Asked By: kbb - 12/16/2010

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Hello KBB.

Very good. You can not say that you "know" hardly anyone ever gets their choices on their Airman Assignment Preference sheet AF Form 392 (Let's all stop calling it the "dream sheet."

Every 3 months (each quarter) the AF runs their assignment computer to match up reassignments. They "rely" upon you accurately filling out the Assignment Preference sheet to tell them "where YOU" want to be stationed.

What depends on where your assignment ends up are these factors:

A. If your AF job is actually used at that base.
B. If your skill level is needed at that base (some bases do not take "3" levels - Apprentices out of technical school. They require "5" level Craftsman that they don't have to conduct upgrade training for 10 months on them to advance them to the "5" level (Craftsman).
C. Whether the Major Command needs more people in their command than other Major Commands that use the same AF jobs. In other words: One MAJCOM is short 50 cops. Another MAJCOM is short 100 cops. The MAJCOM that needs the most cops will get them first.
D. People returning home from overseas will get first priority because they have to be send "somewhere" back in the CONUS (US).
E. People coming out of technical school as "3" level apprentices have to be placed somewhere - mostly in the US unless an overseas base can train "3" levels to the "5" level.
F. Volunteers for overseas are given first choice over non volunteers for overseas.
G. AF does not assign people stateside to stateside unless there is adjustments at some base that require downsizing the number of people at that base.
H. Air Force only mans each base to 85?f the authorized strength in personnel. Meaning if a base has 100 cops authorized the AF will only assign 85 cops to that base until all bases have 85?f their authorized strength of cops. Then, if there are more remaining coming back from overseas or out of technical then they will be spread out to increase the strength of all the bases.
I. Last choice is people not volunteering for overseas assignments but the AF doesn't have enough volunteers wanting to go. So, people sitting at stateside bases the longest have to be tapped to go overseas even though they didn't volunteer or didn't list that country on their overseas preferences.

Work the Assignment Preference sheet for YOUR best chances of going to the base or country that you want to be stationed at?

#1. Stop believing that the AF wants to "screw" people by sending them to the opposite ends of the Earth.
#2. Research the bases that have your AFSC. You are lucky because cops are at all bases around the world.
#3. Put the base you want to be at "first" priority on your forecast sheet by the "name of the base."
#4. Choices 2 - 8 list the states or regions. If you want to be in California, Texas, Florida where there is more than one AF base then don't list the bases by name. You would need 9 more choices which you don't have. All you really care about is to be "In California." So, put #2 choice down by the name of the state: "California." Then, the AF computer will try to match you up with any of the 3 bases in California.
#5. Listing regions: often AF will group two or more states into a "region." If Florida, Georgia, and Mississppi are in a region then if you list that region you only use 1 choice and you are considered for about 5 bases within those 3 states.
#6. For overseas bases you can only list the name of the country.

Stop listening to crap talk by people who don't know especially because you are only in the AF for a little over 2 months recently finishing basic training and into your 13 weeks of cop training at Lackland. If you want Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico then you had BETTER list that base by name as your first choice! Go here to see all the bases cops are authorized. The "3" indicates where YOU can be sent after technical school at Lackland.

Later on 90 days after you get to your first AF base you should go down to personnel and redo your AF Form 392 are realign it for the overseas assignment. Check the volunteer statement for YES.

If you don't get Holloman AFB right out of technical school you will sit at the AF base you are sent until you get out or reenlist and go overseas. You must go overseas before you have a chance to get to Holloman AFB if you didn't get it out of technical school.

I hope you understand how the AF Assignment process works. AF will always try to send you where you want to go - if you make the right choices and work the assignment process. You MUST volunteer to go overseas. Don't sit at one base for 6 years! Then, complain about not being able to get to where you want to be.

(You don't want to go to Thule, Greenland or Clear, Alaska for a 12 month tour. Volunteer for a 24 month overseas tour in Europe or Asia!)

Best wishes,

Larry Smith
Senior Master Sergeant, USAF (Ret.)
First Sergeant

Answered By: LarrySmile - 12/16/2010