Jumper shares view on AEF cycle length extension

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Matt Summers
  • Utah Beach Joint Information Bureau
STE. MERE EGLISE, France (AFPN) --  The Air Force chief of staff announced the extension of the baseline for deployments from 90 to 120 days and the change of the air and space expeditionary force cycle from 15 months to 20 months.

The changes will take place beginning with AEF Cycle 5 in September, said Gen. John P. Jumper in his Chief’s Sight Picture on June 4.

The general said the Air Force intends to stick with 90-day deployments for those Airmen already deployed in AEFs 7 and 8 and those deploying in AEFs 9 and 10 (June to August). Airmen deploying in AEFs 1 and 2 should prepare for a four-month tour.

The general said one reason for the change is the Air Force component commander for the Central Command area of operations needed Airmen to deploy for longer tours. The extension allows greater continuity for expeditionary commanders supporting global contingency requirements.

“Make no mistake about it, Osama bin Laden killed 3,000 of our citizens on Sept. 11, 2001, and if he could have killed 30,000, 300,000 or 3 million he would have done the same thing without one ounce of remorse,” General Jumper said.

“We who wear the uniform are entrusted by our nation to deal with this situation, and we should all be very proud of that,” he said. “We are the symbol of the pride and strength of this nation, and our citizens look to us to make sure that we don’t get visited by the Osama bin Ladens of the world again.”

The general said the demands on deployable forces have not diminished and are not expected to decline in the near future.

“We’ve said from the beginning that we’re going to have to let (AEF) mature,” he said. “We’ve gone through four cycles now, including two major combat cycles … and it’s been proven to us that the 120-day cycle will serve us better.

“Many people in the stressed and critical fields are staying 120 days, and some of them more,” he said. “It’s going to help us overall with our tempo … and quite frankly, I think it’s going to make it easier on families rather than harder.”

The general said he is aware that the 20-month cycle will present challenges to reserve units, possibly affecting the number of volunteers, and leaders will monitor the situation closely to ensure fairness across the total force.

General Jumper said the Air Force has a rotational requirement of nearly 20,000 Airmen -- three times the demand before Sept. 11, 2001. He said he plans to expand the current number of 272,000 Airmen eligible to deploy.

The general has asked all major command officials to aggressively review situations where Airmen are excluded from AEF pairs. He also asked them to take immediate steps to maximize manpower authorizations in standard tasking codes, and if required, create new ones to provide additional expeditionary capabilities.

“If you’re wearing the uniform of the United States Air Force, you’re part of the AEF,” General Jumper said in his sight picture. “This evolution of the AEF is not a temporary adjustment. More appropriately, it is recognition of new demands around the world for air and space power.”

The basic composition of each AEF, including five air expeditionary wings and six air expeditionary groups of airpower and combat support capability, will not change. Low-density and high-demand units will continue to follow Department of Defense-approved deployment guidelines. Mobility aviation units will be postured in multiple AEFs to support the U.S. Transportation Command mission and other combatant commander needs. (Courtesy of U.S. Air Forces in Europe News Service)