The U.S. Air Force identifies their careers using an Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC). The Air Force has 123 enlisted AFSC’s that are made up of five alphanumeric characters. Let’s take a look at an AFSC 2T371A and break it down for you:
AFSC – 2T371A – Fire Truck and Refueling Maintenance
The first number “2” is the career group of Logistics and Maintenance.
AFSC – 2T371A – Fire Truck and Refueling Maintenance
The second digit identifies the career field of Transportation & Vehicle Management.
AFSC – 2T371A – Fire Truck and Refueling Maintenance
The third digit is the career field subdivision or the functional job area of mission generation maintenance.
AFSC – 2T371A – Fire Truck and Refueling Maintenance
The fourth number in the AFSC is the Airman’s skill level. In this case, the “7” skill level is a “craftsman.” Upon promotion to E-5, Airmen begin training for the “7” (craftsman) skill level. This level of training includes correspondence courses, more on-the-job training, and for some jobs, a 7-level technical school.
A Guide to all Enlisted AFSC’s
Here are the different occupational fields for enlisted Airmen:
1 – Operations
2 – Logistics and Maintenance
3 – Support
4 – Medical and Dental
5 – Chaplain and JAG
6 – Finance and Acquisition
7 – Special Investigations
8 – Special Duty Identifiers, typically used for Airmen chosen for specialized jobs
9 – Reporting Identifiers, typically used for Airmen in transit status (trainees, awaiting retraining)
Enlisted AFSC Descriptions
1 – Operations
1A – Aircrew Operation
What You Would Do: Your duties will include solving problems that could make an aircraft unable to perform its mission. You will fix airborne systems equipment like computer systems, radar and radio systems, and surveillance systems operations activities.
1B – Cyberspace
What You Would Do: In this job, you will work with surveillance, combat, reporting, and network management systems. Your task will be to protect data and network systems.
1C – Command & Control Systems Operations
What You Would Do Your job will involve aerospace surveillance and vehicle detection, including missile warning systems. Jobs include combat control teams and Air Traffic control pertaining to close air support and tactical air reconnaissance.
1N – Intelligence
What You Would Do: Your task will be to gather, analyze, and process all types of military intelligence to help combat operators do their job. You will also assist with target acquisition and recognition.
1P – Aircrew Flight Equipment
What You Would Do: Your job will be to manage, perform, and schedule inspections and maintenance of aircrew flight equipment, chemical defense equipment, and associated supplies.
1S – Safety
What You Would Do: You will have to cross-train into the safety career field from another career. Your task will be to analyze mishap causes and trends and assess risks.
1T – Aircrew Protection
What You Would Do: Your job will be to help to train and rescue down pilots through training programs as well as part of Special Operations Command with Pararescue Airmen. Your task will also be to help prepare pilots and crew for unforeseen situations.
1U – Unmanned Aerospace Systems (UAS)
What You Would Do: You will perform duties as a mission crew member on unmanned aerospace systems. You will employ airborne sensors to acquire, track, and monitor airborne, maritime, and ground objects.
1W – Weather
What You Would Do: Your job will be to use a variety of fixed and deployable meteorological sensors to measure and assess atmospheric and space weather conditions. You will also observe, record, and distribute weather data and information.
2 – Maintenance and Logistics
2A – Aerospace Maintenance
What You Would Do: Your task will be to perform and oversee aviation equipment maintenance functions and activities. You will inspect, repair, maintain, and service aviation and support equipment.
2E – Comm-Elec/Wire Systems Maintenance
What You Would Do: You will perform the critical job of maintaining the internal components of all computer and electronic systems on and directing aircraft (manned and unmanned).
2F – Fuels
What You Would Do: Your job will involve the maintenance, storage, quality, security, and distribution of fuels and refueling equipment.
2G – Logistics Plans
What You Would Do: Your job will be to help manage the movement of equipment and people from one location to another to ensure mission success of Air Force global missions.
2M – Missile & Space Systems Maintenance
What You Would Do: Your job will be to monitor, operate, and supervise the operation of consoles, fault display panels, and other equipment. You will also monitor the status of missiles, UAVs, boosters, payloads, subsystems, and support equipment.
2P – Precision Measurement
What You Would Do: You will be responsible for testing, measurement, and diagnostic equipment (TMDE). This includes the precision measurement equipment laboratory (PMEL).
2R – Maintenance Management Systems
What You Would Do: Your job will be to make sure that all maintenance assets are in working order and scheduled for routine maintenance before it breaks down. You will work on aerospace vehicles, munitions, missiles, space systems, and associated support systems.
2S – Material Management
What You Would Do: Your job will be to direct materiel management activities involved in manual and automated integrated logistics systems. You will manage items and monetary accounting, inventory control, financial planning, and warehousing functions.
