Maintainers review technical orders at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., on Oct. 14, 2022. A new Air Force program will allow airmen to review orders and mutually agree to swap assignments. (Hun Chustine Minoda/U.S. Air Force)
For airmen headed to the wind-swept plains of Minot Air Force Base, N.D., or middle of nowhere New Mexico for a tour at Cannon Air Force Base, not all hope is lost.
Starting Thursday, enlisted members of the Air Force can switch jobs if they find a counterpart in their career field with the same rank, special experience code and skill level willing to trade places.
If that option sounds familiar, it’s because the service is reviving the enlisted swap assignment program, which was shut down years ago. The goal is to give airmen more control and flexibility in their careers, the service said Thursday in a statement.
Eligibility extends to those of the ranks of senior master sergeant and below.
The Air Force previously offered a similar program in 2007 for enlisted airmen and officers ranked lieutenant colonel and below stationed in the United States.
That program ultimately was “deemed unfair” and fewer than 5% of airmen participated, the Air Force Personnel Center said in a 2017 Facebook post explaining why the initiative ended.
A personnel flight promotions specialist updates information on assignment paperwork at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., in 2012. The new Enlisted Swap Assignment Program aims to allow airmen to share info about and mutually agree to exchange assignments. (Katherine Thornton-Maurer/U.S. Air Force)
Airmen had to pay to move, which put a heavier financial burden on younger troops, the personnel center said then.
Under the revamped program, the Air Force will pay for relocation costs, the service said. It also does not limit assignment exchanges to stateside bases. Officers are not included this time around.
The new policy requires airmen to initiate a trade within 90 days after receiving orders to a new base with someone who is eligible for that assignment.
Airmen must be in good standing and find a counterpart in the same career field with similar clearance who is willing to take the assignment.
The Space Force is not participating while it continues to evaluate assignment options better-suited for guardians, the Air Force said.
Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass speaks to airmen at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., on May 22, 2023. Late last year, Bass announced a new program that allows airmen to swap assignments online as long as requirements meet the needs of the Air Force. (Samuel King Jr./U.S. Air Force)
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass first announced the assignment swap last fall at the Air and Space Forces Association’s annual conference. She did not say at the time when the initiative would be implemented.
Airmen will use the MyVector online forum to discuss swapping assignments, the service said. The Air Force Personnel Center will review applications for eligibility, and applicants will be notified of a decision through MyVector.
The service suggested airmen may experience some technical issues with the program application, but Bass said “we weren’t waiting for the perfect system to be built” before launching it.
Private Facebook groups, such as one called Security Forces Assignment Swap, already have been established to facilitate assignment exchanges. And the new policy is generating some buzz on social media.
“I’ll pay someone to take Cannon off my hands,” said one of 93 comments posted on Reddit earlier this month about the new program.
