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 Officials eliminate exception to short-tour credit
Air Force normalizes short-tour credit policy

Posted 6/30/2011 Email story   Print story

    

6/30/2011 - WASHINGTON (AFNs) -- Beginning July 1, Airmen will no longer receive short tour credit for overseas temporary duty assignments of 181 consecutive days. This change initially was announced in a memorandum signed by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz in April.

In June 2003, a temporary exception to policy was approved to award short-tour credit to Airmen who deployed to hostile environments for at least 181 consecutive days after 9/11. This exception was initiated since traditional AEF deployments at the time were 120 days. A similar exception was made for Airmen deploying in support of Desert Storm in the early 1990s.

The decision to terminate the current short-tour credit exception to policy is largely based on the number of Airmen who now deploy for longer periods of time. Additionally, with transportation delays and mandatory overlap with successors, the vast majority of Airmen deployed for 179 days remained in the area of responsibility just long enough to reach the 181-day threshold.

"The standard Air Force deployment is now 179 days," said Col. Ken Sersun, chief of the Military Force Policy Division on the Air Staff. "Granting short-tour credit based on 181 days deployment has become inconsistent with the short-tour credit earned by our Airmen who deploy for 365 days."

The following guidelines apply under the new policy:

-- Airmen who were previously awarded short-tour credit under the temporary 181-day policy will keep their short-tour credit

-- Airmen who arrived in the area of responsibility prior to July 1, 2011, and serve at least 181 days consecutively in a hostile fire or imminent danger pay area will receive short tour credit under the previous criteria

-- Airmen who arrive in the AOR on or after July 1, 2011, will not receive short-tour credit under the temporary 181-day policy

-- Airmen will be awarded short-tour credit based on TDY service stipulated in AFI 36-2110, Assignments

Since the exception to policy went into effect in 2003, 16,795 Airmen have deployed more than once on 179-day taskings. Since 9/11, more than 52,000 Airmen have deployed for 181 to 200 days. The number of 179-day taskings also has grown significantly since January 2006 from about 6,500 taskings to about 16,600 taskings.

For additional information visit the AFPC personnel services website at http://gum.afpc.randolph.af.mil or call the Total Force Service Center toll-free at (800) 525-0102 or DSN 665-5000.



tabComments
7/5/2011 10:10:14 AM ET
To drive home the point the Maj made, let's say that an outstanding security forces SSgt volunteers, gets into theater on 1 Jul 11 while his co-worker, a bumbling 3-4 EPR SSgt who fought his deployment, gets into theater on 30 Jun. They get back in 6 months. 1 month later the outstanding SSgt gets non-vol'd to Korea for a year while the dufus SSgt kicks back at home station with his family. Let's see how much Pride in Service this outstanding troop has after this happens.
Bob, FL
 
7/4/2011 11:31:21 AM ET
No whining people... the AF still has shorter deployments than the Army and Marine Corps and is pretty close to on par with the Navy. This change in policy is simply to reflect the change in operational tempo. I volunteered for every deployment I went on and petitioned for extensions on each one. Not because I thought I would get short tour credit but because it was what I believed was in the best interest of the Special Operations mission and because I had a passion for the job I was doing. If I were still in I'd still volunteer.
Chris Kimball, Indiana
 
7/2/2011 10:43:56 AM ET
Ret MSgt Alabama, I'm talking specifically about the ITDY 365 day deployment lists which are determined based on number of short tours, short tour return date and overseas duty selection date -- AFI 36-2110. This change will cause individuals who just got back from a 181 to be tasked for a 365 before someone who got back from a 181 years ago and got short tour credit. MSgt Ret. Phillips, my point is that they removed an incentive for deploying that doesn't cost the AF anything...being able to choose when and where you want to go. Now you could volunteer and 6 months after you get back the AF can send you where they want you instead of someone who's been home for a year or so due to the shift in policy. Oh and my 8 deployments over 1200 days now have all been to Iraq, Afghanistan or a country you didn't know we were fighting in.
Major, SWA
 
7/1/2011 5:48:51 PM ET
Hey Maj. Speaking for myself and I'm sure many others, most airmen do not volunteer for deployments to get short tour credit. They volunteer because of the Pride of Service they have. If you are TDY to one of the non-hostile areas like I think you are then get out from behind your desk in your air conditioned office and go out in the heat on the flight line or main gate and visit with the troops. Then maybe some of their Pride of Service will rub off on you.
MSgt Ret. Glenn Phillips, Alabama
 
7/1/2011 5:32:29 PM ET
To the Maj in SWA. Short tour credit puts a person at the bottom of the list for getting a non-voluntary short-tour remote assignment. Bog Dwell or whatever they are calling it now still should apply for getting tasked to deploy again. Please know your AFI's before you start poking your leaders in the eye.
Ret. MSgt, Alabama
 
6/30/2011 6:55:45 PM ET
This is not well thought out. Anyone deploying for a 181 from now on will stay near the top of the list while someone who just got back from a 181 will be at the bottom of the list. When the next tasking comes around the person who got back sooner will deploy. AF leaders, you cannot make this kind of policy shift mid-stride. Bad policy for taking care of people and you can also forget anyone volunteering for deployments from here on.
Major, SWA
 
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