Authority

BY ORDER OF THE
SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE

AIR FORCE POLICY DIRECTIVE 36-20
23 DECEMBER 2008
Certified Current 2 February 2012
Personnel
ACCESSION OF AIR FORCE
MILITARY PERSONNEL

COMPLIANCE WITH THIS PUBLICATION IS MANDATORY
Publications and forms are available on the e-Publishing website at www.ePublishing.af.mil for downloading or ordering.
RELEASABILITY: There are no releasability restrictions on this publication.

ACCESSIBILITY:

OPR: AF/A1PT
Supersedes AFPD 36-20, 13 March 2001

Certified by: AF/A1 (Mr. Timothy A. Beyland)
Pages: 7

This directive provides policies to ensure we access the right quantity and div erse qualities of
people who possess the aptitudes necessary to meet Air Force requirements. This policy implements
the applicable portions of the following Departm ent of Defense Direc tives and Ins tructions: DoD
Directive 1145.02E, United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM), DoD
Directive 1205.05, Transfer of Members Between Reserve and Regular Components of the Military
Services, DoD Directive 1304.19, Appointment of Chaplains for the Military Departments, DoD
Directive 1344.13, Implementation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), DoD Instruction
1145.01, Qualitative Distribution of Military Manpower, DoD Instruction 1304.12E, DoD Military
Personnel Accession Testing Programs, DoD Instruction 1304.23, Acquisition and Use of Criminal
History Record Information for Military Recruiting Purposes, DoD Instruction 1304.24, Use of
Directory Information on Secondary School Students for Military Recruiting Purposes, DoD
Instruction 1304.25, Fulfilling the Military Service Obligation (MSO), DoD Instruction 1304.26,
Qualification Standards for Enlistment, Appointment, and Induction, DoD Instruction 1310.02,
Appointing Commissioned Officers, DoD Instruction 1205.13, Junior Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps Program, DoD Instruction 1215.08, Senior Reserve Officers Training Corps Programs, DoD
Instruction 1205.19, Procedures for Transfer of Members Between Reserve and Regular
Components of the Military Services, DoD Instruction 1215.17, Educational Requirements for
Appointment of Reserve Component Officers to a Grade Above First Lieutenant or Lieutenant
(Junior Grade), DoD Instruction 1300.04, Inter-Service Transfer of Commissioned Officers, DoD
Instruction 1304.28, Chg 1, Guidance for the Appointment of Chaplains for the Military
Departments, DoD Instruction 6000.13, Medical Manpower and Personnel. Additionally, this
issuance overlaps AFPD 36-35, United States Air Force Academy, and it’s implementing AFIs in
that it addresses accessions into the Air Force a s a result of graduation or disenrollm ent from the
United States Air Force Academ y. This publica tion applies to the Air Force Res erve Command
(AFRC) and the Air National Guard (ANG). Ens ure that all records created as a result of processes
prescribed in this publication are m aintained in accordance with AFMAN 33-363, Management of

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Records and disposed of in accord ance with Air For ce Records Information Management System
(AFRIMS) Records Disposition Schedule (RDS) located at
https://www.my.af.mil/gcssaf61a/afrims/afrims/. To recommend changes or suggestions to this publication, use the Air Force
Form 847 and route it through the publishing channels to AF/A1 for consideration. This instruction
directs collecting and maintaining information subject to the Privacy Act of 1974.
SUMMARY OF CHANGES
This revision updates the Assist ant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower, Reserve Affairs,
Installations and E nvironment (SAF/MI) as changed to Assistant Secret ary of the Air Force for
Manpower and Reserve Affairs (S AF/MR). Addition of requirement for United States Air Force
Academy (USAFA) to provide coordination opportuni ty for Air Force Secretariat and Air Staff on
matters pertaining to cadet accession program . It reinforces the Deputy Chief of St aff, Manpower
and Personnel (AF/A1) as the principal authority for the implem entation and m anagement of all
accession programs. Addition of re quirement for The Chief of the Air Force Reserve (AF/RE),
Director, Air National Guard (NGB/CF), The Ai r Force Judge Advocate General (AF /JA), The Air
Force Surgeon General (AF/SG), and The Air Force Chief of Chap lains (AF/HC) to identif y an
office of pr imary responsibility to liaise with AF/A1 on accession m atters. Furthermore, the
implementation of DoDD 1332.23,
Service Academy Disenrollment, is rem oved from this
publication and transferred to AFPD 36-35, United States Air Force Academy.
1. Policy. The policy of the US Air Force is to:
1.1. Establish officer and enlisted accession goals based on guidance and the needs of the Air Force.
Goals may be met through a combination of the accession sources to include other services and the
Reserve Component. The enlis ted accession goal will be based on total non-prio r and prior service
requirements. This m ixture meets the need to su stain proper rank stru cture to m ost effectively
manage the force. Additionally, it is necessary to access highly qualified individuals with the proper
skills to provide field commanders trained an d adaptable Airmen without lowering quality nor
accessing individuals in overmanned skills to make up for shortfalls in other skill sets.
1.2. Afford all qualified persons eq ual opportunity to becom e Air Force members. Furthermore,
subject to legal, fiscal, and num erical constraints, access elig ible individuals on a g ender-neutral
basis without regard to race, color, national origin, or religion.
1.3. Adhere to DoD m inimum standards of age, ci tizenship, education, aptitude, physical fitness,
dependency status, and moral charac ter. Applicants must meet these minimum standards and must
satisfy the requirem ents for Air Force specific pr ograms for which they are applying. Individuals
not meeting standards m ay be considered for ex ceptions on individual m erit. The Air Force m ay
deny admission to any individual, even if the applicant appears to be qualified, if it is not in the best
interest of the Air Forc e to enlist or grant a commission. The fact that an applicant m eets basic
qualification standards for a specific accession program does not create a right or entitlement to be
selected.
1.4. Provide support to United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM),
Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
programs.

