Occupations within the Air Force officer force structure are delineated by an Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC). The AF Officer Classification Directory (AFOCD) is the official guide to each AFSC. The AFOCD describes the various career fields, identifies the AFSC codes for them and lists the qualifications needed for each AFSC. Many of the career fields have specific educational requirements. Click on the links below or at the left for more information on the career field categories and the specific educational education requirements for each. If you are interested in a particular career field, make sure your educational plan (Form 48) includes all of the specific educational requirements you will need.

AFSCs are broken down in to 6 broad categories with three additional special duty categories. The various categories are:

AFSC

Career Field Category

 
1XXX          Operations 

2XXX          Logistics

3XXX          Support

4XXX          Medical

5XXX          Professional (Law and Chaplain)

6XXX          Acquisition and Financial Management (Scientific Research & Dev, Dev Eng, Acquisition, Contracting and Finance)

Special Duty Category 

7XXX          Special Investigations

8XXX          Special Duty Identifiers (SDI)

9XXX          Reporting Identifiers (RI)

Click on the links at the left or below for more information on the career field category and the educational

1XXX - Operations 
The Operations Career Area encompasses utilization fields that directly employ weapon and supporting systems to accomplish the primary operational mission of the Air Force.  Included are Operations Commander, Pilot, Navigator, Astronaut, Command and Control, Space and Missile, Intelligence, Weather, and Operations Support. 

2XXX - Logistics 
The Logistics Career Area encompasses program formulation, policy planning, coordination, inspection, command and direction, and supervision and technical responsibilities pertaining to space and missile maintenance, aircraft maintenance and munitions, transportation, supply, and logistics plans and programs utilization fields.

3XXX - Support 
The Support Career Area encompasses program formulation, policy planning, coordination, inspection, command and direction, and supervision and technical responsibilities pertaining to force protection; civil engineering and disaster preparedness; communications - information systems and visual information; morale, welfare, recreation, and services; public affairs and band; mission support, manpower-personnel, and information management.

4XXX - Medical 
The Medical Career Area encompasses program formulation, policy planning, coordination, inspection, command and direction, and immediate supervisory and technical responsibilities pertinent to the Health Services Management, Biomedical Clinicians, Biomedical Specialists, Medicine, Surgery, Nurse, Dental, and Aerospace Medicine Utilization Fields.

5XXX - Professional (Law and Chaplain) 
The Professional Career Area encompasses program formulation, policy planning, coordination, inspection, command and direction, and immediate supervisory and technical responsibilities pertinent to the Law and Chaplain Utilization Fields.

6XXX - Acquisition and Financial Management 
The Acquisition and Financial Management Career Area encompasses weather operations and research, basic and applied research in support of Air Force requirements, research and development command and staff functions, and engineering responsibility for the design, development, installation, modification, testing, and analysis of materiel, systems, methods, processes, and techniques.  Also included is teaching college-level courses in subjects encompassed by the academic disciplines related to the specialty.

Excluded from this area are functions pertaining to the operation and maintenance of standard items of materiel, including their logistical and administrative support, and medical and dental research included in the Medical Career Area.

7XXX - Special Investigations 
The Special Investigations Career Area encompasses the functions of program formulation and policy planning; control and direction of investigations involving possible acts of espionage, sabotage, treason, and other subversive acts; investigation of major violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and applicable federal statutes, and violations of public trust, such as fraud, bribery, and other criminal irregularities, with particular reference to the procurement or disposition of government property; conduct of background investigations of Department of Defense personnel in overseas areas at the request of the Defense Investigative Service; and conduct of special inquiries directed by competent authority.

Excluded from this career area are the investigative functions of administrative boards or persons appointed by the commander to investigate such matters as line-of-duty and aircraft accidents.

8XXX - Special Duty Identifiers (SDI) 
Special Duty Identifiers (SDI) identify authorizations for, and officers assigned to and performing an actual group of tasks on a semi-permanent or permanent duty basis.  These duties are unrelated to any specific utilization field.  No significance as to the interrelationship of these SDIs should be inferred from their grouping within this section.

9XXX - Reporting Identifiers (RI) 
Reporting identifiers identify authorizations and individual officers not otherwise identifiable in the classification structure.  They do not have specialty descriptions.