Date: June 6, 2003

The Air Force's new combat rescue officer specialty will enhance the ability of the service to execute combat search and rescue operations by creating officers that have expertise in all aspects of the mission, a service official said this week.

Established in December 2000, there are now 39 combat rescue officers in the active duty Air Force and reserve components, and the service plans to develop 166 CROs in the total force by fiscal year 2007, according to Lt. Col. T.C. Phillips, career field manager for the combat rescue officer initiative.

Those officers will eventually lead 10 rescue squadrons. The first four CRO-led squadrons have already been formed and three more will stand up this year, Phillips told Inside the Air Force June 4. The remaining squadrons will stand up by 2006, he added.

The goal of the CRO specialty is to "link A to Z the personnel recovery capability within the Air Force," Phillips said. This includes expertise in "the [survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE)] training that the aviators get in the front end," to the skills employed by pararescue personnel and the aircrews to execute a rescue and "all the way up to the repatriation plan once we recover these guys. All that is encompassed in one squadron," Phillips said.

For example, the 38th Rescue Squadron, located at Moody Air Force Base, GA, provides comprehensive search and rescue expertise to the 347th Rescue Wing, the only active duty rescue wing in the Air Force. The squadron now has eight CROs, 49 pararescuemen, one flight surgeon and 27 other airmen, which include SERE specialists and command staff and support personnel, according to a squadron spokeswoman. The squadron is authorized to eventually have a combined total of 117 pararescuemen and CROs, she added.

In addition to fulfilling a direct combat role, CROs will use their expertise in other areas, such as planning rescue operations, providing expertise to command staffs and leading training programs.

"Those are the guys who are going to work on the [Joint Search and Rescue Center] staff, they are the ones that are going to set up the repatriation plan in theater, they are going to be working out at the SERE school," Phillips said.

The training pipeline for the CRO officers is already established, according to Phillips, with the recent addition of some new courses. For example, an advanced SERE course designed for CROs just began at Fairchild AFB, WA. That course gives CROs "the basic knowledge to effectively lead and advocate for the SERE career field," he said. -- Hampton Stephens

that's wierd... in the first sentence it says "all aspects", but i was told by the CROIC here that CRO's don't go to "med" school.

Depends on what you mean by "all aspects". CROs do get EMT-B training at Kirtland...and go through the entire pipeline giving them a good overview of the trauma/medical portion of the PJ school...whether that constitutes "all aspects of the mission" is debateable...but I gurantee they know more aspects of Personnel Recovery than anyone else (except experienced PJs of course... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" /> )

TE, Would you know if, once a CRO goes through the pipeline he can adventaully get EMT-P training? Just a curious thought

Joseph Przybysz

Anything is possible - but since the "medic" role is not within the CRO purview (it would really blur the lines of what the CRO is really being paid to do - medical officers working in an official capacity are MDs, Nurses and then real people like PAs and Dentists!) Anyway, getting the time off or having the AF - your squadron or equivalent commander - pay for something you don't need to accomplish your job -- not likely. Remember, PJs are basic medics with a combat trauma specialization, the Paramedic deal is to gain access to realistic training in the civilian sector. It helps with the badge conscious army/SOF types as well.
Shep out