Overview of Combat Rescue Officers (CROs)
Let’s take a quick look at the United States Air Force Combat Rescue Officers, or CROs, and their command structure, personnel, training, and missions.
Combat Rescue Officers are Air Force officers who are part of special tactics and assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the Air Force component of the US Special Operations Command (SOCOM). In a gross oversimplification, CROs are the officer versions of pararescuemen (PJs), but with the added responsibility of planning and leadership.
Eligibility and Commissioning
Combat Rescue Officers are 18 to 39-year-old men. They are officers with bachelor’s degrees who have completed Officer Training School (OTS), the Air Force Academy, or have received a commission through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).
Physical and Security Requirements
CRO candidates must be able to pass a dive physical and a freefall physical and qualify for a secret clearance.
Training Pipeline
CRO training consists of the following:
- The Combat Rescue Officer and Pararescue Indoctrination Course at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
- After indoctrination, CROs attend Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
- Then they proceed to the Air Force Combat Diver School at the Navy Diving and Salvage Training Center at Naval Support Activity, Panama City, Florida.
- Next is Underwater Egress Training at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida.
- They then attend the Air Force Basic Survival School at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.
- Following that is the Army Military Freefall Parachutist School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona.
- Next is the Advanced Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) School at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.
- Then they attend the Air Force Combat Rescue Officer Entry Level Course at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.
- Next is the Introduction to Personnel Recovery at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
- They finish up with a Joint Aerospace Command and Control Course at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Mission Responsibilities
Combat Rescue Officer missions include:
- Managing rescue programs and training
- Directing survival and evasion assistance
- Command and control
- Full-spectrum personnel recovery
- Leading personnel recovery in survival, evasion, resistance, and escape operations
Personal Anecdotes
I met my first Combat Rescue Officer when I was at dive school. Back then, the Air Force SOF guys attended our dive school. This CRO candidate was competent, in great shape, serious, mature—he was all business. A few years later, I had to coordinate an operation with a CRO and some PJs in Afghanistan.
Not only did they help us out, but they were also able to use their Air Force connections to find us two more aircraft for the mission. It makes a big difference if you have two aircraft and 20 men on the objective, or if you have four aircraft and 40 men.
Conclusion
Okay, there you have it—an executive summary of Combat Rescue Officers. Thanks for watching. Don’t forget to subscribe and to forward this to a friend who needs to know this.
For more detailed information on Combat Rescue Officers, you can visit the official U.S. Air Force CRO career page.