USAF to Deploy New AEF Model

The Air Force will begin deploying airmen in most Air Force specialty codes under a new deployment model, known as AEF Next, beginning Oct. 1, 2014, Col. Stephen Hart, chief of the war planning and policy division, told the Daily Report. Under the new air and space expeditionary force construct, airmen will their units instead of the piece-meal approach adopted after more than a decade of fighting simultaneous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The goal is to create more predictability and stability for airmen by creating a unified battle rhythm that includes a 1:2 deployment-to-dwell ratio for Active Duty airmen and a 1:5 deployment-to-dwell ratio for the reserve component, said Hart. “The concepts of AEF Next, which were approved by the [Chief of Staff of the Air Force] and incorporated into the existing AEF processes are focused on stabilizing the force,” said Hart. “However, the Air Force’s ability to prevent any airmen from deploying at less than 1:2 [deployment-to-dwell ratio] is situation dependent and not absolute.” The Fiscal 2015 Global Force Management Allocation Plan, which is expected to be signed in early 2014, will determine which career fields will remain at the higher operational tempo, said Hart. “It’s important to note that it is individual airmen who deploy at less than 1:2, not the AFSC,” he added. (See also What’s Next for the AEF from the September 2012 edition of Air Force Magazine)