air force assignment drop

ASSIGNMENTS

  Welcome to the Active Duty Assignment home page. This page will provide enlisted personnel critical information about various assignment programs, career fields, special duty assignments, and links to other resources related to enlisted assignments. For issues and questions concerning assignments, please use the button below.

ASSIGNMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The Assignment Management System (AMS) is a web application that houses multiple applications in support of officer assignments, enlisted assignments, commander responsibilities, and individual Air Force members. Users have access to a portion of their own personnel data and the ability to use manning tools, volunteer for available assignments, and review career field information using AMS. AMS personnel data, frequently referred to as Single Unit Retrieval Format (SURF), is not the official system of record for your personnel information and should not be used in place of Military Personnel Data System (MilPDS). Information displayed in AMS is updated from MilPDS once each week. To update personnel information in AMS, contact your local Military Personnel Flight (MPF) for corrections to MilPDS. If you have specific questions concerning your AMS account, please send an email to [email protected] . If you are experiencing problems with the AMS application, please contact the A1 Service Desk .

The appearance of external links on this site does not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the U.S. Air Force or Department of Defense.

Air Force leaders are sifting through a list of proposed changes to how airmen are assigned new jobs, and may announce some updates by the end of September.

After about a year at work, a panel of airmen from across the service has floated more than 90 suggestions for assignment reform. Now it’s up to the Air Force’s personnel branch, the Air Force’s top enlisted leader and other officials to bring some of them to fruition.

The recommendations are part of an overarching effort to improve quality of life and career opportunities across the force.

How airmen are assigned jobs gets a fresh look from new Air Force panel

A new air force panel will rethink how the service assigns troops to new jobs, chief master sergeant of the air force joanne bass said monday..

“We’ve got to start to change some of our assignment policies to mirror what today’s military family looks like,” said Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass in an exclusive Sept. 6 interview.

Their ideas fall into three broad categories: policy changes that cost nothing; changes that require funding, possibly software and other resources; and wider-ranging updates that will take more time to flesh out.

For instance, while the Air Force tries to station two active duty spouses in the same place, it never created a similar policy on how to assign jobs to couples with one active duty airman and one Reservist or Guardsman.

That’s “kind of crazy,” Bass said. “That’s an easy fix.”

Air Force to end preferred basing for enlisted as it changes how airmen find new jobs

The "base of preference" program's last day is may 31..

The Air Force could also change how it considers airmen for emergency transfer to another base, such as sexual assault victims trying to get away from their abuser.

“There shouldn’t be any calculus,” Bass said. “I don’t care how long somebody’s been ‘time on station.’ We’ve got to expedite people and allow them to be able to transfer out of their duty station.”

Among the more complicated proposals is a suggestion to rethink how long airmen should live at each base.

“Are short tours and long tours and standard tours appropriate for today’s force?” Bass said. “What might have been considered a hardship tour 15 or 20 years ago may not be a hardship tour [now], and it doesn’t need to be a short tour.”

Short overseas postings such as at Morón Air Base, Spain, or Pápa AB, Hungary, can last one to two years. Long postings can last three or four years in places like the United Kingdom or Japan.

Air Force extends first-term, unaccompanied tours at some overseas duty stations to 36 months

The change is designed to give the service member additional time to train with the unit, along with greater “stability," the air force said..

In February, then-Air Force personnel boss Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly told House lawmakers that enlisted airmen spend just over four years at installations in the continental United States on average, while officers spend about three years at each base.

Bass argues it’s time to reconsider how long airmen remain at stateside bases. She’s open to the idea of standardizing the length of those postings, and offering extensions to people who request them — as happens for assignments abroad.

“Perhaps if it’s a win to the airman and it’s a win to the Air Force to keep that member there for another year or two years, allow our command teams to … take a look at that,” she said.

Airmen don’t necessarily have to stay in the same job if they want to remain at a particular base. If a slot is open and they meet the requirements, the Air Force can move someone into a new unit at their current base or one nearby to maintain some stability.

The service is also trying to make job opportunities more transparent and accessible so airmen can better explore their options. At the same time, it wants more flexibility to move people around — or not — as needed.

A bearish manpower outlook means the Air Force has to plan ahead to avoid stretching the force even thinner.

“We really have to be thoughtful [about], how do we keep talent on the table five years from now, 10 years from now, 15 years from now?” Bass said. “Assignments matter to people.”

Rachel Cohen is the editor of Air Force Times. She joined the publication as its senior reporter in March 2021. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Frederick News-Post (Md.), Air and Space Forces Magazine, Inside Defense, Inside Health Policy and elsewhere.

In Other News

Congress poised to pass annual defense authorization bill this week

Defense and veterans hearings on capitol hill for the week of dec. 11, 2023..

The Pentagon working group to combat extremism could be finished

The countering extremist activity working group was established in 2021 to address an increase in concerning behavior among troops..

Services scramble to promote senior leaders after Tuberville hold

The services are working through a backlog of hundreds of promotions for senior military leaders..

Air Force again dangles $600,000 in bonuses to keep pilots in uniform

Annual bonus pay programs aim to keep airmen around to blunt the effects of a pilot shortage that has lasted decades..

Officers whose nominations were blocked in Senate could get back pay

A senate proposal would award retroactive pay and benefits to senior leaders who waited months for confirmation due to a political standoff..

