Brig. Gen. Steven Hoog, Aerospace Expeditionary Force Center commander, explained how the recent
extension from 90-day deployments to 120-day deployments is working. The new schedule offers greater
stability for commanders and a reduction in transportation requirements because Airmen are swapping out
three times instead of four during the year, General Hoog said. With the deployment-length change to the
AEF cycle, which began Sept. 15, Airmen now get four extra months at home. “We go for 120 days now
(every) 20 months,” said Hoog. “In terms of your life back at home, the turmoil has actually decreased
because now you have a longer cycle (of down) time.” Troops in certain Air Force specialties, however,
are deploying for 179 days, but because they are not trained for their specific task, their deployments
are expanded by two to two-and-a-half months of training before deploying.
