Doors open for active duty to join Air Force Reserve

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ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) --  The Air Force is opening doors and modifying programs to give people leaving active duty an opportunity to continue their military careers in the Air Force Reserve.

As the active force tries to reduce manning by about 16,600, the Air Force Reserve is seeking to hire many of those experienced airmen and give them a more flexible way to have a career in the military.

"This is an excellent opportunity for prior-service people on active duty to join our Reserve programs," said Col. Francis Mungavin, director of recruiting service at Air Force Reserve Command headquarters here. "Our people are making every effort to ensure that all potential candidates are aware of their release options."

Current Air Force manning numbers are beyond the authorized end-strength of 359,300 airmen on active duty. The new force-shaping program has scheduled active-duty numbers to drop by 3,900 officers and 12,700 enlisted airmen by Sept. 15.

"The force-shaping program initiative that will have the greatest impact on us will be the expanded application of the Palace Chase program," said Lt. Col. Dirk Palmer at AFRC’s recruiting service. "We expect that airmen in all Air Force specialty codes will be eligible to apply for Palace Chase with a minimum of two years in service."

Palace Chase is a program for airmen to transition off of active duty by trading their active-duty service commitments for Air Force Reserve service commitments.

"Palace Chase is not a new program," said Chief Master Sgt. Susan Allick, chief of the Palace Chase Program at the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph AFB, Texas. "The program has just eased requirements for the force-shaping program."

To qualify for this program, applicants must have a re-enlistment code approved for continued military service and meet all the Palace Chase eligibility criteria under the force-shaping rules.

Applications under these new rules are being accepted until March 12. To be approved, applicants must separate from active duty between May 15 and Sept. 15. Though the normal application process is from seven to eight weeks, under the new rules, officials at AFPC expect to be able to notify applicants of their results within four to six weeks.

"We'll be working on a first-come, first-served basis," Chief Allick said. "With the restrictions loosened up on active-duty service commitments, we expect to process a lot of applications."

Though people in all specialty codes are eligible to apply for the Palace Chase transfers to the Air Force Reserve, airmen must have graduated from their initial training, qualified as 3-levels and not be scheduled to be retrained. Some U.S. Air Force Academy graduates may be approved for the program. Air Force ROTC cadets may apply to be commissioned directly into Air Force Reserve jobs for six-year commitments, instead of the typical four-year tour of active duty.

"With individual mobilization augmentee end-strength sitting at 94.8 percent, this is a great opportunity to fill some of our current vacancies," said Lt. Col. Nancy Robinson, director of assignments at Air Reserve Personnel Center headquarters in Denver. "We're trying to pull out the stops and make the transition from the active duty to the Reserve as smooth as possible."

Individual mobilization augmentees are reservists assigned part time to active- duty units, backfilling or deploying when required. Being an IMA is a flexible way to be in the Air Force, serving a minimum of 12 days throughout the year and two weeks of annual tour each year. Just like traditional unit reservists, IMAs may be mobilized by the president during wartime or contingency operations; however, IMAs are assigned directly to active-duty units instead of Reserve squadrons.

"We're trying to be proactive and take the Air Force's overages," Colonel Palmer said. "If we have a qualified person, we'll do everything we can to sign them up in the Air Force Reserve."

Anyone interested in finding out more about the program should contact the in-service recruiters located at their military personnel flight. Air Force Reserve in-service recruiters are located at 65 bases worldwide. During out-processing from active duty, meeting with the in-service recruiter is a required stop.

The purpose of the appointment is to find out if joining the Air Force Reserve is a viable option for the separating airmen, enlisted or officer, Colonel Palmer said.

"We have found that when our recruiters help an applicant get exactly what he or she wants, things work out best for both the applicant and the Air Force Reserve," Colonel Palmer said.

"It's a win-win situation for us and the individuals leaving active duty," Colonel Mungavin said. "They'll get a more flexible way to serve their country, and we'll retain their skills and experience to accomplish our Air Force mission."

For more information about joining the Air Force Reserve, visit www.afreserve.com. To speak to a recruiter in the area, call (800) 257-1212 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. (Courtesy of AFRC News Service)