SERE Selection Course is your first stop. Everyone goes through this course for screening to become a SERE Specialist whether you are a E-5 with 12 years in the Air Force or a E-1 with 6 weeks in the Air Force. The course consists of 5 days of on-base training and 4 days of field training. This is some of the hardest training the military has to offer, both mentally and physically.

 

5 Days Long

Location

Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas

  Class runs Tuesday - Friday and the following Monday on base where students learn the basics. Academics include lessons on physical fitness and nutrition, teaching techniques, care and use of equipment, and field packing principles. Students practice building 3 - 10 min lessons and then present them to the cadre for grades and critiques. Students are tasked with improvising assignments and given standards and dead lines which they must meet in order to continue in training. If the lesson plan and/or assignment does not meet the standard, the assignment is started over to ensure the student understands he/she must follow directions and pay attention to detail. Students participate in PT every day for 2 - 5 hours with cadre members. At the beginning of the week students are graded on their PT scores. Those that fail to meet the standard either wash back to the next class or are disqualified from the course.

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Push Ups
  The push ups consist of one partner (to monitor how many push ups you've done, and to see if you are doing them correctly), one 3 or 4 stack block (depending on how tall you are determines how low you are to the ground on the down portion of a push up), consistent 90 degree angles in the arm & a two minute time limit.
 

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Sit Ups
  The sit ups are much like the push ups in having someone there to monitor your count, make sure you are doing them correctly, to have that 90 degree bend and of course, the activity consists of a two minute time limit. This time around however, you will be assisted in having your feet held down for better results.
 

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Pull Ups
  The pull ups are conducted with no partner, and a SERE Specialist as the only one monitoring your progress. You will do as many of these as you can, and when finished, simply hang until the one minute time limit runs out.
 

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1.5-Mile Run
  The 1.5-mile run is monitored by a SERE Specialist, every lap you make you are informed to give your name, and the lap that you are on. Ultimately there is no time limit, but if you get over 18 minutes, it's simply, not good.
 

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4-Mile Ruck
  The 4-mile ruck is very forward, very blunt. If you don't get four miles in under an hour, you're out. This means you take 4 laps on the mile track. You are not allowed to run or jog during this eval.  Running or jogging with a 65lb ruck will do nothing but injure your knee's and legs.
 

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Ins & Outs
  Throughout the indoctrination course, all students are expected to perform in's and out's whenever entering or exiting a structure. This includes the dining facility, the dormitories, and even the latrine. In's & outs consist of 28 total push ups, 25 by default + 2 for SERE + 1 for your class.

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Uniform Inspections
  On a daily basis, uniform inspections are performed through the first week of the SERE Selection Course. The SERE Specialists are very attentive to detail, making care & use a very important aspect of getting through the Selection process.

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