2T – Transportation & Vehicle Maintenance
What You Would Do: This career field all involves the movement of equipment of personnel from one location to another using various modes of transportation like airlift, ground, sea, and rail. Jobs include traffic management, air transportation, vehicle drivers, and vehicle mechanics.
2W – Munitions & Weapons
What You Would Do: Your job will include the maintenance, storage, and repair of highly technical weapons systems and munitions supporting military operations.
3 – Support
3A – Information Management
What You Would Do: Your job will be to create, update, and dispose of everything from educational and mission-essential training manuals to managing the flow, distribution, life cycle, and information essential to mission operations.
3D – Cyberspace Support
What You Would Do: Your job will be to manage the planning, coordinating, sharing, and controlling data assets enabling data to be accessed, tagged, and searched regardless of physical location, media, source, and owner.
3E – Civil Engineering
What You Would Do: Your job will involve building structures, living quarters, as well as water and fuel systems. You may also be tasked to perform explosive ordnance disposal.
3M – Services
What You Would Do: Your job covers a wide variety of jobs centered on service operations. Your career paths can include food service, lodging, fitness and sports, readiness, mortuary, and protocol.
3N – Public Affairs
What You Would Do: Your job includes tasks in multi-media communication methods from print, video, audio, internet, and digital to keep the public informed.
3P – Security Forces
What You Would Do: Your job will be to guard, protect and secure all equipment, people on bases worldwide.
3S – Mission Support
What You Would Do: Your jobs will cover the personnel and manpower career fields. Your job will be to make sure that military manning requirements are satisfied and current. Your tasks will include all actions necessary to track all aspects of military personnel like promotions and training.
Medical and Dental
4A-V – Medical
What You Would Do: Your job will be to assist doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators with their jobs.
4Y – Dental
What You Would Do: Your job will be to provide oral and dental care for all members assigned to your base.
Chaplain and Legal
5J – Paralegal
What You Would Do: As a paralegal, your job will be to assist military lawyers.
5R – Chaplain Assistant
What You Would Do:: Your job will be to be a part of the chaplain support team. You will provide support for chaplains in delivering religious services and counseling support.
Finance and Contracting
6C – Contracting
What You Would Do: Your job will be to advise government and contractor personnel on contracting-related issues using data on marketing trends and supply sources.
6F – Financial
What You Would Do: Your job will be to account for cash, checks, and process payments, and collections. You will serve as a financial advisor to commanders and resource managers.
Special Investigations
7S – Special Investigations (OSI)
What You Would Do: You can’t go right into this field and will have to have experience in a related law enforcement field. Your job will be to conduct criminal, fraud, counterintelligence, personal background, and technical services investigations.
Special Duty Assignments
What You Would Do: Special Duty Assignments are jobs you perform on a temporary basis outside your normal job. Examples are working as a recruiter, first sergeant, or military training instructor.
8X – Special Duty Identifiers
What You Would Do: These are supplementary jobs in the USAF. You could work in the postal service, recruiting, or as a member of the Honor Guard for ceremonies.
U.S. Air Force Officer AFSC
Air Force Officer AFSC’s follow a similar format as enlisted AFSC’s except that they are only four digits. They do have prefixes and suffixes to show the exact officer job. For example, if you had an officer AFSC of 11B2B, you would be a Qualified Pilot or Copilot of a B-2 Bomber. All pilots have an AFSC of 11XX. 11B2B means you are a bomber aviator. 11B2B means you are fully qualified, and the suffix 11B2B identifies your weapons system. In this case, it’s the B-2 Stealth Bomber.
A Guide to all Officer AFSC’s
Here are the different occupational fields for commissioned Air Force officers:
1 – Operations
2 – Logistics
3 – Support
4 – Medical
5 – Professional Career Area (Legal and Chaplain)
6 – Acquisitions and Financial Management
Officer AFSC Descriptions
1 – Operations
What You Would Do: As part of the operations career area, your job will be tasks that directly employ weapon and supporting systems. Careers in this area include operations commander, pilot, navigator, astronaut, air battle management, space and missile, intelligence, and weather.
11 – Pilot
What You Would Do: Your job will be to conduct or support flying operations, including combat, combat support, and training missions. Positions include fighter, bomber, rescue, special ops, reconnaissance, mobility, and experimental test pilot.
12 – Combat Systems Officer
What You Would Do: Your job will be to support flying operations, including combat, combat support, and training missions. Positions include fighter, bomber, rescue, special ops, reconnaissance, mobility, and experimental test systems officer.
14 – Information Operations
What You Would Do: Your job will be to provide the commander with the ability to wage information warfare throughout the full spectrum of military operations. This specialty includes jobs in the intelligence field.
15 – Operations Analysis
What You Would Do: This job covers areas associated with analysis and assessments of current operations, weapons systems, and doctrine. This specialty includes jobs in operations research and weather, and environmental sciences.
