So you're looking to join the ANG, or cross-train, and you've opened that metaphorical door and are peering inside that dark, misty room. Inside you hear voices, mumbling, whispering.......a barely heard whisper of a sound about vacancies....a noise that mentions POOLHEES...Let's turn on the lights!

Each ANG is organized within that state for all intents and purposes. Meaning, although we all fall under and within the Air Force, the decision makers and Airmen at all levels in that state are responsible for, and can only make decisions for, things in that state.

Breaking it down further, the Wing is the main organizational element in the ANG. Wing Commander, or Wing Kings, are responsible for that Wing.

Some states have multiple Wings, some only have one. All states have at least one Wing, and in those cases, that Wing is often synonymous with that state's ANG. For example, here in Louisiana we have one Wing, the 159 Fighter Wing, so some people never say LA ANG, they just say 159 FW, because it's pretty much the same thing.

Now, although the actual chain of command can differ, ANG Recruiters can only recruit for positions in that state, and sometimes only within their Wing (in states with multiple Wings).

They cannot recruit for positions or AFSCs that don't exist in their organization!

Each Wing has a number of organizations underneath it, called Groups, and those Groups are composed of Squadrons. Squadrons are the mission effective organizations. They DO things. In order to do things, they are composed of many various AFSCs (jobs).

So, in any Wing, there is an authorized number of personnel we can have. That's broken down by AFSC. So if a Wing is "authorized" 1000 people, that will be broken up into Officer and Enlisted, and then Officer AFSCs and Enlisted AFSCs. So it might look something like this (very top level and basic example):

Authorized Officers: 100

-1 General

-1 Wing Commander

-30 Fighter Pilots

-5 Cyber Officers

-Etc

Authorized Enlisted 900:

-300 Crew Chiefs

-200 Avionics Techs

-100 Munitions Techs

-100 Cyber Airmen

-100 Fuels Airmen

-50 Security Forces

-50 Personnelists

-10 Recruiters

-10 Finance

-10 Egress

-10 HVAC

-10 Engine Mechs

-5 Vehicle Mechs

-10 ATC

Etc Etc

Now, that's what is AUTHORIZED. So, if you have that many authorized, you have some people already assigned right? So you may have most of those filled (Assigned)

Recruiters can only fill positions that are AUTHORIZED, but have nobody ASSIGNED already (VACANT)

Except for a few caveats:

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1. Each year there is guidance from the National Guard Bureau saying how many over that AUTHORIZED number we can go. For example, it may say you can go plus 2 . If you are authorized 10, that means you can go up to 12. However, this is not preferred, since you're putting people somewhere they aren't needed, instead of somewhere they are (VACANCIES). So this usually means no bonus even if that AFSC is a bonus AFSC
2. PKLs (Projected Known Losses). If someone says they're leaving or retiring etc, Recruiters can consider them already not there for the purposes of using that position for someone new.
3. Fully-Qualified Already: If you're already qualified in that AFSC (from the AF, AF Reserves, or a transferable MOS/Rating from another service) you can always (almost) be accessed, even if there are no VACANCIES.

So, that's the position piece. What's next? Qualifying for the AFSC.

The AFECD or Air Force Enlisted Classification Directory or AFOCD (for officers) states the requirements for each AFSC. This can include special experience or education required, but mainly ASVAB and MEDICAL requirements.

ASVAB: The ANG (or AF) doesn't care about your AFQT overall score, as long as it meets the minimum. This is defined in DAFMAN36-2032 and depends on your education, but generally it's 31 or higher.

What the ANG does care about is your individual scores for Mechanical, Admin, General, and Electrical or MAGE.

Each job has a requirement for one or more of those categories that you must meet to qualify for that job. For example, 2A3X3 (Fighter Crew Chief) requires a 47 Mechanical. That means you could have a 99 A, 99 G, and 99 E, but if you have a 46 M you cannot be a crew chief. Make sense?

Some have multiple, like 1D7X1 (Cyber) which requires a 45 M AND 60 E .

Other: some require other tests as well, like Cyber, EDPT, TAPAS, etc.

Lastly, medical (physical). The AFECD also defines physical requirements. Some AFSCs require depth perception (don't fall off that tower!) and some require color vision (Don't cut the wrong wire McGruber!). But every AFSC has a PULHES(X) defined. This is a score you get at MEPS for each bodily component defining your physical capacity/stamina (P), upper extremities (U), lower extremities (L), hearing and ears (H), eyes (E), and psychiatric (S). 1 is the best, and 5 is the worst. Most require only a 2 or 3 but some require a 1 for some categories.

So, for example, you have to have H1 to be a crew chief. Why? Because your hearing may get worse working around loud jets (even with ear protection), so the Air Force doesn't want you to even start the job if your hearing is at all compromised already.

X-factor is the amount of weight you can lift at MEPS. X-factor is self explanatory, some jobs require you to lift heavy things, so you have to be able to lift a certain amount of weight.

So in summary: if the AFSC is AUTHORIZED in the Wing, and there are VACANCIES, and you QUALIFY, then you can enlist into that job (or cross-train into it).

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I hope this all makes sense, and if you liked this, please comment below and let me know what other topics I can cover in my attempts to DEMISTIFY the ANG

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FAQS:

Q-My friend wants to be a firefighter, can he?

A-I don't know, what's his ASVAB scores, PULHES, and is that AFSC authorized in this Wing, and are there vacancies?

Q-What jobs are there available for me?

A-What is your ASVAB, PULHES?

Q-If we don't have that job here, what state does?

A-I don't know, states cannot see other states authorized/assigned (generally, of course there are ways but not available to individual recruiters or recruiting teams). Contact other states you'd be willing to go to and see if they have it.

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