Tanker-driver

Read the memo. It states:

"Therefore, voluntary and involuntary reassignments to the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), retirements, and voluntary and involuntary discharges from the Selected Reserve approved between 1 Feb 16 – 30 Sep 16 must have an effective loss date no earlier than 1 Nov 16.”

You have no commitment and want to separate? Denied for nine NINE! months. You want to go PIRR? Denied for nine months. You want to retire (not ETS)? Denied for nine months. You want to kick a slug out of your unit? Denied for nine months. Etc.

When pressed, the unit (at least mine) says "You WILL maintain currency and qualification". How they plan to enforce that, I'm not sure but it sounds like wings across AFRC are all of a sudden extremely concerned that they won't be able to pay their bills. But guess what--that's their problem. They've ignored the initial buffett, they've ignored the shaker, and now they're in a full stall. What they have yet to realize is that their only hope is to release the back pressure. But they're acting like some rookie pilot and continue to pull back as hard as they can. If leadership doesn't max, relax, roll real soon this won't end well.

BFMthisA10

Or, in the case of 30 Sep request: "you are DENIED! ...for one month"

WARich

Seems like the AFRC has their head up their butt and don't realize what the TR's will resort to. Just saying. Once you're above, let's say 16/17 years you've pretty much done your duty. So, it's all about your QOL........Sorry, I have a cold, not going to make it this month.......and many more reasons......and if you have 19+ good years!!!! don't even expect much.........you get 15 points for breathing and all you need is 35 more for a good year.

TankerDriver

Manning in the ANG and AFRC is not an easy thing to manage because we maintain a force with a bunch of "free agents". There are no bonuses tied to commitments to keep people in past 10 and you run the risk of an empty squadron by letting your most experienced guys stay past 20 because they're free to push that button at a moment's notice. That's exactly what's going on right now.

The uncertainty that 9/11 brought to the airline industry kept a lot of guys hitting 20 in the mid to late 2000's in until the units were kicking them out at 28 yrs. Instead of flushing them and replacing them with fresh meat, we took pride in the fact we had a squadron full of Lt Col's with 10's of thousands of hours. Well now that just about everyone is sick of the AD mentality and ops tempo being forced down our throats, people are leaving in full force.

Flying Boxes

Or leaving with active duty retirement! (from the high ops temp being forced down our throats)

Albief15

I was hired into an ANG unit pre 9/11, and pretty much told I could have the coveted TG position but expect to "hit the bricks..." at 20 to make room for new guys falling in behind me. At that time, many units made guys do full time for a year or two until a TG slot opened...the TG slots were the coveted spots. By Feb 2002, that was completely inverted, and guys sucked up AGR and Tech positions and the TGs begged for orders. I was one of the fortunate few with a job that didn't get furloughed, so I rode my TG position to 20 with ease. Even when I got out in 2007/8, we had unfilled TG spots, as most guys wanted the security of an AGR slot.

The "top heavy" issue was a major concern when I got hired. Guess the experience in your unit explains why that was such a big deal.

Lurking

Its an end strength numbers issue for Congress nothing more. No one at AFRC cares if people actually show up as long as they are on the books. Want to kick out the bad apple put him on no pay no points and give him a 1 nov date, got a guy that is done but not retiring well that takes 6 to 8 months now anyway so excuse them for September and October no issue. If an individual unit has a manning or currency policy in a particular AFSC that is a different issue but for the letter is only about end strength numbers.

Tanker-driver

Not so at the wing level. Word is at my unit that participation and maintaining currency are mandatory. Like I said, I'm not sure how this can be enforced. However, we have a few people who are facing potential deployments when they thought they were done.

Lurking

Not at my wing but we are not in the bucket between now and November. They did this same exact thing last year. What are they going to do if you don't show. Discharge you on 1 Nov? If you are getting out anyway and already have an airline job what happens to you?

rickair7777

40 drills/year and 12 days AD are mandatory.