View source for Airman basic

{{Short description|United States Air Force rank}}{{Infobox military rank|name=Airman Basic|country={{flag|United States}}|service branch={{air force|United States}}|abbreviation=AB|rank group=Enlisted|NATO rank=OR-1|pay grade=E-1|higher rank=[[Airman]] {{small|(USAF)}}|equivalents=[[Seaman recruit]] {{small|(Navy & USCG)}}<br />[[Private (rank)]] {{small|(USA and USMC)}}<br />[[Specialist (rank)#United States Space Force|Specialist 1]] {{small|(USSF)}}}}{{Multiple image
|image1=DCS04980.jpg
|caption1=Airmen basic march in column formation as part of their graduation ceremony at [[Lackland Air Force Base]] in March 1999.
|image2=AirmanBasic.jpg
|caption2=In October 2000, airmen basic stand in formation, awaiting graduation.  An airman basic wears no rank insignia.}}
'''Airman basic''' ('''AB''') is the lowest [[enlisted rank]] in the [[United States Air Force]] immediately below [[airman#United States Air Force|airman]]. The male form of rank designation also applies to women. The [[U.S. uniformed services pay grades|pay grade]] for airman basic is E-1.<ref name="DoDrank">{{cite web
|url= http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/enlisted.html
|title= Department of Defense Enlisted Rank Insignias
|access-date= 2008-08-02
|work= U.S. Department of Defense Official Website
|publisher= [[United States Department of Defense]]
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080617194102/http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/enlisted.html| archive-date= 17 June 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>

As opposed to all other USAF enlisted and [[officer rank]]s, airman basic has no rank insignia affiliated.<ref name="DoDrank" /><ref name="afmilranks">{{cite web
|url= https://www.af.mil/News/airman/0102/grades2/
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080121003246/http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0102/grades2.html
|archive-date= 2008-01-21
|title= Air Force Grade and Insignia
|access-date= 2008-08-02
|work= Air Force Link
|url-status= live
|publisher= [[United States Department of Defense]]
}}</ref>  The lack of uniform insignia for airman basic is the reason for the nickname "slick-sleeve"; all other enlisted Air Force ranks wear stripes and chevrons on their uniform sleeves.<ref name="slang">{{cite encyclopedia
 | last = Partridge
 | first = Eric
 |author2=Tom Dalzell|author3=Terry Victor
 | encyclopedia = The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
 | title = slick-sleeve
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mAdUqLrKw4YC&dq=%22airman+basic%22+%22slick+sleeve%22&pg=PA1779
 | access-date = 2008-08-02
 | date = 2005-12-05
 | publisher = TF-ROUTL
 | isbn = 978-0-415-25938-5
 | pages = 1779
 | quote = a US Army private E-1; a US Air Force airman basic; a police recruit; 'slick' because he has no stripes on his sleeve
}}</ref>

In accordance with [[Air Force Instruction]] (AFI) 36-2618, ''The Enlisted Force Structure'', the term of address for an airman basic is "Airman Basic" or "Airman".<ref name="afi36-2618">
{{cite manual| author= [[Senior Master Sergeant|SMSgt]] Ronnie L. Murphy| title= The Enlisted Force Structure| section= Attachment 2| publisher= [[United States Secretary of the Air Force]], [[United States Air Force]]| date= 2004-12-01| url= http://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/af_a1/publication/afi36-2618/afi36-2618.pdf| access-date= 2008-08-02| quote= This instruction defines the enlisted force structure, establishes enlisted leadership and development levels, specifies responsibilities of each enlisted rank within the structure, establishes official terms of address for Air Force enlisted personnel, describes special SNCO positions, and standardizes duty titles.| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080625175458/http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/afi36-2618.pdf| archive-date= 25 June 2008| url-status= dead| df= dmy-all}}
</ref>

==History==
When the U.S. Air Force was split from the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] on July 26, 1947, it inherited the U.S. Army's enlisted ranks; the lowest U.S. Air Force enlisted rank became "private" (falling immediately below private, E-2), which wore no rank insignia.<ref name="chevrons">{{cite web
| last           = [[Technical Sergeant|TSgt]] Spink
| first          = Barry L.
| title          = A Chronology of the Enlisted Rank Chevron of the United States Air Force
| pages          = 22
| publisher      = Air Force Historical Research Agency
| date           = 1992-02-19
| url            = https://www.scribd.com/doc/1423612/US-Air-Force-chevrons
| format         = [[Scribd]]
| access-date     = 2008-08-02
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121108003641/https://www.scribd.com/doc/1423612/US-Air-Force-chevrons| archive-date= 8 November 2012
| url-status= dead
}}</ref>

In March 1952, the [[Air Council]] and [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|United States Air Force Chief of Staff]] General [[Hoyt Vandenberg]] adopted a number of changes to the U.S. Air Force enlisted rank structure that had been recommended by studies made in 1950 and 1951.  On April 24, 1952, Air Force Regulation 39-36 was published, changing the name of the lowest enlisted U.S. Air Force rank to "basic airman"—whose holders still bore no insignia—immediately below the new "airman third class".<ref name="chevrons" />

On February 5, 1959, the new Air Force regulation governing the titles of enlisted ranks was released; the only change being direction that the title for E-1 was changed from "basic airman" to "airman basic".<ref name="chevrons" />

==Promotion from airman basic==
Under normal circumstances, airmen basic are eligible for promotion to airman (E-2) after six months' time in grade (TIG).  However, individuals enlisting for six years are promoted from AB to [[airman first class]] (A1C) upon completion of either technical training (or 20 weeks thereof) or the indoctrination course for [[United States Air Force Combat Control Team|combat control]] or [[United States Air Force Pararescue|pararescue]].

==Demotion to airman basic==
If an airman of E-2 or higher rank is court-martialed and convicted of an offense or crime, s/he may be demoted to airman basic, with or without being discharged (dishonorably or otherwise) from the service.

In accordance with AFI 36-2502, ''Airman Promotion Program'', all promotions from AB require that an airman's immediate commanding officer approve the promotion in writing before he or she may assume it.<ref name="afi36-2502">{{cite manual
 |author       = [[Staff Sergeant#United States|SSgt]] Jeremy Gill
 |title        = Airman Promotion Program
 |section      = paragraph 2.1
 |publisher    = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] D. Vande Hey, HQ Air Force Personnel Center (HQ AFPC/DPP)
 |date         = 2002-08-06
 |url          = http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI36-2502.pdf
 |access-date   = 2008-08-02
 |quote        = This instruction implements Air Force Policy Directive 36-25, Military Promotion and Demotion. Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 apply to all Air Force (AF) active duty enlisted.
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090227163124/http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI36-2502.pdf
 |archive-date = 2009-02-27
 |url-status     = dead
}}</ref>

==See also==
* {{annotated link|United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia}}
* {{annotated link|United States military pay}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{US enlisted ranks}}

[[Category:Enlisted ranks of the United States Air Force]]
[[Category:Beginners and newcomers]]