Air Force requirements are a set of requirements that must be met before a person can enlist in this branch of the US military. Age, education, physical, intellectual, and residency status components are typically included in the requirements, which vary depending on the type of work a person wants to do once he or she joins the Air Force. To prove eligibility, a candidate may be required to submit to a professional examination and take certain tests. Individuals must usually meet certain additional Air Force requirements after their initial enlistment in order to pass basic training and stay in the military.
Age, education, and weight are the most basic Air Force requirements. Candidates for general enlistment must typically be at least 17 years old and under 28 years old, with either a high school diploma or a general education diploma (GED). Officer candidates must be at least 17 years old but not more than 35 years old, and hold a four-year college diploma. In general, a candidate must be of a healthy weight, which can be determined consulting an Air Force-issued table that lists the maximum weights in pounds for various heights in inches. Candidates who exceed these weight limits are usually denied enlistment in the Air Force, though they may try again after losing weight.
Other physical requirements for the Air Force include vision and health. Typically, a candidate must meet certain visual acuity requirements, which vary depending on the job. Pilots, for example, must meet more stringent requirements, such as having vision that is no worse than 20/70 and can be corrected to near perfect, or 20/20 vision. Candidates must also meet certain health requirements, which are frequently verified during a medical examination. Depending on the situation, certain medical conditions may prevent people from enlisting in the Air Force, either temporarily or permanently.
Another requirement of the Air Force is passing the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, which assesses a person’s intellectual ability in key areas such as verbal, mechanical, and mathematical abilities. A 36 is the minimum overall passing score for high school graduates, while a 65 is the minimum overall passing score for GED holders. Depending on the career path a person wishes to pursue, additional specific minimum scores in certain areas of aptitude, such as electronics or mechanics, may be required.
After enlisting in the Air Force, a person will usually go through basic training. At the conclusion of this training, he or she must pass the final Air Force requirement: the fitness test. Candidates must run 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) in a certain amount of time and perform a certain number of push-ups and sit-ups in order to qualify. The specific requirements are usually determined gender and age.
Most Air Force personnel are required to retake the fitness test on a regular basis, in addition to meeting the fitness requirements at the end of basic training. Weight and waist size are usually measured on a regular basis as well. To remain in good standing in the Air Force, including the option to reenlist, personnel must generally meet the standards set in all three of these areas.