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2. Responsibilities:
2.1. The Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) retains ultimate responsibility for all policies related to
the Department of the Air Force.
2.2. SAF/MR serves as an agent of the SECAF within manpower, military and civilian personn el
policy and program domains. SAF/MR provides gui dance, direction, and oversight for all m atters
pertaining to the formulation, review, and execution of plans, policies, and programs addressing the
accession of Air Force military personnel.
2.3. AF/A1 develops, coordinates, and executes personnel policy and essential procedural guidance
for the management of Air Force accessions progra ms to include the distribution and redistribution
of all excess allocations.
2.3.1. Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC) develops specific entrance standards and implementation
guidance for accession of active d uty military personnel. This includ es interservice transfer of
officer and enlisted personnel and accession o f disenrolled US Air Force Acad emy (USAFA)
cadets.
2.3.2. AFPC determines the specific configuration of Ar med Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
(ASVAB) component scores to establish overall enlisted AF entrance requirem ents and individual
Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) requirem ents. IAW DoDI 1304.12, the ASVAB is the only
aptitude test battery authorized for determining enlistment eligibility.
2.4. AF/A1 provides guidance detailing support to in clude funding of Air Force JR OTC, Air Force
ROTC, the USMEPCOM programs, and the United St ates Air Force Academy. This guidance is to
be consistent with the President’s Budget and any Memorandums of Understanding or Agreement.
2.5. AF/HC develops professional HC officer career field entrance st andards. These are applied to
prospective members contingent upon their m eeting initial AF/A 1 qualification standards.
Additionally, AF/HC manages the chaplain accession programs and identifies an office of prim ary
responsibility to liaise with AF/A1.
2.6. AF/JA develops professional JA officer career field entrance standards. AF/JA applies such
professional standards (including designation as judge advocates a nd award of the 51J AFSC) to
prospective judge advocate accessions contingent upon their m eeting initial AF/A1 qualification
standards applicable to all acces sions. Additionally, AF/JA m anages and executes th e judge
advocate recruiting and accession program and identifies an office of primary responsibility to liaise
with AF/A1.
2.7. AF/SG develops professional S G officer career field entrance standards. These are applied to
prospective members contingent upon their m eeting initial AF/A 1 qualification standards.
Additionally, AF/SG manages the m edical officer acces sion program and iden tifies an office of
primary responsibility to liaise with AF/A1.
2.8. Air Education and Training C ommand (AETC) develops AETC training program -specific
entrance requirements.

