Last verified against DoW Instruction 1308.03, the AFPC Special Warfare and EOD charts and the AFSOC Initial Fitness Test worksheet.
Most Air Force specialties (AFSCs) add nothing to the Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment (PFRA) every Airman takes, with eight exceptions. DoW Instruction 1308.03 lists Pararescue, Combat Control, Tactical Air Control Party, Special Reconnaissance, Explosive Ordnance Disposal and three Special Warfare officer specialties as combat arms, and the Air Force Personnel Center publishes separate PFRA scoring charts for Special Warfare and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Airmen. Candidates for those jobs, and for SERE (survival, evasion, resistance and escape), must also pass the Initial Fitness Test before training.
Air Force combat arms specialties
These are the Air Force specialties on the combat arms list in DoW Instruction 1308.03. SERE Specialist (1T0X1) takes the Initial Fitness Test but is not on the list.
| AFSC | Specialty |
|---|---|
| 19ZXA | Special Tactics Officer |
| 19ZXB | Tactical Air Control Party Officer |
| 19ZXC | Combat Rescue Officer |
| 1Z1X1 | Pararescue |
| 1Z2X1 | Combat Control |
| 1Z3X1 | Tactical Air Control Party |
| 1Z4X1 | Special Reconnaissance |
| 3E8X1 | Explosive Ordnance Disposal |
Source: DoW Instruction 1308.03, Appendix 3A.4.
The Special Warfare and EOD PFRA charts
Beside the standard PFRA scoring charts, the Air Force Personnel Center posts “AFSPECWAR and EOD PFRA Charts”, effective 1 March 2026. They cover the same components: waist-to-height ratio, push-ups or hand-release push-ups, sit-ups, cross-leg reverse crunches or the forearm plank, and the 2-mile run or the 20-meter High Aerobic Multi-shuttle Run (HAMR). Where the standard charts print separate columns for men and women, the push-up chart in this set prints one column per age group.
The Air Force PFRA calculator on this site scores the standard charts, not these.
The Initial Fitness Test for candidates
The Initial Fitness Test is one uninterrupted session, and failing any event fails the test. This table shows the minimums for enlisted candidates, from the worksheet in the FY2026 application of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Pull-ups, sit-ups and push-ups come first, with 2-minute rests between them, then a 10-minute rest before the run and 30 minutes before the swims. Enlisted candidates must pass within 60 days before entering active duty or initial skills training.
| Event, in test orderEvent | PJ, CCT, TACP, SR1Z1 to 1Z4 | EOD | SERE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull-ups in 2 minutes | 8 | 3 | 8 |
| Sit-ups in 2 minutes | 50 | Not tested | 48 |
| Push-ups in 2 minutes | 40 | Not tested | 40 |
| 1.5-mile run | 10:20 | 11:00 | 11:00 |
| Two 25 m underwater swims | Finish both | Not tested | Not tested |
| 500 m surface swim | 12:30 | Not tested | Not tested |
Source: AFSOC Special Tactics IFAM application FY2026 (20 January 2026), attachment 3, Initial Fitness Test worksheet.
Officer candidates test harder: Tactical Air Control Party officers need 12 pull-ups in one minute, 75 sit-ups, 64 push-ups, a 3-mile run in 22:00, both underwater swims and a 500-meter swim in 12:30. Special Tactics and Combat Rescue officers have the same calisthenics and run, with a 1,500-meter swim in 32:00.
The Air Force TACP page covers that job’s test and training pipeline.
Every other Air Force specialty
Every other specialty takes the standard PFRA, scored by age and sex. The Air Force PFRA standards page has the charts.
Sources
- DoW Instruction 1308.03, DoW Physical Fitness/Body Composition Program Office of the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness, 31 August 2026.
- AFSPECWAR and EOD PFRA Charts Air Force Personnel Center, 1 March 2026.
- Initial Fitness Test (IFT) Worksheet, Special Tactics IFAM Course Application FY2026 Air Force Special Operations Command (720th Special Tactics Group), 20 January 2026.
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