AF Announces NCO Retraining Programs

By: fedweek

The Air Force will draw down from 334,000 airmen to a force of 316,000 by fiscal 2009. This will require new voluntary and mandatory retraining programs for noncommissioned officers in overmanned Air Force Specialty Codes. First-term airmen will be offered voluntary retraining. NCOs who switched AFSCs earlier and whose specialty is now overmanned will have the chance to revert to their former career fields if the fields are critically undermanned. NCOs who retrain in critically short specialties can look for increased promotion opportunities along with re-enlistment bonuses of up to $60,000. The Air Force hopes to fill some 900 staff sergeant, technical sergeant and master sergeant slots via the NCO retraining program. If volunteer retraining does not fill enough vacancies, the service will institute involuntary retraining as Phase 2. Officials will release a vulnerability list soon, along with a list of undermanned AFSCs.