• - K-town Now
• Asia-Pacific
• - Storm Tracker
• Middle East
• Map of Memorials
• Entertainment
• - Video Games
• Europe Travel
• - Quick Trips
• - After Hours
• Pacific Travel
• The Meat and Potatoes of Life
• U.S. Travel
• Storm Tracker
• Rewards for readers
• Get Stripes
• Stripes Lite
• Archives/Library
• Special Publications
• Mobile Apps
• Email Newsletters
• Digital Access
• Home Delivery
• Marine Corps
• Coast Guard
• Space Force
• Archive photo of the day
• - Military Matters
• - Force for Hire
• Out of Uniform
• Communities
• Stripes Europe
• Stripes Guam
• Stripes Japan
• Stripes Korea
• Stripes Okinawa
• Our Other Websites
• In Memoriam
• Month of the Military Child
• Best of Germany
• Best of the Pacific
• Letters to Santa

Air Force says PCS moves continue after concerns of pause mount among airmen

Passengers board the Patriot Express at RAF Mildenhall, England, Dec. 20, 2022. The Air Force is still processing new military assignments, and moves scheduled this year haven’t been canceled, the service said, following concerns and posts by airmen on unofficial social media channels. (Viviam Chiu/U.S. Air Force)

The Air Force is processing new assignments and scheduled permanent-change-of-station moves are still going according to plan, the service said, following numerous social media posts referring to a pause in processing the movements of airmen.

“The Air Force Personnel Center is not pausing processing military assignment actions nor canceling assignments for those scheduled” to move in fiscal year 2023, Tech. Sgt. Deana Heitzman, an Air Force spokeswoman at the Pentagon, said in a statement to Stars and Stripes on Wednesday.

Numerous comments and screenshots of what appear to be Air Force documents and unit messages were posted to unofficial military social media channels earlier this week, informing airmen that assignments and moves had been temporarily paused due to a significant shortfall in the service’s PCS budget.

“We are Air Force wide 7-day assignment pause,” said an anonymous post Tuesday on Air Force Reddit, noting that someone had posted about the issue earlier but had since deleted the post.

The PCS budget is projected to be expended for enlisted members by Aug. 1 and sooner for officers, the post continued. “They are pausing to ensure that the math is correct and come up with a solution.”

Added to the comments below the post was a screenshot of a message directed to unit leaders, stating that the loading of new assignments into the system was on hold. Heitzman said she could not confirm the authenticity of the note.

Others said they received a similar message.

“Got the same from my Commander today,” said another Reddit post Tuesday. “He briefed us as soon as he heard so we weren’t caught by surprise. Lots of badly needed career progression about to be put on pause in my work center.”

Similar posts appeared on the popular Air Force amn/nco/scno Facebook page .

But Air Force officials said Wednesday that no changes had been decided.

An email sent to airmen from the Air Force Personnel Center on Wednesday backed up that statement, adding that earlier communication on the subject may have been premature or erroneous.

“To be crystal clear — we are continuing to process military assignment actions,” it said. “We apologize for the confusion from a previous message on this topic.”

The back-and-forth left some airmen skeptical regarding the service’s fiscal standing.

“I’m not trying to stoke fires, but nowhere in the statement did it address the current state of the budget,” said one Air Force Reddit commenter. “Just that assignments will still be processed and assignments won’t be canceled.”

Heitzman did not say whether there is a shortfall in the PCS budget, following an emailed question from Stars and Stripes.

A Government Accountability Office study published in 2015 determined that PCS move costs across the Defense Department increased 28% from 2001 to 2014, to $4.3 billion, after accounting for inflation.

The report found that the Air Force spent the highest per move, at an average of $8,548.

The service asked for $1.1 billion for 2023 PCS moves, according to Air Force budget documents.

Moving costs in general are on the rise because of inflation, higher shipping rates and gas price spikes, fueled in part by a supply crunch during the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The military services also are now obligated to pay for more temporary lodging expenses. Last fall, the Defense Department mandated an increase in temporary lodging coverage from 10 to 14 days for stateside moves and up to 60 days for service members moving to an area with a housing shortage.

related stories

• Defense secretary issues orders aimed at putting more money into troops’ pockets
• Army hasn’t paid reservists housing money a year after a board said it broke the law

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world.

Sign Up Now

Official websites use .mil

Secure .mil websites use HTTPS

AFPC increases transparency of Developmental Special Duty assignments

By Kat Bailey Air Force’s Personnel Center Public Affairs

Set to start with the Fall 2018 cycle, AFPC will “front-load” DSD tentative assignments prior to final approval so commanders of selected Airmen can receive seven days’ advanced notification. In the past, these tentative selection notifications from the hiring authority went directly to Airmen.

This change supports Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein’s “Revitalizing Squadrons” effort, ensuring commanders are aware of assignments given to their Airmen.

“The advance notification enables commanders to notify their Airmen of the assignment and gives Airmen’s leadership an opportunity to guide them through the next steps of the assignment process,” said AFPC’s operations and special duty Airman career management division superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. Stephanie DeSouza. “It also provides the chance to discuss the pros and cons of the assignment, ultimately giving commanders additional mentoring opportunities.”

The seven-day window also allows for discussion of the Airman’s professional development path and the assignment timing for their family. Additionally, the added step permits delivery of the assignment notification face-to-face rather than on a computer. 

Furthermore, this revised DSD assignment notification process enables commanders to assist Airmen as they work through the Special Duty Catalog, or SPECAT, requirements. All assignments are tentative pending SPECAT approval, as Airmen must be fully qualified for their DSD positions.

“Leaders at every level must mentor Airmen to ensure they receive the best professional development advice and experience needed for their career,” DeSouza said. “Airmen selected for DSD must be highly qualified—an ambassador and role model for the Air Force core values of integrity, service and excellence. The selected special duties are those that create, develop and care for Airmen, so nominees must have a demonstrated record of exceptional performance and a high capacity to lead.”

Find additional information on the DSD page of the Air Force’s Personnel Center public website off the Assignment landing page at https://www.afpc.af.mil/Assignment/Developmental-Special-Duty/.