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Air Force specialties affected by retraining reduction

  • Published
  • By by Debbie Gildea
  • Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) --  As many as 1,000 Airmen may be affected by a recently identified decrease in fiscal 2014 retraining objectives, with 35 or more Air Force specialty codes removed from the retraining-in list, Air Force officials said Nov. 26.

Retraining is used to shape and balance the force by offering Airmen in overmanned specialties opportunities to retrain into undermanned fields. Retraining officials develop tentative projections in the spring for the coming fiscal year, adjusting the real-time retraining advisory as changes occur.

"When we develop the retraining advisory, we look at historical and trending changes in AFSCs and project how many Airmen we are likely to need in each AFSC and grade for the coming year," said Brig. Gen. Gina Grosso, the Air Force director of force management policy. "Those projections are always tentative because unanticipated changes occur throughout the year. This year, we are decreasing retraining opportunities because of ongoing budget uncertainty."

Retraining classes scheduled for Jan. 1 or later will be cancelled, and affected Airmen will be notified, said Joe Crady, the Air Force retraining chief.

"We don't plan to cancel classes for Airmen who are already enroute or within 45 days of their class start date, since that would be very disruptive for them and could create a hardship. However, we are contacting those whose classes start in January or later to ensure that we can prevent them from making plans and commitments tied to their retraining," Crady explained.

Fields removed from the retraining advisory, based on new projections, are already showing as overmanned. Allowing Airmen to retrain into those fields now would exacerbate the problem, he explained.

First term Airmen approved for retraining whose classes will be cancelled are entitled to a career job reservation in their current field, according to Air Force Personnel Center officials.

"Once notified of the cancellation, first term Airmen should contact their local military personnel section for reenlistment eligibility," said Michael McLaughlin, the AFPC reenlistments chief.

"We still have open fields for retraining, but they are limited and acceptance is very competitive, so Airmen who want to pursue that avenue should act now," Crady added.

For first term and career Airmen who are still interested in retraining, there are some options, which are listed on the retraining advisory in myPers.

"We value every Airman's contributions to the mission and the selfless sacrifices they make to ensure that our nation is secure and strong," Grosso said. "I encourage Airmen to stay informed on personnel policy changes so they can continue to make informed decisions about their careers."

To see the real-time retraining advisory or to get more information about other personnel issues, visit the myPers website.

(Originally published Nov. 26, 2013)