Also called: Air Force 1Z2, CCT
FAA-certified air traffic controller who goes behind enemy lines to set up airfields and direct airstrikes.
Combat controllers might parachute into a remote strip, survey it, and start guiding cargo planes in within hours. They're qualified air traffic controllers who also carry rifles and radios. Afterward they can work as civilian air traffic controllers or in disaster-relief aviation.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for typical E-4 to E-8 ranks, 2026 estimate, plus special-operations, dive, jump, and demolition pays (often $500-$1,500/month combined). Reenlistment bonuses can reach $100k+ for senior operators.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 2 years after high school. High school diploma, then a ~2-year training pipeline including air traffic control school, selection, dive, and jump training. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Aviation Management, Air Traffic Management.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk for 10 years. AI aids airspace deconfliction; setting up airfields and calling strikes behind lines stays human.
Classes: Physics, Geography, PE / swimming, Earth science.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.