Are you in aviation maintenance and plan to continue that career as a civilian when you ETS or retire?

If you want to continue in aviation maintenance as a civilian, then you need to visit your local FAA FSDO and inquire about testing for your Aviation Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) certifications. If your current AFSC/MOS is not compatible with both the A & the P, then I recommend cross training into another specialty that will provide you with the necessary 18 months of experience required for the additional certification. To test for Airframe, you need 18 months of hands-on experience. For Powerplant - same amount of experience. If your AFSC/MOS qualifies you (recognized by the FAA) for both, then you only need 30 months of experience in that position. Talk with the FAA well BEFORE your intended military exit date. You will want to get as much OJT from the military while you're in and they're paying you while you train & gain the needed experience for civilian certification. There is a shortage of civilian aviation mechanics, so prepare yourself ahead of time.