Posted on 11/04/2019 4:55:21 PM PST by Alas Babylon!
Airmen who have served for 12 years or more no longer have to re-enlist under a change made official Oct. 30.
Previously, senior enlisted airmen were required to re-enlist every four years, a process described as lengthy and full of cumbersome paperwork that culminated in raising their right hand at a swearing-in ceremony.
Now, under a new Noncommissioned Officer Career Status Program, that requirement is gone. Instead, an Oct. 30 Air Force release said, their separation dates will align with their high year of tenure date—when they must separate or retire.
Effective Nov. 18, airmen with at least 12 years of service who sign a re-enlistment contract will fall under the program, and it will be the last contract of their career. There will no longer be a date of separation on their records until they hit one year until their mandatory separation or retirement date. When promoted, the date of separation will automatically be updated, the release stated.
Current high year of tenure lengths are:
•20 years for staff sergeants, •22 years for technical sergeants,
•24 years for master sergeants, •26 years for senior master sergeants, and •30 years for chief master sergeants.
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright previewed the change in an interview with Air Force Magazine over the summer. It was publicly in the works, first looking at setting the re-enlistment cutoff at 15 years of service. Wright said airmen who have already served that long in uniform have proven their service, rendering re-enlistment processes unnecessary.
The Army already has the same process in place for soldiers with 12 years of service.
I re-upped 5 times.
The tight labor market rearing its pretty little head again?
Good news
Last time I heard, they were throwing people out. It was either up or out. Has that changed?
[Last time I heard, they were throwing people out. It was either up or out. Has that changed?]
Same for the officer corps. The only O-3s you will see retiring with 20 are mustangs.
It has always been up or out, but after a person reaches a certain rank, the year you must get out (High Year Tenure) is either at or over the 20 year point where a person can retire.
The Air Force has the highest High Year Tenure times for all the services. An E-5 Airman can go to the 20 year point whereas the highest year for E-5 in any other branch is 16 years. That means an E-5 in the Air Force can go until retirement while in other services their enlisted troops have to get promoted at least to E-6.
No reenlistment bonus. I’ve seen too many Staff Sargents too dumb to get that 5th stripe. Keeping them around was an embarrassment. 20 years allowed them to go quietly.
Re-Up Bonus gone, or what’s the dill pickle.
I second that, about time.
...the old saying, what is new is old again and visa versa... my first 6 years of service with the United States Navy...very early 1960s... had a lot of “left over” swabbies from the WWII era... a number of them had more “hash marks” (i.e. service stripes - each stripe was 4 years of service..) below the elbow than they had above... i.e., E-4s and E-5s...I believe many retired with 20 years of service without ever having gone above the rank they held at that time.... ahhh, the days of “iron ships and wooden men.....”
I saw some B-52 career fields were people waited for someone to die or retire before making rank. Smaller fields like Bomb-Nav and Fire-control for example. Felt bad for those guys.
Air Force was different. There was a WAPS system meaning those who could pass written tests had the advantage. This led to younger nco’s getting that 5th stripe a lot quicker than the not-so-smart. Created resentment. Same as that stupid Senior Airman title. NCO’s resented teenage ncos who played loud music and didn’t respect the uniform. Looking back it may have been right but then they allowed 10% of the airman first class folks to avoid the senior airman by competing against the others. I’m sure it had more than those 10% turning on each other. I could never have been a lifer. Some of them were the most resentful toward the Air Force.
I could never have been a lifer. Some of them were the most resentful toward the Air Force.
The most negative and angry man I met in uniform was a USAF TSGT. For him, everything was always negative. I would have loathed working with or for him.
A cousin, my dad’s age, enlisted in the Navy in 1939. He ended WWII as the top enlisted NCO/Petty Officer rank. Since he had maxed out his rank he just kept adding service hash marks until he retired in 1963.
HRM and playing personnel strength numbers really close to vest.
HR management tools used since the 80’s have included frequent weight program adjustments, PFT changes, merging rates and MOS, college degree requirements for entry level enlistments... it is AFU and discourages reenlistments.
Removing tenure caps bottlenecks the lower ranks with dinosaurs clogging any chance of upward mobility. It is stupidity with failure written all over it. Worse, these moving target management programs leads to the degradation of an effective armed forces.
HRM and playing personnel strength numbers really close to vest.
HR management tools used since the 80’s have included frequent weight program adjustments, PFT changes, merging rates and MOS, college degree requirements for entry level enlistments... it is AFU and discourages reenlistments.
Removing tenure caps bottlenecks the lower ranks with dinosaurs clogging any chance of upward mobility. It is stupidity with failure written all over it. Worse, these moving target management programs leads to the degradation of an effective armed forces.
“ I’ve seen too many Staff Sargents too dumb to get that 5th stripe.”
I retired with 24 years and 4 months. As far as Staff Sergeants being dumb I find that a slur on patriotic men & women who may just not be good at taking exams, which is the biggest factor in promotions. I also never liked the up or out policy since getting promoted to senior ranks meant essentially quitting your technical job and becoming a personnel manager. Some people would prefer and are better suited to be on the flight line fixing aircraft their whole career and promotion to higher ranks puts an end to that. I always saw this as a perfect example of the Peter Principle.
I had to renew my contract every year as a temporary active duty recruiter for the Naval Reserve. Major headache, but I did it for 12 years (after 8 years regular active duty) and retired with active duty benefits.
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