JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas -- Air Force Recruiting Service had a successful performance in fiscal year 2019 as each of its components made goal for the year
The Regular Air Force accessed 32,421 enlisted Airmen, 1,442 line officers, 763 health professionals and 34 chaplains. The Air Force Reserve assessed 7,323 enlisted airmen, 982 line officers, 361 health professionals and 50 chaplains. The Air National Guard assessed 11,075 enlisted airmen and 1,929 officers.
The Air Force is embarking on a Total Force recruiting enterprise approach to recruit our nation’s best talent and this year was the first year to test the new model. It was an important accomplishment for each component to make goal this year considering the challenges faced by all of the military services.
“I think this is significant because the goals were high, the economy was strong and unemployment was low,” said Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, AFRS commander. “So this is a true testament to the outstanding professionals we have in the Total Force recruiting enterprise.”
In addition to the three components, Total Force recruiting also encompasses Air Force Academy admissions, Air Force Civilian Talent Acquisition and Air Force ROTC. The Air Force accessed 965 officers from the Academy and 1,413 officers from AFROTC. Through three quarters of FY19 Air Force Personnel Civilian Talent Acquisition hired nearly 3,100 personnel with more than 900 given tentative job offers on the spot at hiring events.
Leavitt believes one of the keys to this year’s success was the power of people telling their stories, engaging with the American public and explaining to them all the ways you can serve in our Air Force.
“We are one Air Force with three components and many paths to accession,” she said. “Total Force recruiting is about finding talent in society and finding the best match in our Air Force, whether that’s full or part time, in or out of uniform.”
As Total Force recruiting polices continue to be implemented this coming fiscal year, Leavitt believes the message will become clearer to those seeking to serve in the Air Force.
“I think by having a coherent consistent message to the American public about what the Air Force is and what all the opportunities are, we will greatly increase the pool of applicants to join our team,” she said.
An important part of Total Force recruiting is keeping fully trained Airmen serving in one of the components.
“One of the key things we need to do is to encourage our Airmen who are separating from the Regular Air Force to transition into our Guard and Reserve components,” she said. “These are valuable members of our team. We have invested a lot of training and education in them and they have a lot of experience that we want to capture in one of our other components.”
While Total Force recruiting is still in the early stages, Leavitt is excited to see how the process plays out. She sees tremendous potential in the program.
“If we can truly join together and implement Total Force recruiting, we can be so much more successful in our mission. We can truly find the best fit for people where they serve in our Air Force,” the general said.
“I would love to take Total Force recruiting to that next step—where we can truly increase the knowledge level in American society about the Air Force and increase the number of people who want to join our team. We need the best and brightest if we are going to remain the greatest Air Force in the world.”
For those interested in learning more about opportunities in the Air Force, full time, part time, or as a civilian, go to airforce.com.