<P> United States Air Force Basic Military Training (also known as BMT or boot camp) is an eight - and - a-half - week program of physical and mental training required in order for an individual to become an enlisted Airman in the United States Air Force which is carried out at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas . </P> <P> Lackland Air Force Base conducts the Air Force's only enlisted recruit training program, ensuring orderly transition from civilian to military life . Recruits are trained in the fundamental skills necessary to be successful in an Expeditionary Air Force . This includes basic war skills, military discipline, physical fitness, drill and ceremonies, Air Force core values and a comprehensive range of subjects relating to Air Force life . </P> <P> More than 7 million young men and women have entered Air Force basic military training since 4 February 1946, when the training mission was moved to Lackland from Harlingen Air Force Base in Harlingen, Texas . Throughout its history, Lackland's BMT program has changed in many ways to meet the operational needs of the Air Force and recent updates in the curriculum are some of the most significant in its more than 60 - year history, with every aspect of the program overhauled . </P> <P> On 7 November 2005, BMT changed its curriculum to focus on a new kind of Airman--one who is a "warrior first". The goal is to instill a warrior mindset in trainees from day one and better prepare Airmen for the realities of the Expeditionary Air Force . </P>

When does the air force do basic training