MILITARY ACCESSIONS VITAL TO NATIONAL INTEREST

MILITARY ACCESSIONS VITAL TO NATIONAL INTEREST

The Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI) program is a Department of Defense (DoD) effort to recruit certain non-resident aliens with specific language and culture skills that are in critical shortfall within the Department. The DoD is currently authorized to utilize this pilot program through 30 September 2016.  Click here for the DoD fact sheet.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

1.  Does the Air Force participate in this program?

Yes.  We anticipate recruiting up to six individuals through Fiscal Year (FY) 2016.  Openings will be announced as they arise.

 

2.  What are the eligible languages?

The eligible languages and countries of origin the Air Force is seeking are listed in Table 1 below.  In addition to the specific language, the associated cultural background/knowledge of the countries of origin is necessary.

 

Table 1: FY 2015, 2016 Eligible Languages & Countries of Origin

Language/Culture	Remarks (Countries of Origin)
French (African)	Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mali, Niger, Senegal
Arabic	MSA or Levantine (Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Egypt)
Dari	Afghanistan
Korean (Hangul)	South Korea
Polish	Poland, Lithuania, Prague, Slovakia, Ukraine
Swahili or  Somali	Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania
Arabic	Oman, Yemen, Qatar

 

We anticipate recruiting French, Korean, Polish, and Swahili/Somali speakers this summer/fall.  Contact a recruiter for additional eligibility criteria. Recruiter contact information is available by calling 1-800-423-USAF (8723) or by visiting the Recruiter Locator link on the official Air Force recruiting website at www.airforce.comand on the official Air Force recruiting Facebook page at www.facebook.com/USAirForceRecruiting.

 

3.  Who is a good fit?

The Air Force MAVNI program is small and inherently highly visible. It requires maturity and an ability to operate in demanding environments - in the U.S. and abroad. Education beyond the high school level, critical thinking, and public speaking skills are highly desired.

 

4.  What happens in the recruiting phase?

Applicants undergo language testing, immigration status verification, and a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) among other military entrance processing requirements. All applicants will be interviewed to determine suitability for the position; due to the limited number of positions, selections will be made based on the whole-person concept. Contact a recruiter for additional information. Recruiter contact information is available by calling 1-800-423-USAF (8723) or by visiting the Recruiter Locator link on the official Air Force recruiting website at www.airforce.com and on the official Air Force recruiting Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/USAirForceRecruiting.

 

5.  What happens after I get selected?

You will attend Basic Military Training (BMT) at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)-Lackland. Follow Air Force Recruiting Service (AFRS) provided guidelines prior to leaving to expedite your naturalization. Upon graduation, you will be directly assigned to the United States Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) at Hurlburt Field, FL.

 

6.  What will my duties entail?

You will be assigned to the USAFSOS Hurlburt Field, Florida, where you will initially complete several in-house courses totaling about 500 hours. MAVNIs will also complete combat skills training. You may attend optional professional development courses at the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU).

 

Your language and culture capabilities will be utilized as needed. This includes, but is not limited to, instructing in USAFSOS courses (either locally or off-station), escorting visiting Partner Nation (PN) delegations, tutoring language students in the USAFSOS Language Center (LC), and interpreting at conferences.

 

You will also be expected to augment the Irregular Warfare (IW) activities of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) abroad by functioning as an interpreter and culture advisor. This includes instructing your teammates about the local language and culture, translating Programs of Instruction (POI), delivering training to PN military personnel in your native language, and advising on any culture matters that may arise. You may be required to support IW activities of sister services as well. There is a very high possibility that you will be expected to return to your home country to support partnered operations/exercises. If this is an issue, please inform your recruiter and USAFSOS Staff during the application process.  

 

Approximately two years after you enlist, you will be selected for an Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) to facilitate normal career progression. By that time, you will have identified five AFSCs that are of interest to you and will receive one based on availability. You will then attend initial skills training and return to Hurlburt Field to work in your new AFSC. You will continue to coordinate and work with USAFSOS and will be leveraged as needed to utilize your language and culture capabilities as described above.

 

MAVNI Training Timeline

 

1st Step - MAVNI Recruited: Match to AFSOC Open/Prioritized Language MAVNI Billet

2nd Step - Basic Military Training (BMT) (8 weeks) at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland: Complete citizenship process

3rd Step - USAFSOS Training Pipeline (8-12 months) at Hurlburt Field, FL: Complete seven required courses and other additional education/training as necessary. Augment USAFSOS courses, mobile education events, and deployments.

4th Step - Air Force Specialty Selection:  While at USAFSOS, MAVNIs will have the opportunity to explore various career specialties in AFSOC.  At approximately the 10th month time-in-service point, MAVNIs will identify five AFSCs that are of interest to them and will receive one based on availability.

5th Step - Depart for initial skills training after approximately 18 months time-in-service. (Ideally, MAVNIs should complete initial skills training prior to reaching 2 full years in service.)

6th Step - Return from training and report to operational unit to perform duties in respective new Air Force Specialty.

 

7.  Whom should I contact for additional questions?

Contact a recruiter for recruiting-related questions. Recruiter contact information is available by calling 1-800-423-USAF (8723) or by visiting the Recruiter Locator link on the official Air Force recruiting website atwww.airforce.com and on the official Air Force recruiting Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/USAirForceRecruiting. Contact the Senior Non-Commissioned Officer In-Charge (SNCOIC) of the MAVNI program at USAFSOS at (850) 884-3698 or the Officer In-Charge of the MAVNI program at USAFSOS at (850) 884-3204 for general MAVNI questions.