Sorry, Huggy, but I have to disagree with you on one point. The reason the AF exempted us from iTDYs (Indeterminate TDY, the new name for 365s cause it might not end at only 365 days....) was primarily because of how members are selected for them.

AFPC/DPW (the organization formerly known as the AEF Center) uses a strict methodology for selecting members for iTDYs. Starting with the requirement and all members who are eligible, they filter out those with legal conflicts (DEROS, DOS, DAS, PCS RNTLD, etc). Then they sort the remaining eligibles based on the Number of Short Tours and latest Short Tour Return Date (STRD). They sort ties by number of AEF deployments, latest AEF return date, and then several other factors beyond my knowledge.

HAF/A1 knew that if they brought a bunch of retirees and ARC members back, we'd all go straight to the top of the iTDY list. There's guys who's last short tour was in the 1970s! They told me they knew that wasn't going to be fair to us, and coincidentally, it served as an incentive. The intent of the rule was to exempt us from a methodology that wasn't designed to account for our unusual circumstances as recallees.

Nothing limited us to deployments less than 179 days. My SOI says "I am a volunteer for TDY/Deployments; however, I am not eligible for a 365-day deployment, unless I specifically volunteer for a 365-day deployment." That was the name of the program at the time, and they're still adhering to the SOI and its intent by not selecting us for iTDYs. Training time prior to a deployment isn't part of the deployment per se, and your CEDs won't have a 365 ETL unless you volunteer for an iTDY.

For normal deployments, (not iTDYs) DPW tasks a MAJCOM, which then tasks a unit, and the unit CC picks who goes. Unless a) you're on a Joint or other very special controlled tour or b) you're on a MAJCOM staff. If b) applies to you, then DPW selects the individuals by name using the same methodology as they do for iTDYs. But, you can only go during your AEF bucket so you can't be back-to-backed. And in A1's defense, the AF changed the methodology for MAJCOM staff taskings after the recall was over and done with. (If you're on a Joint staff, you can't be deployed by the AF without approval from OSD, but you can be deployed by your Joint organization ISO their own needs and within their own rules.)

If you've been extended downrange (like the MC-12s) that sucks. A lot. There is a slim hope for the MC-12 guys that the move to Beale will improve training throughput and those extended will be released prior to the full 270. But even the latest batch that got tasked still has 179 in the ETL, not 270. Oh, and those recallees that weren't brought back on regular, full Aeronautical Orders can't go fly the MC-12 in the first place. I hadn't heard of other taskings getting extended to 270 other than the MC-12, could someone enlighten me on what others are for my SA, please?

If you're being back-to-backed by your unit, I'm sorry. That really does suck, and you have my sympathy for having a Commander who treats people like that.