Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Jette undergoes a body composition measurement test at the 350th Battlefield Airman Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas June 28, 2018. Jette is a special operations recruiter based in Fresno, Calif. DoD photo by EJ Hersom<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n

Because of high attrition rates in its special operations career fields — pararescue, combat controller, tactical air control party and special operations weather technicians — the Air Force stood up the 350th Battlefield Airman Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, and the 330th Recruiting Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas. Recruiters also focus on the special operations support career fields: survival, evasion and resistance and explosive ordnance disposal.<\/p>\n

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Josh Smith, the special warfare preparatory course superintendent for the 350th BATS, has been a pararescueman, or PJ, for 25 years. He said his team was tasked to stand up the squadron within 121 days. They shadowed the Army\u2019s and Navy\u2019s special operations programs and used their best practices to model this new program, he said.<\/p>\n

The team received \u201camazing support\u201d from Naval Special Warfare at Great Lakes Naval Training Command in Illinois, Smith said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re using the same contract for our coaches, so some of their staff could help us set up the program here,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s been an amazing partnership between the two organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pilot Course<\/strong><\/p>\n

On June 5, 2017, the first battlefield airmen preparatory pilot course ran through its first eight-week iteration. Smith said the course\u2019s goal is to \u201ccreate a program focused on creating that fitter, faster, stronger, more mentally resilient warfighter.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said one area the Navy would like to increase training on is psychology. \u201cWe really try to focus on that communication, team building, the character tributes of leader, integrity, professionalism, trainability and teaching them how to improve in those areas,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThis generation knows how to text, but they need to work on communication.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said the team was tasked to improve production by 10 percent, but were able to improve it by 20 percent overall. They were able to eliminate the two-week pararescue development course, and tactical air control party candidates went from a 30 percent graduation rate to 66 percent.<\/p>\n

Air Force Maj. Heath Kerns, 330th Recruiting Squadron commander and a special tactics officer, said the squadron pulled recruiters from 27 different squadrons across the Air Force who showed an aptitude and interest as well as other qualifications to head up this new squadron, specializing in recruiting for the three Air Force special forces career fields and its support career fields.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of worrying about 160 jobs, [our battlefield airmen recruiters] can get really smart on six jobs,\u201d Kerns said.<\/p>\n