Air Force Special Operations Command

 

 Contact an AF recruiter for additional eligibility criteria.  Find a recruiter here:  http://www.airforce.com/contact-us/recruiter-locator/ 

*If you are unable to contact a local recruiter, please contact the Air Force Recruiting Service office at 210-565-3833.

 

3.  Who is a good fit?

The Air Force MAVNI program is small and inherently highly visible. It requires maturity and an ability to operate in demanding environments - in the U.S. and abroad. Education beyond the high school level, critical thinking, and public speaking skills are highly desired.

 

4.  What happens in the recruiting phase?

Applicants undergo language testing, immigration status verification, and a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) among other military entrance processing requirements. All applicants will be interviewed to determine suitability for the position; due to the limited number of positions, selections will be made based on the whole-person concept.  Contact a recruiter for additional information:  

http://www.airforce.com/contact-us/recruiter-locator/

 

5.  What happens after I get selected?

You will attend Basic Military Training (BMT) at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)-Lackland. Follow Air Force Recruiting Service (AFRS) provided guidelines prior to leaving to expedite your naturalization. Upon graduation, you will be directly assigned to the USAF Special Operations School at Hurlburt Field, FL.

 

6.  What will my duties entail?

You will be assigned to the United States Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) Hurlburt Field, Florida, where you will initially complete several in-house courses totaling about 500 hours. MAVNIs will also complete combat skills training. You may attend optional professional development courses at the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU).

 

Your language and culture capabilities will be utilized as needed. This includes, but is not limited to, instructing in USAFSOS courses (either locally or off-station), escorting visiting Partner Nation (PN) delegations, tutoring language students in the USAFSOS Language Center (LC), and interpreting at conferences.

 

You will also be expected to augment the Irregular Warfare (IW) activities of AFSOC abroad by functioning as an interpreter and culture advisor. This includes instructing your teammates about the local language and culture, translating Programs of Instruction (POI), delivering training to PN military personnel in your native language, and advising on any culture matters that may arise. You may be required to support IW activities of sister services as well. There is a very high possibility that you will be expected to return to your home country to support partnered operations/exercises. If this is an issue, please inform your recruiter and USAFSOS Staff during the application process.  

 

The MAVNI program now has a two-track selection:  Track 1:  Approximately two years after you enlist, you will be selected for an Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) to facilitate normal career progression. By that time, you will have identified five AFSCs that are of interest to you and will receive one based on availability. You will then attend initial skills training and return to Hurlburt Field to work in your new AFSC. You will continue to coordinate and work with USAFSOS and will be leveraged as needed to utilize your language and culture capabilities as described above.  Track 2:  If you choose not to be selected for an AFSC, you can remain a culture and language advisor at USAFSOS for up to four years.  However, by choosing this track you will be separated from the Air Force upon completion of your four-year enlistment.  You may, however, apply for Officer Training School (if you have a degree) or an ROTC program after two years, which will allow you to continue service in the Air Force as an officer if selected.

 

                MAVNI Training Timeline

 

              1st Step - MAVNI Recruited: Match to AFSOC Open/Prioritized Language MAVNI Billet

2nd Step - Basic Military Training (BMT) (8 weeks) at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland: Complete citizenship process and adjudication of an SSBI

3rd Step - USAFSOS Training Pipeline (8-12 months) at Hurlburt Field, FL: Complete seven required courses and other additional education/training as necessary. Augment USAFSOS courses, mobile education events, and deployments.

4th Step (Track 1 only) - Air Force Specialty Selection:  While at USAFSOS, MAVNIs will have the opportunity to explore various career specialties in AFSOC.  At approximately the 10th month time-in-service point, MAVNIs will identify five AFSCs that are of interest to them and will receive one based on availability.

5th Step (Track 1 only) - Depart for initial skills training after approximately 18 months time-in-service. (Ideally, MAVNIs should complete initial skills training  prior to reaching 2 full years in service.)

6th Step (Track 1 only) - Return from training and report to operational unit to perform duties in respective new Air Force Specialty.        

               

7.  Whom should I contact for additional questions?

Contact a recruiter for recruiting-related questions:  http://www.airforce.com/contact-us/recruiter-locator/   Contact the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer In-Charge (SNCOIC) of the MAVNI program at USAFSOS at (850) 884-2245 or the Officer In-Charge of the MAVNI program at USAFSOS at (850) 884-8504 for general MAVNI questions.