Missile Forces Adopt Three-Year Rotation Scheme

The Air Force will adopt a test scheme force-wide to rotate new missilers after three years of proficiency building into instructing or supervisory roles, announced 20th Air Force, which oversees ICBM forces. “In the past, the focus was to become an instructor or evaluator, leading to less experienced people” often overseeing more experienced officers, explained Maj. Ray Vann, ICBM operations lead at Air Force Global Strike Command’s Applied Capabilities Office. The new “3+3” plan to decrease the length of first-term assignment and allow launch officers to gain experience was beta tested at Minot AFB, N.D., earlier this year. The result, thus far, has been that officers in the missile field “attain a high level of expertise as leaders and operators so they can lead from the front when they become commanders of ICBM units,” added Col. Jay Folds, 20th AF operations director. “An added benefit to the ‘3+3’ model is the new perspective gained by serving in multiple units” early in a career, Vann added.