5 Responses to “Forces Focus – USAF SERE MFF Jump”

1. CoolGuy says:

   August 9, 2012 at 03:38

   Just a quick question to anybody in the know.

   If a SERE specialist is a non-deployable (operationally, at least) MOS (or whatever the Air Force calls it, no disrespect), why in the world do they rate to take up the slots and/or funding for MFF training? I could have sworn the whole occ-field got in trouble for attempting to make jump a mandatory qualification, or pipeline school.

   Just asking because in the good ‘ol USMC, slots for Army jump school are nigh impossible to come by, even for Recon and MARSOC. And if the slots are given, they fill up on a need by need basis.

   Once again, no disrespect as I may be ill-informed as to what the SERE specialist mission is.

   Thanks

   • SSD says:

     August 9, 2012 at 04:59

     Several SERE Techs serve as test parachutists as well as MFF instructors. The Air Force doesn’t differentiate MFF and Static Line slots. A parachutist position is a parachutist position.

2. Shaking My Head... says:

   August 24, 2012 at 14:54

   Piggy back on “coolguy”…I’ve got guys with a tasked mission set for MFF (translation: BPT to jump for real. Not with civilian helmets and chutes and never deploy to jump) and can’t get slots. SERE instructors used to be responsible for teaching aircrew to survive if they were downed…not these other sideshows.

   I’ll give the SERE guys a need for static line jumps, since aircrew require training in something very similar but needing MFF is a stretch.

   From where I sit, I think this one is hard to justify. Enjoy your fun while you can. Won’t be long until “mission essential” will cause this to go way.

   • SSD says:

     August 24, 2012 at 15:08

     It’s in their CFETP. So long as the Air Force continues to look at a jump slot as a jump slot, rather than static line and MFF slot, this won’t go away. What’s more, SL isn’t exactly like aircrew use of parachutes and either is MFF. It’s sort of in between.

3. That guy says:

   August 26, 2012 at 04:06

   Shaking my Head, if your guys are “tasked” with a mission and are not getting slots, either they don’t need it that bad or your leadership are failing you/them plain and simple.

   SERE requires MFF for the AF Test Parachute Program (aircrew equipment), work as part of the Guardian Angel (PJ/CRO/SERE) Test and Eval Sqdn, assigned as instructors at the Military Freefall School, provide MFF qual’d personnel for Red Flag excercises (aircrew need currency on dropping MFF), jump the B-22Z emergency parachute to demo for water survival students, assignments with STG, STS, and RQS units worldwide, assignments to Advanced Skills Training for CCT/SWOT, be able to effectively teach Emergency Parachute Training to pilots and aircrew including bailout/ejection above 14k, and it’s in our AFI and CFETP.

   SERE gets it’s MFF slots by having instructors assigned (i.e. taken out of SERE for 4 years) to be instructors at Yuma, that gets us quotas. Tell your leadership to assign someone down there to get yours, try and get into the Navy MFF course, or wait for fall out slots.

   Either way, your leadership is not making it a priority and failing you and your guys.