations, international parades and more.
Write news releases. Answer reporters' questions. Manage the public image of America’s Navy as a valued Public Affairs Officer.
Control congestion in the skies as an Air Traffic Controller.
Lead the flight deck as an Aircraft Handling Officer.
When you become an Aircrewman Helicopter, you become the eyes and ears of the cockpit.
Become our go-to personnel in the air as an Aircrewman Mechanical.
Detect and engage threats beneath the ocean’s surface as an Aircrewman Operator.
Hunt for lurking submarines from the air as a Tactical Romeo Helicopter Aircrewman.
Manage and direct aircraft launch operations on the flight deck.
Refuel aircraft on the flight deck and keep fuel flowing to all parts of the ship.
Launch and recover aircraft on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.
Lead flight support teams as an Aviation Maintenance Duty Officer.
Manage your ship’s stock of missiles, mines and other ordnance.
Ready to lead the launch as a Catapult Officer Shooter?
Defend from the sea to the stratosphere as a Navy Fighter Pilot.
Hunt submarines, patrol the skies or supply carriers as a Fixed Wing Pilot.
Track subsurface contacts and perform rescue missions as a Helicopter Pilot.
Uncover threats in the depths of the sea as a Naval Aircrewman Avionics.
Lead flight missions to success as a Naval Flight Officer.
Keep the Navy’s complex aircraft and helicopters in top working order.
Provide meals that keep your fellow Sailors fueled for duty.
Support and assist fellow Sailors by helping guide their career journey.
Keep your ship stocked with the equipment it needs to succeed.
Advance your own career goals while you help fellow Sailors do the same.
Keep your shipmates happy by managing ship store, laundry and barber services.
Oversee logistics and ensure your ship is supplied with everything it needs.
Become an administrative pro by managing the Navy’s paperwork and records.
If you like to solve problems using your hands, you belong with the Builders.
Design and build city-size bases, airfields and harbor facilities.
Kickstart your career with hands-on electrical experience.
Get out of the auto shop and get hands-on mechanical experience.
Start your engineering career with real-world experience as a Navy Seabee.
Work with construction equipment from bulldozers to cranes and everything in between.
Weld metal a world away as a Navy Steelworker.
Keep critical utilities systems up and running no matter where you are in the world.
Maintain and repair the complex electronic systems aboard Navy aircraft.
Use electronic systems like radar to detect threats and make your ship virtually invisible.
Maintain the navigation systems that ensure your submarine reaches its destination.
Maintain the electronic systems controlling a submarine’s vast supply of firepower.
Ready, aim, fire. Maintain ship combat readiness as a Fire Controlman.
Keep vital computer networks up and running aboard ships and submarines.
Keep our comms running smoothly as an Interior Communications Electrician.
Assemble, maintain and repair nuclear-capable ballistic missiles as a Missile Technician.
Keep our Sailors out of harm's way and defend against emergencies as a Damage Controlman.
As a Master-at-Arms, you are the Navy police. Defend by serving and protecting our own.
Keep Navy aircraft at peak performance by maintaining electrical systems and components.
Maintain the engines of the Navy’s most powerful aircraft and helicopters.
Inspect and repair aviation equipment to ensure aircraft are always flight-ready.
Maintain aircraft equipment that sustains life at every altitude.
Perform ground support operations that keep Navy aircraft flying high.
Be the person Navy pilots rely on to keep emergency equipment in top shape.
Perform honored duties as a member of the Navy’s oldest rating.
Keep the power on and the lights running aboard aircraft carriers and ships.
Move the fleet forward as an expert in diesel engine systems.
Operate the electrical systems of powerful turbine engines on Navy warships.
Maintain the mechanical systems behind our powerful turbine engines.
Maintain your ship’s guns and missile launchers, and oversee all weapons on board.
Perform metal work and welding to repair hull breaches and broken equipment.
Repair tools and fabricate parts for machinery and equipment across the ship.
Maintain vital propulsion and auxiliary systems on every inch of the ship.
Maintain the systems that make life possible on a submarine.
Serve aboard a Minesweeper to detect and neutralize underwater explosives.
Secure our underwater missile silos aboard submarines as a Torpedoman’s Mate.
Hunt for signals to provide our teams intel as a Cryptologic Technician Collection.
Translate and interpret foreign comms as a Cryptologic Technician Interpretive.
Troubleshoot and maintain top-secret equipment as a Cryptologic Technician Maintenance.
Become an expert in radar signals as a Cryptologic Technician Technical.
Lead intel operations as a Cryptologic Warfare Officer.
Defend and attack in cyberspace as a Cyber Warfare Engineer.
Perform offensive and defensive cyber operations as a Cyber Warfare Technician.
Lead your team in maintaining and securing our networks as an Information Professional Officer.
