NCO retraining issues

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The Commander's Action Line is a forum for the Ellsworth community to make suggestions or voice concerns about Ellsworth directly to Col. Mark Weatherington, 28th Bomb Wing commander. 

QUESTION 

I am currently in the process of separating from the AF. This is not voluntarily, I say that because I am not choosing not to re-enlist. I cannot re-enlist due to the CJR constraint list. I put in for retraining 2 times and got denied both times. I also do not qualify for certain special duties due to minor health issues. I am a new NCO with almost 6 years of experience in my current job, so I guess my question would be is why do we have all these Airman coming in with no knowledge of the job, terrible attitudes, making bad decisions, and ultimately getting kicked out anyway wasting AF time and precious money? They say it's cheaper to bring in an A1C than to keep a NCO, however when there is a huge influx of Airman coming in and a few NCO's getting kicked out (not having a choice) how is that cheaper? Bringing in 10+ Airman and kicking one NCO out is not a cheaper method. I am upset and frustrated the way things have worked out because I have busted my hump to try and stay in yet there are Airman who I supervise who quit on their PT tests because they are too lazy to work out on their own, Airman who fail to complete their CDC's in a timely manner because they are too lazy to study on their own time, Airman who are constantly disrespecting NCO's, and so on. I have received little to no help from my leadership besides "oh, you have a 4 EPR that's why you didn't get it". I received a 4 on an EPR which automatically puts me at the bottom of the list CJR waiting list and also bumps me down on the retraining list. However, a 4 rating is above average but when it comes to retraining or CJR that's a terrible thing! Changing the inflated EPR system will probably never change however it is a huge factor for people like myself who want to stay in! Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Col. Mark Weatherington
Col. Mark
Weatherington
  RESPONSE

Thanks for question and I understand your frustration. The Air Force does not merely look at total number of personnel to make these kinds of decisions, it must also work to maintain the right balance of Airmen, NCOs, SNCOs, and so on. We must maintain the right overall force makeup over the long term, and that currently requires force shaping in some specialties.

Currently there are 24 AFSCs on the CJR Constraint list (21 here at EAFB). When First Term Airmen in one of these AFSCs enter their retraining window (35th-43rd month TIS for a 4-year enlistee or 59th-67th month TIS for a 6-year enlistee), they are rank ordered amongst their peers to compete for a Career Job Reservation (CJR). Each AFSC has a different monthly quota, ranging from 1 (2R0X1, 2T3X2C, 4D0X1, 4J0X1) to 72 (3P0X1), with many other variations in between. When an AFSC has too many FTA to retain, the result is a constraint list.

Six different factors determine an individual's placement on the rank order list, including current grade, projected grade, date of rank, last 3 EPRs, and TAFMSD. Airman with an active UIF automatically go to the bottom of the list.

Once placed on the CJR constraint list, an Airman has 3 options:

1- apply and approved to retrain;

2- apply and approved for special duty;

3- disapproved for retraining or special duty or do nothing, separate on current DOS

All First Term Airmen should contact/go see the Career Assistance Advisor, MSgt Nancy Schrecengost (385-2367, Rushmore Center, Ste 2403) BEFORE requesting retraining to ensure eligibility requirements are identified and met.

Unfortunately, some excellent Airmen will be unable to continue their AF career. For some highly qualified Airmen who are willing to meet AF needs outside their current AFSC, the answer may be AF recruiting service or another retraining opportunity. There are many openings in hard to fill locations that just might extend a career, even if scheduled to separate in the next 90 days. Again, I highly recommend you meet with the Career Assistance Advisor as soon as possible.