Air Crew Officers

Overview Nature of Work Knowledge Areas Skills Utilized Job Activities Abilities Job Conditions Work Satisfaction Education/Training

Career Overview Perform and direct in-flight duties to ensure the successful completion of combat, reconnaissance, transport, and search and rescue missions. Duties include operating aircraft communications and radar equipment, such as establishing satellite linkages and jamming enemy communications capabilities operating aircraft weapons and defensive systems; conducting pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight inspections of onboard equipment; and directing cargo and personnel drops. Salary for Air Crew Officers Select a State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Marshall Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands Outside of US

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Opportunities should be excellent for qualified individuals in all branches of the Armed Forces through 2016.

Employment change. The United States spends a significant portion of its overall budget on national defense. Despite reductions in personnel due to the elimination of the threats of the Cold War, the number of active-duty personnel is expected to remain roughly constant through 2016. However, recent conflicts and the resulting strain on the military may lead to an increase in the number of active-duty personnel. The current goal of the Armed Forces is to maintain a force sufficient to fight and win two major regional conflicts at the same time. Political events, however, could lead to a significant restructuring with or without an increase in size.

Job prospects. Opportunities should be excellent for qualified individuals in all branches of the Armed Forces through 2016. Many military personnel retire with a pension after 20 years of service, while they still are young enough to start a new career. About 168,000 personnel must be recruited each year to replace those who complete their commitment or retire. Since the end of the draft in 1973, the military has met its personnel requirements with volunteers. When the economy is good and civilian employment opportunities generally are more favorable, it is more difficult for all the services to meet their recruitment quotas. It is also more difficult to meet these goals during times of war, when recruitment goals typically rise.

Educational requirements will continue to rise as military jobs become more technical and complex. High school graduates and applicants with a college background will be sought to fill the ranks of enlisted personnel, while virtually all officers will need at least a bachelor's degree and, in some cases, a graduate degree as well.

In 2007, more than 2.6 million people served in the Armed Forces. More than 1.4 million were on active duty—about 505,000 in the Army, 339,000 in the Navy, 340,000 in the Air Force, and 179,000 in the Marine Corps. In addition, more than 1.2 million people served in their Reserve components and the Air and Army National Guard, and 40,000 individuals served in the Coast Guard, which is now part of the Department of Homeland Security. Table 2 shows the occupational composition of the active-duty enlisted personnel in January 2007; table 3 presents similar information for active-duty officers, including noncommissioned warrant officers.

Table 2. Military enlisted personnel by broad occupational category and branch of military service, January 2007

Occupational Group - Enlisted	Army	Air Force	Coast Guard	Marine Corps	Navy	Total, all services
Administrative occupations	8,912	23,366	1,683	9,460	22,512	65,933
Combat specialty occupations	120,297	427	856	47,250	5,508	174,338
Construction occupations	16,848	4,979	—	5,597	5,927	33,351
Electronic and electrical repair occupations	35,932	37,722	4,351	14,656	51,424	144,085
Engineering, science, and technical occupations	36,451	46,304	1,110	22,915	38,853	145,633
Health care occupations	29,242	16,805	821	—	24,950	71,818
Human resource development occupations	16,464	12,741	1	6,113	6,756	42,075
Machine operator and precision work occupations	5,727	7,134	1,583	2,301	7,913	24,658
Media and public affairs occupations	6,541	7,574	136	2,340	4,726	21,317
Protective service occupations	25,455	31,483	3,050	5,872	13,122	78,982
Support services occupations	12,014	1,608	1,268	2,289	9,930	27,109
Transportation and material handling occupations	58,237	32,464	11,479	22,344	43,026	167,550
Vehicle machinery mechanic occupations	49,679	44,025	5,821	19,340	49,166	168,031
Total, by service (1)	421,855	271,009	32,477	160,484	287,118	1,172,913
Footnotes:  (1) Occupational employment does not sum to totals because occupational information is not available for all personnel.  (NOTE) Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center

Table 3. Military officer personnel by broad occupational category and branch of service, January 2007

Occupational Group - Officer	Army	Air Force	Coast Guard	Marine Corps	Navy	Total, all services
Combat specialty occupations	19,421	2,861	81	4,684	1,260	28,307
Engineering, science, and technical occupations	20,189	19,852	1,057	3,639	7,873	52,610
Executive, administrative, and managerial occupations	11,262	9,013	231	2,572	5,437	28,515
Health care occupations	9,953	8,970	5	—	7,737	26,665
Human resource development occupations	2,151	2,275	184	293	643	5,546
Media and public affairs occupations	237	408	19	170	265	1,099
Protective service occupations	2,611	1,229	96	327	275	4,538
Support services occupations	1,596	768	—	38	884	3,286
Transportation occupations	13,112	23,540	1,736	7,188	27,049	72,625
Total, by service (1)	82,884	69,284	7,853	18,998	51,558	230,577
Footnotes:  (1) Occupational employment does not sum to totals because occupational information is not available for all personnel.  (NOTE) Source: U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center

Military personnel are stationed throughout the United States and in many countries around the world. About half of all military jobs in the U.S. are located in California, Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and Georgia. Approximately 250,000 service members were deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom as of April 30, 2007. An additional 363,000 individuals were stationed outside the United States, including 168,000 assigned to ships at sea. About 105,000 were stationed in Europe, mainly in Germany, and another 70,000 were assigned to East Asia and the Pacific area, mostly in Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Each of the military services publishes handbooks, fact sheets, and pamphlets describing entrance requirements, training and advancement opportunities, and other aspects of military careers. These publications are widely available at all recruiting stations, at most State employment service offices, and in high schools, colleges, and public libraries. Information on educational and other veterans' benefits is available from VA offices located throughout the country.

In addition, the Defense Manpower Data Center, an agency of the Department of Defense, publishes Military Career Guide Online, a compendium of military occupational, training, and career information designed for use by students and jobseekers. This information is available on the Internet: http://www.todaysmilitary.com.

The Occupational Outlook Quarterly also provides information about military careers and training in its spring 2007 article "Military training for civilian careers (Or: How to gain practical experience while serving your country)," available online at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2007/spring/art02.pdf.

Sources: O*Net data version 12.0
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Department of Labor

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