Lead the charge on national intelligence security as an Intelligence Officer.
Gather intel and prepare important briefs as an Intelligence Specialist.
Execute mission-critical cyber operations as a Maritime Cyber Warfare Officer.
Gather critical intel around your ship as an Operations Specialist.
Navigate the open seas and keep our ships on track as a Quartermaster.
Track what lies beneath the waves on a surface ship or submarine as a Sonar Technician.
Emerge as a true leader by commanding the fleet, the crew and all vital systems aboard vital Navy vessels.
Raise the bar with a legal career in the Navy JAG Corps.
Kickstart your legal career with hands-on experience in the Navy.
Engineer ways for Naval Aviators to succeed in impossible environments.
Study the psychological effects of supersonic travel on aviators.
Treat hearing issues and conduct research to preserve auditory health for Sailors and Marines.
Provide therapy services to Sailors experiencing stressors uniquely related to service.
Cut your teeth in dentistry with a job that takes you around the world.
Become a disease expert for the Navy and make outbreaks a thing of the past.
Shape policy and practice in one of the world’s foremost global health care systems.
Help save lives by assisting in critical medical departments and procedures.
Save lives in the shadows.
Eliminate workplace safety hazards so Sailors can focus on the mission at hand.
Provide laboratory services that give Navy doctors and patients the answers they seek.
Give fallen Sailors the dignity and respect they deserve as a Navy Mortician.
Join the ranks of the toughest, most talented nurses you’ll ever meet.
Rehabilitate Sailors following illness or injury with cutting-edge devices and therapy.
Diagnose and treat vision problems to ensure service members maintain excellent eyesight.
Consult with patients, dispense medication and provide guidance to people in need.
Help Sailors recover from injuries so they can get back to work.
Save lives as a Navy Physician without all the hurdles of civilian medical practice.
Work alongside surgeons and supervising physicians to deliver the best health care.
Keep Navy Sailors on their feet by treating foot and ankle injuries.
Keep fellow Sailors safe from potential radiation exposure.
Improve the health of Sailors and people across the world through mindful nutrition.
Conduct research to protect our Sailors from biological, radiological and chemical threats.
Diagnose, treat and rehabilitate Sailors with training-related injuries.
Explore cognitive and physiological psychology to keep Sailors sound in mind and body.
Counsel active and retired members and their families during times of social, psychological or emotional need.
Be a spiritual guide and moral anchor, supporting servicemembers during their most joyful moments and during their most difficult ones.
Prepare devotional materials and organize faith-based events, while also serving as a resource for Navy Chaplains.
Serve as a meteorology and oceanography expert as an Aerographer’s Mate.
Design and build city-size bases, airfields and harbor facilities.
Power the world’s strongest Navy as an Electrician’s Mate Nuclear.
Power Navy ships as an Electronics Technician Nuclear.
Design, develop and deploy the Navy’s modern combat fleet.
Maintain safety in any environment as a Navy Entomologist.
Become the Navy’s nuclear reactor mechanic as a Machinist’s Mate Nuclear.
Study the sea the and the weather in environments around the world as a METOC Officer.
Conduct medical research and trace infectious diseases to defeat biological threats.
As a Naval Reactors Engineer, you can set the standard in nuclear reactor research.
If you’re a Nuclear Power School Instructor, you’re the top expert on classified nuclear technology.
Lead and oversee a team running one of the most dynamic nuclear power plants in the world.
Take charge of a nuclear reactor on an aircraft carrier as a Nuclear Surface Warfare Officer.
Lead every department on our nuclear-powered subs as a Submarine Officer.
Brave extreme conditions so others may live.
Master high-tech tools to eliminate explosive threats.
Save lives in the shadows.
Master the depths that others can’t reach.
Everyone wants to be a Frogman on Friday.
Deliver Special Operations assets where they’re needed.
Talk to a Navy recruiter. From STEM careers to Navy life, get the answers to your burning questions.
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When disaster strikes, Aviation Rescue Swimmers don’t hesitate—they jump. Into raging seas, hurricane winds, and combat zones, they go where others won’t– to bring people back alive.
As part of the world’s most elite Special Operations force, Navy AIRRs execute life-or-death rescues in the most extreme conditions. Whether pulling survivors from sinking ships, saving downed pilots, or braving towering waves, they live by one mission: so others may live.
That motto isn’t just a phrase—it’s a promise. And they prove it every time they leap into the unknown.
Check the AIRR PST leaderboard and find a testing event near you.
Aviation Rescue Swimmers are tasked with entering treacherous conditions to assist with rescue missions, humanitarian assistance, and operational support. One day you may be evacuating families on the other side of the globe amidst a catastrophic storm, and the next day rescuing the crew of a ship off the Pacific coast or saving a mountain climber hanging from an inaccessible cliff.
