The purpose of the Interservice Transfer program, or IST, is to allow qualified commissioned officers from other Uniformed Services to apply for transfer to active duty in the United States Air Force to fill critically manned Air Force career fields. Officers who have been discharged from military service or who are serving in the Individual Ready Reserve of other Uniformed Services are not eligible for IST, nor are warrant or chief warrant officers. Accepted applicants are transferred to the Air Force in the grade they currently hold and the Air Force does not have a warrant officer rank structure. Warrant officers may contact an Air Force Officer Training School recruiter for OTS information and application procedures. Those selected for an interservice transfer incur an Active Duty Service Commitment of four years, six years for rated officers or three years for chaplains. Applicants may not apply for interservice transfer to become a pilot.

Officers must request interservice transfers according to the rules and regulations of their parent services.

Parent Service authority:

    • ARMY: AR 614-120 (Army Human Resources Command)

    • NAVY: SECNAVINST 1000.7F (Navy Personnel Command) and MILPERSMAN (300-81)

    • MARINES: SECNAVINST 1000.7F (Marines Corps Commandant Manpower Management) MCO 1001.65

    • COAST GUARD: M1000.4 Military Separation - Chapter 1, Sec 1.A.3

Officers must meet the eligibility criteria for appointment in AFI 36-2005, Officer Accessions.  

Interservice transfers require that officers be discharged from their current commissions and be appointed in the Air Force without interruption of total service. Officers who transfer will receive credit for their service accrued as of the date before the date of the transfer.

Officers must follow procedures established by their parent service. Once the parent service has approved the IST application, it must be submitted to the Air Force Interservice Transfer Program Manager. Air Force processing can take up to six months from the date of receipt. The program manager will contact the applicant upon receipt and will return applications without action that do not meet the Air Force eligibility criteria for an interservice transfer.

A complete application package for Air Force processing requires the following items:

• Copy of the applicant's Military Human Resource Record (MHRR). Applicant must request a copy of their MHRR be sent to the Air Force IST Program Manager (AFPC.DP2LT.InterServicetrans@us.af.mil) by the parent service via AMRDEC Safe Access File Exchange. Detailed instructions on how to use this service can be found on the website in the link 
• Last two performance reports
• Statement  from current commander whether or not the applicant is in a deferred promotion status and whether or not the applicant has any derogatory or adverse information on file
  • Officers, with the exception of rated officers, in a deferred promotion status, i.e.:  passed over for promotion, are ineligible to apply for IST
    • Rated officers non-selected for promotion are eligible for interservice transfer consideration upon a find that the member's services are indispensable 
• Source of the applicant's original commission
• Current DD Form 2808, Report of Medical Examination, current DD Form 2807-1, Report of Medical History and medical facility information where the applicant accomplished their physical to include a point of contact and phone number. Applicants age 39 and older require an electrocardiogram and lipid profile
  • Rated officers must be FC-II medically qualified and will need to make an appointment with an Air Force Medical Treatment Facility to upload the required medical documentation listed above into the Physical Examination Processing Program. The rated officer will need to notify the Air Force IST Program Manager via email once accomplished
  • Special Tactics, Combat Rescue and Air Liaison Officers must be FC-III GBC medically qualified and will need to make an appointment with an Air Force Medical Treatment Facility to upload the required medical documentation into the Physical Examination Processing Program. The rated officer will need to notify the Air Force IST Program Manager via email once accomplished
• Resume with a statement regarding why the transfer is in the best interest of national defense and of the individual officer
  • Rated Officers must list their flying experience on their resume including: 
    • Date the service member began flight training
    • Current aeronautical rating and rating award date
    • Total flying time and total jet time
• Promotion/Grade History Documentation (i.e. orders, warrants, etc.,)
• Current Record of Emergency Data
• Current Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance policy
• Verified statement of promotion and grade history in order to determine the officer's position on the active duty list if not available in the MHRR
• Verified Statement of Service including Reserve time and points (Point Credit Summary)
• Type of completed security investigation and clearance from the applicant’s organization security manager 
• Statement of Understanding from AFI 36-2005, Officer Accession, attachment 4, paragraph A4.14 and A4.15
• AF Form 2030, USAF Drug and Alcohol Abuse Certificate. Include a drug abuse circumstances statement
• Guard and Reserve officers only--DD Form 368, Request for Conditional Release.
  • Release date must be 10 months from the date the DD368 is signed to allow time for processing
• Navy and Marine Corps pilots must document completed undergraduate flight training (fighter, multi-engine or helicopter) and any subsequent flight training courses
• Army Pilots must document completed undergraduate flight training programs (fixed wing and rotary wing training)
  • Rotary wing applicants may not transfer into a fixed wing airframe
    

The Air Force IST Program Office processes and prepares eligible applications, then presents them to the Air Force Interservice Transfer of Commissioned Officers Board, or ITCOB. The ITCOB convenes every quarter to review applications (see the board schedule below). The Air Force IST Program Manager notifies the parent service and applicants of the board results, whether approved or disapproved, with further instructions.

Rated Officer Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSCs) -- Must be Fully Qualified

• 11X - Pilot

• 12X - Combat Systems Officer (CSO)

• 13BX - Air Battle Manager (ABM)

• 18X - Remotely Piloted Aircraft Pilot

Professional AFSCs -- Must be Fully Qualified

• 52R - Chaplain Officer 

Non-Rated Line Officer AFSCs -- Must be Fully Qualified except as noted below

• 13CX - Special Tactics Officer (STO), 13DX - Combat Rescue Officer (CRO) and 13LX - Air Liaison Officer (ALO):

  • Officers will be required to submit application for STO, CRO or ALO selection. For information on STO selection, contact sto.recruiter@us.af.mil. For CRO, contact cro.selection@us.af.mil. For ALO, contact acca3fc.jid@us.af.mil.

  • Processing of a parent service-approved IST application will not begin unless the STO, CRO or ALO selection authority provides a positive selection.

  • STO, CRO or ALO selection does not guarantee an approved interservice transfer as the IST and STO, CRO and ALO processes are independent of each other

• 14N - Intel

• 15W - Weather

• 17D - Cyberspace Ops

• 38F - Personnel

• 61A - Ops Research Analyst

• 62E - Developmental Engineer

• 63A - Acquisition Manager

Assignment Officers for the career field of interest can provide additional AFSC information. Contact the Total Force Service Center by phone and then follow the prompts to Active Duty Officer Assignments. Refer any questions pertaining to the IST application process to the Air Force IST Program Manager.