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Civilian deployment requires intrinsic desire to serve
Posted 10/31/2011 Updated 10/31/2011
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by Debbie Gildea
Air Force Personnel, Services and Manpower Public Affairs
10/31/2011 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Civilian deployment is not for everyone. The hours are long, there are few (if any) days off, and those are still spent in potentially dangerous, often austere locations for up to 12 months, all without loved ones nearby to offer comfort.
But, for the right person, deployment is an opportunity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with uniformed members in a fight that transcends personal comfort or safety. It is an opportunity to learn more about national defense from the rubber-meets-the-road perspective, and to give back to your country, said Tom Kelly, Air Force Personnel Center Civilian Expeditionary Workforce program manager.
"There must be an intrinsic desire to serve," he said. "Certainly, there are tangible benefits for civilians who deploy, but volunteers generally have a deep desire to serve their nation."
Most CEW deployments are for requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan, Kelly said. Routinely there are around 1,000 rotating requirements per year for positions that range from civil engineering, intelligence and contracting to human resources and public affairs.
"We have more requirements than military members can fill, and we have some requirements for skill sets that the military doesn't have," Kelly said, "so civilian support is critical to mission accomplishment."
It is a view held at every level of national defense, including the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, who called an agile civilian workforce with expeditionary capabilities a critical component in the fight against terrorism.
Civilian Airmen who want to deploy may be reluctant to do so because of career impact concerns, Kelly said. But a deployment is far more likely to have a positive than negative affect on a career, he explained.
"Career-wise, you will be protected. You won't be required to resign your permanent appointment or give up the position you have now, and - in fact - you will remain on your unit manpower documents while deployed. You'll have return rights, will retain all your benefits, and you'll be compensated financially as well," Kelly explained.
In addition, though, deployed civilians develop a deeper understanding of the national defense "big picture." They will see first-hand how their contributions affect national security and relationships with America's allies.
"More important, they will be part of the daily activities that help us strengthen relationships around the world, and they will be able to work to help people in need and immediately see the benefit of their work," Kelly said.
Civilians who deploy will be involved in a variety of missions, from humanitarian support to contingency programs, and from reconstruction to combat operations, Kelly said. "That experience and broadened awareness makes them prime candidates for additional growth and development opportunities, and obviously promotion potential goes up as well," he said.
According to Kelly, CEW is a developmental opportunity few civilians have been allowed to experience. CEW integrates the civilian workforce in a way that working stateside in an office cannot equal. The work stateside may be integral to mission accomplishment, but deployment does something more, he believes.
"CEW puts civilians in the fight. It allows us to contribute our skills in the combat arena, and even though that puts us in danger - the same physical danger as our military counterparts - it is the truest evidence of total force equality and shows the high-value we add to national defense," said Kelly. "The bottom line is that combatant commanders need civilians in the field more than ever."
Deployment may be far from easy, he said, but those who have the required skills, who want to fully immerse themselves in their nation's defense, can get more information about opportunities at the Office of the Secretary of Defense civilian expeditionary workforce website (http://www.cpms.osd.mil/expeditionary), the civilian readiness community of practice page (https://afkm.wpafb.af.mil/community/views/home.aspx?Filter=AF-DP-00-37), or the Air Force CEW program office, afpc.dpiecewworkflow@us.af.mil.
For more information about CEW and other personnel issues, visit the Air Force Personnel Services website at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.
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