Depending on your role, duties may include:
In this role, you will specialize as a Naval Aircrewman Helicopter (AWS) or a Naval Aircrewman Tactical Helicopter (AWR).
Naval Aircrewman Helicopter (AWS)
AWS’s operate various aircraft systems to support a range of mission types including:
Naval Aircrewman Tactical Helicopter (AWR)
AWR’s operate various aircraft systems to support a range of mission types including:
As an AIRR, you will operate in almost every type of extreme environment and may be assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) or Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadrons (HSM) sea or shore duty in any part of the world. You could be assigned to squadrons at Naval Air Stations and may deploy aboard aircraft carriers, surface combat ships and support ships.
Aviation Rescue Swimmers must be prepared to operate in any challenging environment. It's why two years of training in advanced swimming and lifesaving techniques, helicopter mission equipment and helicopter weapons systems are required before you report to your first squadron. Throughout training, candidates are continually tested mentally and physically as they advance to more rigorous and challenging scenarios.
Upon completion of initial training at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes (known as Boot Camp), those pursuing an Aircrewman role undergo the following training pipeline:
Aviation Rescue Swimmer School Prep Course (2 weeks) in Pensacola, FL.
Aircrew Candidate School (4 weeks) in Pensacola, FL, to learn Naval Aviation fundamentals, intermediate water survival, aviation physiology and advanced water survival.
Rescue Swimmer School (6 weeks) in Pensacola, FL, to learn search and rescue techniques.
Class “A” Technical School (8-14 weeks) in Pensacola, FL, learning one of the Aircrew Ratings (AWF, AWO, AWS, AWR, AWV).
SERE School (2 weeks) in North Island, CA, or Portsmouth, NH, to train in Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) techniques.
Fleet Replacement Squadrons (28-52 weeks) location dependent on aircrew rating in one of five locations (Jacksonville, FL, Norfolk, VA, San Diego, CA, Oklahoma City, OK, Ft Worth, TX) for basic flight and aircraft weapons systems training.
After graduation, an AIRR may be assigned to a helicopter command at sea or on shore duty in various locations throughout the world, Japan, Guam, Spain, or the continental US including San Diego, CA, Norfolk, VA, Jacksonville, FL, Fallon, NV, Whidbey Island, WA, Key West, FL and many others.
Advanced Education & Training
Based on performance and the needs of the Navy, you could potentially be eligible to receive additional training in:
Senior enlisted AIRRs may also be selected to become:
Post-Service Opportunities
Specialized training received and work experience gained in the course of service can lead to valuable credentialing and occupational opportunities in related fields in the civilian world whether you're an AWS or AWR.
Members of the Naval Special Warfare community have any number of unique opportunities to advance their knowledge. Navy training provides skills and knowledge in everything from military tactics and small arms use to survival and a number of other tactical military procedures.
Beyond offering access to professional credentials and certifications, Navy training in this field can translate to credit hours toward a bachelor’s or associate degree through the American Council on Education.
You may also continue your education through undergraduate degree opportunities like the Navy College Program and Tuition Assistance and the Post-9/11 GI Bill.
No college degree is required to become an AIRR, but a high degree of difficulty comes standard with nearly everything you’ll do. Training is tough and ongoing. You should be in excellent physical condition and a strong swimmer.
To qualify for Rescue Swimmer Training, both men and women must:
The Minimum and Elevated Navy Physical Screening Test (PST & EPST) requirements for AIRR are:
Exercise | Time | Min. | Elevated |
Swim 500 yards (breast or sidestroke) | Unlimited | 12:00 | 9:00 |
Push-up | 2:00 | 42 | 65 |
Curl-up | 2:00 | 50 | 65 |
Pull-up | 2:00 | 04 | 10 |
Run 1.5 miles | Unlimited | 12:00 | 10:15 |
Candidates who achieve the Elevated Physical Screening Test (EPST) scores shown above may qualify for the Enlisted Bonus for Shipping (EB-SHP) program. These elevated standards must be met during your 14-day shipping PST to be eligible for the bonus. Learn more about Navy enlistment bonuses.
NOTE: You should consult your physician or other health-care professional before starting any exercise regime or other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs. This is particularly true if you (or your family) have a history of medical illnesses or ailments that could be made worse by a change in physical activity. Do not start a fitness program if your physician or health-care provider advises against it.
General qualifications may vary depending upon whether you’re currently serving, whether you’ve served before or whether you’ve never served before.
There are no part-time jobs as a Navy Reserve Sailor in this role. Go back to Careers to find other jobs that have a Reserve component. You can also find out more about what life is like as a Reserve Sailor in the Navy.
See how a career as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer compares to other Navy jobs.
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