Air Force "Force Shaping" Phase II
WASHINGTON -- As personnel officials review the last remaining applications for retirement or separation under the force-shaping program, a more extensive second phase of the plan has begun.
The new initiatives include expanded waivers for a number of programs including active-duty service commitments and transferring to the Guard or Reserve through the Palace Chase program. It also includes a few new ones, most notably the return of the career job reservation program.
The CJR program limits re-enlistments into the career force by constraining Air Force specialties for some first-term Airmen, officials said.
In addition, Phase II requires commanders to consider a number of quality-force factors when considering Airmen for retention. Those include correctional custody, referral reports, unfavorable information files, Article 15 action, control roster restrictions, confinement, alcohol- or drug-related offenses, and financial irresponsibility or mismanagement.
Phase II widens the aperture on the Phase I initiatives, which netted almost 2,500 Airmen approved for retirement, separation or Palace Chase, said Maj. Gen John M. Speigel, director of personnel policy at the Pentagon.
?Phase II is the next step in our force-shaping program to move us closer to the authorized end strength of 359,700 while rebalancing the skills,? he said.
?Phase I put us on a glide slope to reduce the size of the force without (worsening) manning shortages in the specialties,? said Maj.
Dawn Keasley, chief of retirement and separation policy at the Pentagon. ?Phase II increases that momentum.?
The initial goal of force shaping was to have 16,600 Airmen leave the Air Force, 3,900 officers and 13,700 enlisted. Those numbers are projected to increase to almost 19,000 by Sept. 30, and to 24,000 by Sept. 30, 2005, because of record retention rates.
?Incredibly high retention and a slow recovering economy are the primary factors in the increase of personnel overages,? said Col. Mike Hayden, chief of the military policy division at the Pentagon. ?Retention rates in the Air Force are at their highest in a decade.?
General Spiegel said Phase I of the program met its objective.
?Phase I did exactly what it what it was supposed to do,? the general said. ?It allowed us to assess the level of interest and recalibrate for Phase II. Our goal is to do this drawdown as smartly while rebalancing the force and improving manning in stressed career fields.?
Phase II of the program is designed to do just that. For example, Phase I required individuals to have a minimum of 24 months on active duty before applying to Palace Chase. Phase II dropped the minimum requirement to 12 months. This modification expands the opportunity to another part of the population that might be interested in serving in the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve, Major Keasley said.
Further, the active-duty service commitment following a permanent change of station in Phase I could be waived up to 18 months. Phase II allows for a full waiver of the commitment, officials said.
Those colonels and lieutenant colonels who would like to retire but who do not have the three-years time in grade previously required to do so are also in luck, officials said. Phase II reduces the minimum mandatory time in grade to two years for a limited number of eligible people.
The CJR program has returned for the first time since 1999. It serves a two-fold purpose, Colonel Hayden said, helping draw down the force and balance career field numbers at the same time.
Guide Note: Under the CJR system, airmen must "compete" for a limited slot to re-enlist within that AFSC (job). Those airmen who don't receive "job reservation" by their separation date, must either separate from the Air Force or agree to re-train into a shortage job.
As of press-time, the AFSCs which require a CJR to re-enlist are:
1C3X1
1C6X1
1W0X1X (INCLUDES BASIC AFSC AND ALL SUFFIXES)
2A0X1B
2A0X1D
2A3X1C
2A5X1A/B/C/D/J
2A5X1E/F/K
2A5X1G/H/L
2A5X2X (INCLUDES BASIC AFSC AND ALL SUFFIXES)
2A5X3A
2A5X3B
2A6X1B
2A6X2
2E0X1
2M0X2
2M0X3
2R0X1
2T3X1
2T3X5
2W1X1X (INCLUDES BASIC AFSC AND ALL SUFFIXES)
3C2X1
3E0X1
3E0X2
3E1X1
3E2X1
3E3X1
3E4X3
3E6X1
The new initiatives include expanded waivers for a number of programs including active-duty service commitments and transferring to the Guard or Reserve through the Palace Chase program. It also includes a few new ones, most notably the return of the career job reservation program.
The CJR program limits re-enlistments into the career force by constraining Air Force specialties for some first-term Airmen, officials said.
In addition, Phase II requires commanders to consider a number of quality-force factors when considering Airmen for retention. Those include correctional custody, referral reports, unfavorable information files, Article 15 action, control roster restrictions, confinement, alcohol- or drug-related offenses, and financial irresponsibility or mismanagement.
Phase II widens the aperture on the Phase I initiatives, which netted almost 2,500 Airmen approved for retirement, separation or Palace Chase, said Maj. Gen John M. Speigel, director of personnel policy at the Pentagon.
?Phase II is the next step in our force-shaping program to move us closer to the authorized end strength of 359,700 while rebalancing the skills,? he said.
?Phase I put us on a glide slope to reduce the size of the force without (worsening) manning shortages in the specialties,? said Maj.
Dawn Keasley, chief of retirement and separation policy at the Pentagon. ?Phase II increases that momentum.?
The initial goal of force shaping was to have 16,600 Airmen leave the Air Force, 3,900 officers and 13,700 enlisted. Those numbers are projected to increase to almost 19,000 by Sept. 30, and to 24,000 by Sept. 30, 2005, because of record retention rates.
?Incredibly high retention and a slow recovering economy are the primary factors in the increase of personnel overages,? said Col. Mike Hayden, chief of the military policy division at the Pentagon. ?Retention rates in the Air Force are at their highest in a decade.?
General Spiegel said Phase I of the program met its objective.
?Phase I did exactly what it what it was supposed to do,? the general said. ?It allowed us to assess the level of interest and recalibrate for Phase II. Our goal is to do this drawdown as smartly while rebalancing the force and improving manning in stressed career fields.?
Phase II of the program is designed to do just that. For example, Phase I required individuals to have a minimum of 24 months on active duty before applying to Palace Chase. Phase II dropped the minimum requirement to 12 months. This modification expands the opportunity to another part of the population that might be interested in serving in the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve, Major Keasley said.
Further, the active-duty service commitment following a permanent change of station in Phase I could be waived up to 18 months. Phase II allows for a full waiver of the commitment, officials said.
Those colonels and lieutenant colonels who would like to retire but who do not have the three-years time in grade previously required to do so are also in luck, officials said. Phase II reduces the minimum mandatory time in grade to two years for a limited number of eligible people.
The CJR program has returned for the first time since 1999. It serves a two-fold purpose, Colonel Hayden said, helping draw down the force and balance career field numbers at the same time.
Guide Note: Under the CJR system, airmen must "compete" for a limited slot to re-enlist within that AFSC (job). Those airmen who don't receive "job reservation" by their separation date, must either separate from the Air Force or agree to re-train into a shortage job.
As of press-time, the AFSCs which require a CJR to re-enlist are:
1C3X1
1C6X1
1W0X1X (INCLUDES BASIC AFSC AND ALL SUFFIXES)
2A0X1B
2A0X1D
2A3X1C
2A5X1A/B/C/D/J
2A5X1E/F/K
2A5X1G/H/L
2A5X2X (INCLUDES BASIC AFSC AND ALL SUFFIXES)
2A5X3A
2A5X3B
2A6X1B
2A6X2
2E0X1
2M0X2
2M0X3
2R0X1
2T3X1
2T3X5
2W1X1X (INCLUDES BASIC AFSC AND ALL SUFFIXES)
3C2X1
3E0X1
3E0X2
3E1X1
3E2X1
3E3X1
3E4X3
3E6X1
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