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

[rebewranger]

Air Force to end preferred basing for enlisted as it changes how airmen find new jobs
By Rachel S. Cohen
 May 5, 02:05 PM

 
The Air Force this month will suspend its 4-year-old “base of preference” program for airmen who are on at least their second enlistment contract, saying it fails to send most applicants to the installations they want.

Stopping the initiative at the end of May can also offer the service more flexibility to move airmen around as military staffing needs dictate.


The change affects “career airmen,” or those who have reenlisted at least once. They previously needed to spend at least four years in their jobs before leaving for a preferred base.
 

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.

By Rachel S. Cohen
The Air Force Personnel Center will accept base requests from those airmen no later than May 31, according to service spokesperson Lt. Col. Jennifer Pearson.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2022/05/05/air-force-to-end-preferred-basing-for-enlisted-as-it-changes-how-airmen-find-new-jobs/

[SZonian]

Dream sheets...aka Base of Preference (BoP) filled one out at Basic with no idea what each base did.  My choices were all overseas...got sent to Dover AFB.

The only time we qualified for a BoP during my time is if one was coming out of a special duty assignment or a remote overseas.  In other words, you earned it.

Though there were problems with that in the past. 

I knew folks that would be sent overseas for a year and come back to the same base, squadron and most times, flight that they left, numerous times.  A revolving door that prevented them from going other places. A real morale killer, especially for F16 maintainers rotating to "The Koon" (Kunsan) and back.