Employers
Military pilots are employed by the U.S. government. More than 1.2 million active duty personnel served in the armed forces as of February 2024, with 441,226 individuals serving in the Army; 323,856 in the Navy; 312,691 in the Air Force; 166,542 in the Marine Corps; and 39,085 in the Coast Guard. There are also about 755,238 people who served in the Reserves in the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard.
Starting Out
Once you've decided to become a military pilot, you should contact a military recruiter. The recruiter will help answer questions and suggest different options. To start out in any branch of the military, you must pass medical and physical tests, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery exam, and basic training. You must also sign an enlistment contract. This is a legal agreement that will bind you to a certain amount of military service, usually eight years. Active duty comprises two to six years of this agreement, and the remainder is normally spent in the reserves.
- Aeronautical and Aerospace Technicians
- Aerospace Engineers
- Agricultural Pilots
- Air Traffic Controllers
- Aircraft Mechanics
- Airplane Dispatchers
- Airport Security Personnel
- Airport Service Workers
- Architects
- Aviation Safety Inspectors
- Avionics Engineers
- Avionics Technicians
- Biosecurity Monitors
- Bodyguards
- Chemical Technicians
- Chemists
- Computer Network Administrators
- Computer Programmers
- Computer Systems Programmer/Analysts
- Cryptographic Technicians
- Drone Pilots
- Electronics Engineering Technicians
- Engineering Technicians
- Engineers
- Environmental Engineers
- Flight Attendants
- Flight Instructors
- Fluid Power Technicians
- Futurists
- Ground Services Workers
- Gunsmiths
- Hypersonics Engineers
- Hypersonics Technicians
- Intelligence Officers
- Internet Security Specialists
- Interpreters
- Laboratory Testing Technicians
- Laser Technicians
- Manufacturing Supervisors
- Materials Engineers
- Mechanical Engineers
- Meteorologists
- Military Police
- Military Recruiters
- Military Workers, Enlisted
- Military Workers, Officers
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
- Optical Engineers
- Physicists
- Pilots
- Quality Control Engineers
- Quality Control Technicians
- Radiation Protection Technicians
- Reservation and Ticket Agents
- Robotics Engineers
- Robotics Technicians
- Security Consultants
- Security Guards
- Space Pilots
- Space Systems Operators
- Translators