16 – Operations Support
What You Would Do: This specialty includes jobs as Foreign Area Officer, Operations Officer, software development, and political-military affairs.
18 – Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA)
What You Would Do: Your job will be to conduct or support all RPA operations.
19 – Special Warfare
What You Would Do: Your job will be to one of the Air Force’s premier ground forces specialized in applying airpower. Jobs in this specialty include special warfare and combat rescue.
2 – Logistics
21 – Logistics
What You Would Do: As an officer in the logistics career area, you will be responsible for formulating programs, policy planning, inspection, command and direction, and supervision of the fields of space and missile maintenance, transportation, supply, aircraft and munitions maintenance, and logistics plans and programs.
3 – Support
31 – Security Forces (SF)
What You Would Do: Your job will be to lead, manage, and direct all SF activities. Tasks include force protections, investigations, antiterrorism, and military working dogs.
32 – Civil Engineering
What You Would Do: Your job will be to provide combat engineering support for all deployed and stateside Air Force Units. Tasks include managing fire prevention, crash rescue, construction, utility systems, and explosive ordnance disposal.
35 – Public Affairs
What You Would Do: Your job will be to serve as public affairs officer or supervise Air Force band specialties.
38 – Force Support
What You Would Do: Your job will be to manage and direct personnel supporting manpower, personnel, and services programs. Tasks include manpower requirements, human resources, education and training, food services, lodging, and moral welfare, and recreation.
4 – Medical
If you have a job in the medical career area, you will work in a variety of the following positions: health services administration, physical therapy, biomedical science/engineering, medical doctor, nurse, and dentist. You will need a professional degree in medicine, nursing, or dentistry and be accepted to the medical corps to hold these positions.
42 – Biomedical Clinician
What You Would Do: Jobs in this field include optometry, physical/occupational therapy, podiatry, physician assistant, audiology, and psychologist.
43 – Biomedical Specialist
What You Would Do: Jobs in this specialty include aerospace physiology, biomedical scientist, dietician, public health officer, and pharmacy.
44 – Physician
What You Would Do: Your job as an Air Force doctor could include preventative medicine, pathology, ER, family physician, nuclear medicine, pediatrician, and many other medical specialties.
45 – Surgery
What You Would Do: Jobs in this field include anesthesiologist, orthopedic surgeon, OB/GYN, surgeon, and many other specialties.
46 – Nurse
What You Would Do: Jobs in this field include nurse administrator, flight nurse, clinical nurse, OR nurse, and many other specialties.
47 – Dental
What You Would Do: Jobs in this field include orthodontist, dentist, pediatric dentist, and many other specialties.
48 – Aerospace Medicine
What You Would Do: Your job will be directly related to medical evacuation and transport of patients on aeromedical evacuation aircraft. Jobs in this field include flight surgeon and pilot-physician.
5 – Professional Career Area (Law and Chaplain)
51 – Law
What You Would Do: As a Judge Advocate, you will be responsible for offering legal support to all Air Force personnel and their families. You will have to have a law degree and be accepted into the JAG program to be an Air Force Lawyer.
52 – Chaplain
What You Would Do: You will advise commanders on ethical and religious matters. Your job will be to conduct divine services, administer sacraments/ordinances, perform rites/ceremonies, conduct pastoral visitations, and provide advisement involving the spiritual fitness of personnel of all faiths. You will have to apply and be accepted into the Chaplain Corps to be an Air Force Chaplain.
6 – Acquisitions and Financial Management
61 – Scientific
What You Would Do: Jobs in this field include chemist or physicist.
62 – Developmental Engineer
What You Would Do: Your job will cover a wide range of specialties ranging from aeronautical and computer systems to flight test and mechanical. You will be responsible for everything from the planning to implementation of their projects.
63 – Acquisition
What You Would Do: Your job will be to implement programs from engineering to securing final shipping. You will oversee all aspects of the acquisition process to ensure the necessary equipment and supplies get where they need to be anywhere in the world.
64 – Contracting
What You Would Do: Your job will help to make sure that command units are well stocked with everything they need. You will be responsible for planning, evaluating, or awarding contracts for commodities, services, and construction
65 – Finance
What You Would Do: Your job will be to organize financial management activities and establish internal control. You will help ensure funds are available for the equipment, supplies, and services that Airmen need.
71 – Special Investigation
What You Would Do: Your job will be to conduct investigations into criminal, fraud, counterintelligence, internal security, and other security concerns. You will manage investigations both in and out of the Air Force.
Jim spent 22 years on active duty, climbing the ranks from Airman Basic to a decorated Air Force Major. Stationed all over the world, he held many high-level posts, including Chief of Foreign Military Sales at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Jim earned his Ph.D. through the Montgomery Era GI Bill and spent 13 years teaching African Studies in Pennsylvania. Jim is also an award-winning travel writer.
