Posted on 06/26/2002 8:50:05 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
ARLINGTON, Va. — Air Force personnel officials have decided to release all but a handful of airmen from stop-loss restrictions that prevented some voluntary departures or retirements.Air Force officials announced June 21 that they will continue to hold just three Air Force Specialty Codes for officers and 15 Air Force Specialty Codes for enlisted airmen under stop loss, which is a Defense Department program designed to retain members of the armed forces beyond established dates of separation or retirement.
As a result of lifting the restrictions, only 1,826 officers, out of a total Air Force officer corps of 69,069, and 37,349 enlisted airmen, out of a total enlisted Air Force of 290,954, will continue to be restricted by stop-loss, according to the latest personnel numbers available from the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.
The restrictions that remain apply to both active-duty and Air Reserve Component members, according to Lt. Col. Jan Middleton, chief of promotion, evaluation and separation policy at Air Force headquarters in the Pentagon.
The Air Force instituted across-the-board stop-loss measures Oct. 2 to accommodate the increased operational tempos sparked by Operation Enduring Freedom.
Air Force officials reviewed the ruling in early November and decided to continue stop-loss restrictions on all Air Force specialties.
After another review early in 2001, in March the Air Force released 24 officer career fields and 45 enlisted fields from the stop-loss list.
The latest reduction in stop-loss, by far the most sweeping to date, resulted from a review of the various specialty codes by all major Air Force commands, the Air Staff, the Air Reserve Component, Secretariat and the Air Force Personnel Center, Middleton said.
Airmen who have an approved date of separation or retirement in career fields approved for release are free to separate or retire almost immediately, but "no earlier than July 1," Middleton said.
But active-duty and ARC members who are deployed in support of ongoing operations or are either voluntarily or involuntarily on active duty to support ongoing operations will not be released until they return from their deployments or are demobilized, she said.
Meanwhile, the Air Force will grant stop-loss waivers based on specific circumstances, Middleton said.
In a prepared statement announcing the lifting of the restrictions, Secretary of the Air Force James G. Roche said: "We understand that many people and their families have had to put their plans on hold since stop-loss was first implemented.
"I just want everyone to know that the Air Force and this nation are grateful for your service and the sacrifices you have made to keep us safe from evil."
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