The Civilian Acquired Skills Program (ACASP) puts talented and skilled civilians on the fast track to military service by allowing them to bypass some entry-level training if they have job certifications from their civilian life.
"ACASP offers a two-pronged benefit," explained Brig. Gen. Gregory Johnson, who is the Director of Military Personnel Management. "The Army gets skilled specialists into the force faster and at a lower cost, while the soldier receives a significant head start in their military career."
The program recently expanded to cover sixty career fields in the military, up from forty earlier in the year. ACASP is designed to attract civilians in fields such as health care, maintenance, and technical trades. So if you are already a certified firefighter, you may be able to bypass advanced individual training in the military.
The current career fields included in ACASP are:
Plumber (12K)
Firefighter (12M)
Horizontal construction engineer (12N)
Powerline distribution specialist (Reserve components only) (12Q)
Interior electrician (12R)
Carpentry and masonry specialist (12W)
Air traffic control (ATC) operator (15Q)
Human intelligence collector (35M)- languages that qualify (Arabic-Egyptian, Arabic-Syrian, Arabic-Gulf, French, Korean, Russian, Chinese-Mandarin (Standard), and Persian-Iranian (Farsi)
Cryptologic linguist (35P)- language that qualifies (Korean)
Musician (42R)
Special band musician (42S)
Orthopedic specialist (68B)
Practical nursing specialist (68C)
Operating room specialist (68D)
Dental specialist (68E)
Physical therapy specialist (68F)
Optical laboratory specialist (68H)
Medical laboratory specialist (68K)
Occupational therapy specialist (68L)
Nutrition care specialist (68M)
Radiology specialist (68P)
Pharmacy specialist (68Q)
Combat medic specialist (68W)
Eye specialist (68Y)
Cargo specialist (88H)
Watercraft operator (Seaman) (88K)
Watercraft engineer (Engineman) (88L)
Motor transport operator (88M)
Railway operations crewmember (USAR only) (88U)
Wheeled vehicle repairer (91B)
Utilities equipment repairer (91C)
Tactical power generation specialist (91D)
Allied trades specialist (91E)
Small arms/towed artillery repairer (91F)
Track vehicle repairer (91H)
Construction equipment repairer (91L)
Culinary specialist (92G)
Petroleum laboratory specialist (92L)
Shower and laundry specialist (92S)
Land combat electronic missile system repairer (94A)
Air traffic control (ATC) equipment repairer (94D)
Test, measurement and diagnostic equipment (TDME) maintenance support specialist (94H)
Radar Repairer (94M)
The new career fields included as of this month are:
Respiratory Specialist (68V)
M1 Abrams Tank System Maintainer (91A)
Quartermaster & Chemical Equipment Repairer (91J)
Bradley Fighting Vehicle System Maintainer (91M)
Self Propelled Artillery Systems Mechanic (91P)
Stryker Systems Maintainer (91S)
Automated Logistical Specialist (92A)
Petroleum Supply Specialist (92F)
Water Treatment Specialist (92W)
Unit Supply Specialist (92Y)
Radio Equipment Repairer (94E)
Computer/Detection Systems Repairer (94F)
Multiple Launch Rocket System Repairer (94P)
Avionics and Survivability Equipment Repairer (94R)
Short Range Air Defense System Repairer (94T)
Automated Test Systems Operator/Maintainer (94Y)
Potential recruits for the program must still pass basic Army standards for physical fitness and relevant background checks.