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2.8.1. Develops and operates the active force enliste d, line officer, medical, and chaplain recruiting
programs.
2.8.2. Establishes procedures for accessing members from the Reserve Component or other services
upon completion of their term of commitment.
2.8.3. Acquires and uses the Directory of Secondar y School Infor mation and individual Crim inal
History Records to increase the scope of recruiting opportunities and the likelihood of a given
recruit’s potential for meeting AF enlistment requirements.
2.8.4. Develops and provides specific guidance providing opportunity for recruits to register to vote
under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
2.9. US Air Force Academy (USAFA):
2.9.1. USAFA develops specific USAFA ca det entrance standards and operates the USAFA
admissions and cadet accession prog ram. Additionally, they are res ponsible for apprising SAF/MR
through AF/A1 and Deputy Assistant Secretary fo r Force Management Integration (SAF/MRM) of
significant matters pertaining to the admissions and cadet accession program.
2.9.2. USAFA establishes graduation and commissioning standards.
2.9.3. USAFA establishes procedures ensuring AFPC no tification of any cadet disenrolled from the
academy and required to fulfill active duty service commitment.
2.10. AF/RE oversees the Reserve for ce and identifies an office of pr imary responsibility to liaise
with AF/A1. Additiona lly, AF/RE develops Air Force Reserve entrance standards for military
personnel.
2.11. NGB/CF oversees the Air National Guard fo
rce and identifies an offic e of pri mary
responsibility to liaise with AF/A1. Additionall y, NGB/CF develops Air National Guard entrance
standards for military personnel.
3. See Attachment 1 for a Glossary of References and Supporting Information.
4. Information Collection, Records, and Forms:
4.1. Information Collections. No information collections are created by this publication.
4.2. Records. The program records created as a result of the processe s prescribed in this publication
are maintained in accordance with AFMAN 33- 363 and disposed of in accordance with the
AFRIMS RDS located at https://afrims.amc.af.mil/rds_series.cfm.

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4.3. Forms (Adopted and Prescribed).
4.3.1. Adopted Forms. AF Form 847, Recommendation for Change of Publication.
4.3.2. Prescribed Forms. There are no prescribed forms in this publication.

Michael B. Donley
Secretary of the Air Force

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Attachment 1
GLOSSARY OF REFERENCES AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
References
DoD Instruction 1145.01, Qualitative Distribution of Military Manpower, 20 September 2005
DoD Directive 1145.02E, United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM), 8
January 2005
DoD Directive 1205.05, Transfer of Members Between Reserve and Regular Components of the
Military Services, 23 April 2007
DoD Instruction 1205.13, Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Program, 6 February 2006
DoD Instruction 1205.19, Procedures for Transfer of Members Between Reserve and Regular
Components of the Military Services, 3 April 1995
DoD Instruction 1215.08, Senior Reserve Officers Training Corps Programs, 26 June, 2006
DoD Instruction 1215.17 , Educational Requirements for Appointment of Reserve Component
Officers to a Grade Above First Lieutenant or Lieutenant (Junior Grade), 12 September 2002
DoD Instruction 1300.04, Inter-Service Transfer of Commissioned Officers, 27 December 2006
DoD Instruction 1304.12E, DoD Military Personnel Accession Testing Programs, 20 September
2005
DoD Directive 1304.19, Appointment of Chaplains for the Military Departments, 11 June 2004
DoD Instruction 1304.23, Acquisition and Use of Criminal History Record Information for Military
Recruiting Purposes, 7 October 2005
DoD Instruction 1304.24, Use of Directory Information on Secondary School Students for Military
Recruiting Purposes, 20 September 2005
DoD Instruction 1304.25, Fulfilling the Military Service Obligation (MSO), 25 August 1997
DoD Instruction 1304.26, Qualification Standards for Enlistment, Appointment, and Induction , 20
September 2005
DoD Instruction 1304.28, Chg 1, Guidance for the Appointment of Chaplains for the Military
Departments, 7 August 2007
DoD Instruction 1310.02, Appointing Commissioned Officers, 8 May 2007
DoD Directive 1322.22, Service Academies , 24 August 1994
DoD Directive 1332.23, Service Academy Disenrollment, 19 February 1988
DoD Directive 1344.13, Implementation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), 16
November 1994
DoD Instruction 6000.13, Medical Manpower and Personnel , 30 June 1997
AFMAN 33-363 , Management of Records, 1 March 2008
AFPD 36-35, United States Air Force Academy, 1 February, 2007

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AFRIMS RDS , Air Force Records Disposition Schedule https://afrims.amc.af.mil/rds_series.cfm
Abbreviations and Acronyms
AETC - Air Education and Training Command
AF/A1 - Deputy Chief of Staff, Manpower and Personnel
AF/HC - Air Force Chief of Chaplains
AF/JA - Air Force Judge Advocate General
AFMAN – Air Force Manual
AFPC - Air Force Personnel Center
AF/RE - Chief of the Air Force Reserve
AFRIMS - Air Force Records Information Management System
AFSC - Air Force Specialty Code
AF/SG - Air Force Surgeon General
ASVAB - Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
JROTC - Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
MSO – Military Service Obligation
NGB/CF - Director, Air National Guard
NVRA – National Voter Registration Act
RDS - Records Disposition Schedule
ROTC - Reserve Officer Training Corps
SAF/MR - Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
SECAF - Secretary of the Air Force
USAFA - United States Air Force Academy
USMEPCOM – United States Military Entrance Processing Command