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Deployment deferment changes in effect

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Changes were recently made to the deployment deferment policy. The revisions are slight, but significant.

The majority of the changes made to Air Force Instruction 36-2110 concern 365-day deployments and one-year unaccompanied short tours, the "dwell 1:1" mandate, and assignments to Central Command in the area of responsibility.

"It is important that Airmen know the current rules as they apply to the member and stay on top of their deployment data to ensure they are able to take full advantage of their benefits," said Tech. Sgt. Keith Burgdoff, 72nd Force Support Squadron Installation Personnel Readiness noncommissioned officer-in-charge.

Under the revisions, which are already in effect, Airmen who complete either a 365-day deployment or a one-year unaccompanied short tour are deferred from a like-assignment for six months.

Additionally, if Airmen have served either assignment at CENTCOM AOR, which is geographically defined and includes 20 countries, they cannot return there for a non-voluntary 365-day deployment. The exception is if an Airman volunteers for deployment to CENTCOM AOR. If so, the individual must only wait six months.

As a general rule, Airmen will receive six months dwell time after a year deployment or a one-year unaccompanied short tour. After six months, Airmen, even those who served at CENTCOM AOR, can be deployed. But, unless they volunteer for the assignment, they cannot be sent to a CENTCOM AOR locale.

Due to the dwell-time mandate, Airmen are categorized into bands -- A through E -- based on Air Force specialty codes and jobs performed overseas. If an Airman is in "Band E," the individual will have a ratio of one-to-one in their deployment to dwell time. Meaning, if an Airman serves 158 days deployed, that person will have 158 days dwell time when he returns home before he can be sent on the next deployment. Training time is not counted in the time deployed. The exception to the rule is as long as six months dwell time has been passed, an Airman may be deployed again.

"This change puts everyone on equal footing for deployments while not exposing them to additional time in the CENTCOM AOR," said a Change Management official at the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.