{"id":15662,"date":"2018-12-18T21:11:53","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T21:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/18\/air-force-expanding-program-for-airmens-next-assignments-to-all-career-fields\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:20:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:20:59","slug":"air-force-expanding-program-for-airmens-next-assignments-to-all-career-fields","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/12\/18\/air-force-expanding-program-for-airmens-next-assignments-to-all-career-fields\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Force expanding Base of Preference program for airmen\u2019s next assignments to all career fields"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force is greatly expanding a program that makes it easier for certain airmen in all career fields to find their next assignments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning Jan. 9, Air Force Personnel Center<\/a> officials said, certain enlisted airmen will be able to apply for permanent change of station assignments<\/a> in the continental United States, or CONUS, using the new Base of Preference system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To qualify, those airmen must have served at their current station for 48 months, and must now be assigned to a CONUS location. But the program is now open to eligible career airmen \u2014 or an airman who has re-enlisted and is no longer on his first term \u2014 in all Air Force specialty codes, and is being made permanent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force launched the new system in April. It aims to give airmen a clearer picture of what jobs are available at certain locations when they request their next assignments. At first, the Air Force opened it up to about 18,000 airmen in seven career fields, and added three more career fields in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis final step in the initiative normalizes the process we began in April, simplifying the [Base of Preference] application so airmen and commanders can make professional development and career decisions by aligning preferences with available requirements,\u201d said Ron Gallucci, AFPC\u2019s assignments programs and procedures program manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the old Base of Preference system, airmen coming up on a permanent change of station submitted their requests for where they wanted to be reassigned, but they had no idea whether that base actually had vacancies that they could fill. They were effectively taking shots in the dark, hoping they\u2019d stumble on a job at a decent base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with the new system, bases will advertise what jobs they have available on myPers on a quarterly basis. That way, airmen can tell whether they have a chance at a job at their dream base \u2014 and won\u2019t waste time if nothing\u2019s available.<\/p>\n\n\n\t