Bad News For Those Wishing To Join the Air Force This Year
Bad news for those wishing to enlist in the United States Air Force this year.
Air Force Recruiting Officials have been crunching the numbers, and have cut the Fiscal Year 2005 Recruiting Goals even more. During the middle of Fiscal Year 2004, recruiting officials set the Fiscal Year 2005 (which runs from 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005) at an estimated 35,600. At the start of the fiscal year, they reduced the number by 16,700 for a goal 24,465. Now, they've cut the goal even further. The Air Force has found itself in the embarrassing position of having too many airmen on active duty. Each year, the size of the active duty services are set by Congress when they pass the yearly Military Appropriations Act. When the authorize size of the active duty Air Force has not changed significantly in the last several years, high enlistment and re-enlistment rates resulted in the Air Force beginning Fiscal Year 2005 with about 20,000 more people than Congress says they can have. The Air Force had hoped to reduce in size through a combination of fewer new recruits and establishing programs which allowed early voluntary separations, or easy transfer to the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard. However, fewer airmen applied for these voluntary programs than anticipated, so Air Force officials have further reduced this year's recruiting goal from 24,465 to only 18,900. That's a reduction of about 47 percent from the original forecasted goal. Under the new goal, the Air Force has already filled all of their requirements for the remainder of the fiscal year, except for a few basic-training shipping slots to leave in August and September. With recruiting goals so low, that means the Air Force has thousands more applicants than they can accept. In turn, that means the Air Force can afford to be more "picky" when choosing which applicants can enlist, and which applicants cannot. There has been a dramatic decrease in the number of medical or criminal history waivers considered this year, and applicants must be very flexible when it comes to job-choices or basic training shipping dates, then they've been in years past, and that trend will likely continue for the foreseeable future. The good news is that sometime in March, the Air Force plans to begin releasing job and shipping dates to the estimated 4,500 recruits who are already enlisted in the Air Force Delayed Enlistment Program (DEP), but have not yet received a job-choice or shipping date. Additionally, some of these recruits will be able to reserve jobs which were not part of the original list of restricted AFSCs (jobs) for Fiscal Year 2005 enlistments, as officials are planning to open some slots in the other 88 AFSCs, as well. In April, the Air Force will begin allocating enlistment slots for Fiscal Year 2006 (which starts October 1, 2005). At this time, the estimated recruiting goal for FY 2006 has been set at 30,750 recruits, but -- as happened this year -- that number is subject to change, based on whether or not the Air Force meets their "downsizing" goals by the end of the Fiscal Year.
Air Force Recruiting Officials have been crunching the numbers, and have cut the Fiscal Year 2005 Recruiting Goals even more. During the middle of Fiscal Year 2004, recruiting officials set the Fiscal Year 2005 (which runs from 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005) at an estimated 35,600. At the start of the fiscal year, they reduced the number by 16,700 for a goal 24,465. Now, they've cut the goal even further. The Air Force has found itself in the embarrassing position of having too many airmen on active duty. Each year, the size of the active duty services are set by Congress when they pass the yearly Military Appropriations Act. When the authorize size of the active duty Air Force has not changed significantly in the last several years, high enlistment and re-enlistment rates resulted in the Air Force beginning Fiscal Year 2005 with about 20,000 more people than Congress says they can have. The Air Force had hoped to reduce in size through a combination of fewer new recruits and establishing programs which allowed early voluntary separations, or easy transfer to the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard. However, fewer airmen applied for these voluntary programs than anticipated, so Air Force officials have further reduced this year's recruiting goal from 24,465 to only 18,900. That's a reduction of about 47 percent from the original forecasted goal. Under the new goal, the Air Force has already filled all of their requirements for the remainder of the fiscal year, except for a few basic-training shipping slots to leave in August and September. With recruiting goals so low, that means the Air Force has thousands more applicants than they can accept. In turn, that means the Air Force can afford to be more "picky" when choosing which applicants can enlist, and which applicants cannot. There has been a dramatic decrease in the number of medical or criminal history waivers considered this year, and applicants must be very flexible when it comes to job-choices or basic training shipping dates, then they've been in years past, and that trend will likely continue for the foreseeable future. The good news is that sometime in March, the Air Force plans to begin releasing job and shipping dates to the estimated 4,500 recruits who are already enlisted in the Air Force Delayed Enlistment Program (DEP), but have not yet received a job-choice or shipping date. Additionally, some of these recruits will be able to reserve jobs which were not part of the original list of restricted AFSCs (jobs) for Fiscal Year 2005 enlistments, as officials are planning to open some slots in the other 88 AFSCs, as well. In April, the Air Force will begin allocating enlistment slots for Fiscal Year 2006 (which starts October 1, 2005). At this time, the estimated recruiting goal for FY 2006 has been set at 30,750 recruits, but -- as happened this year -- that number is subject to change, based on whether or not the Air Force meets their "downsizing" goals by the end of the Fiscal Year.
posted by Petty Officer Cruel Kev. at Saturday, March 05, 2005
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