I went to see an Airforce recruiter today and he told me........... Is this true?

Question

Today I went to see a recruiter with the airforce to go active duty. He told me I can only get deploited for about 130 days which equals to about 4 mths. Is this true? Can I get deploited for more time? My second question is that, I have a Bachelore in Social Work and was told by one of my friends that I can become and officer, but when I went to see the recruiter he told me I couldn't and would have to start at E3 after BT is this true? Thanks

Answer 1

I know that with an MSW it is very possible to go in as an officer. You might see if the AirForce is willing to pay for you to get your MSW (I've had a few students who they have done this for). If not you might do your MSW as Advanced Standing and enlist a year from now. DA

Answer 2

Ok, after reading all of the answers, many are incorrect. I just completed USAF Officer Training school. Here are my answers:

The typical deployment for the USAF is 120 day cycles. Others have said that up to and over a year. That is for Army, Marines, etc. The AF does have some 365 deployments, but chances are slim that you will get one, as there are not that many. However, you can be deployed for 119 days and then sent home for a week and then put on another 120 day deployment. It is one way the gov't can screw you. However, since the USAF is in a rotation system, you do your 120 day deployments and then another group takes your place. So, for the most part, yes, 120 day deployments for ground troops is common in the AF. (If you are flight crew, all that is out the window, you can have one week deployments up to 6mos+)

Next, You will have to contact an Officer Recruiter. Go to www.airforce.com and and look up a recruiter. There are special recruiters that only deal with officers and the enlisted recruiters aren't supposed to recruit officers. That is why he told you, you can go in as an E-3. They DO take people fresh out of college with no prior enlistment. I was one of them and my degree was in the medial sciences and I don't use it at all. I am a flyer now.

You will have to talk with them and put in a package. Like one person did mention, it is HIGHLY competitive. The USAF is actually reducing about 20,000 officer jobs this year as they say we are over-staffed. So, you will have to be really highly-regarded to get in. You will have to take the officer's version of the ASVAB (aka AFOQT), letters of recommendation, an interview, etc.

If you really want in, then you should look at becoming an Air Battle Manager. There is a nearly 95% acceptance rate for anyone who applies to OTS in that career path. That is the one area that the AF is hurting for people.

Answer 3

Honestly, you can be deployed for any length of time necessary for our country to meet its agenda. When you sign up there is nothing in the contract that pertains to limitation(s) on the length of a deployment. You will serve according to the needs of your country. A month, four months, six months, a year...it all depends what is needed when you join. By the way, the services can always extend your tour of duty without prior notification or your consent. It's what you sign up for.

Some people are up to the task while others are not. If you are already worried about that you shouldn't even join. There are few guarantees in our armed forces. It is a volunteer service and thus it only asks for those who are willing to make personal sacrifices for our country.


I am sorry to ask but, do you really have a bachelors degree in Social Works? What university grants a degree to an individual who misspells many common words?

Our nation's higher educational system is in utter decadence.

Answer 4

The USAF (and any branch for that matter) always needs more enlisted than they do officers. If you go see a recruiter they will push you to be enlisted and then tell you your college credit will make you an E-3 when you graduate basic instead of an E-1.

IGNORE HIM. You definitely want to be an officer if you can. Tell him you are not even remotely interested in joining without a commission and do NOT let him convince you to enlist instead.

You'll need to take the AFOQT (Air Force Officers Qualification Test) and get a good score.

See the following URLs:
http://www.airforce.com/careers/officer/careers.php
http://www.afoats.af.mil/OTS/index.asp
http://www.airforceots.com/portal/index.php


EDIT: FOA below is flat wrong. Probably because she never served a day in the USAF. She's right, the USAF doesn't offer OCS they offer OTS. See the links above. And YES there are plenty of NON-technical officer career fields in the USAF.
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Answer 5

With a 4-year degree, you can apply for an officer position rather than enlisted. However, social work isn't a critical area of specialization, and commissioning slots are very competitive. (Mechanical, civil, or electrical engineering would be examples of strong degrees for competing for a commission.) It's possible that they're not accepting applicants for OTS with non-technical degrees this year, perhaps that's what he meant.

You might try going to this website: http://www.airforce.com/careers/subcatg.php?catg_id=1&sub_catg_id=2 and click "Chat with an Air Force Advisor". They have online chat these hours:
Monday - Wednesday: 09:00 AM - 05:55 PM, 06:30 PM - 08:45 PM CDT
Thursday: 08:30 AM - 04:30 PM CDT
Friday: 08:30 AM - 11:00 AM, 12:50 PM - 02:30 PM CDT

Answer 6

You can (and likely will) be deployed for more than 130 days at a time. Many of the people I work with have taken 180 or 365 day deployments (and those were volunteers).

As to your BA, I'm not sure. It used to be that you could have any degree out there (Underwater basket weaving being the most used example), but times have changed somewhat and they are pickier about what degrees are acceptable for officer material. I don't know what the specifics are, though.

Answer 7

The part about only being deployed for four months is not true. It is what the Air Force tries to keep things to, but like every other branch of services, AF members have been deployed for anywhere from 6 -12 months on the most recent rotations. I can't comment on the officer vs. enlisted, but a four year degree in social work is not really something the military could use.

Answer 8

To answer your question...it is not true. No one in the USAF (or any branch) gets "deploited" for any amount of time. Mainly due to the fact that it is not even a word. Anyone with a Bachelors degree would know that. If you have a degree you should be able to get into OCS. BTW, what college gave you a Bachelore in Social Work? I want to cross it off my list.

Answer 9

#1. yes. Marine Corps, Navy, Airforce,(and possibly active army) all go on a set tour, very rarely get extended, my brother did due to the airport they were laving from getting hit. Then he and 15 other marines were tossed around like the generals luggage for three weeks. If you want to go longer, go with National Guard. they are going for anywhere from 14 th 23 months. air force 4 out 7 or 8 home. marines, 5 out6 home, navy, 4 out 8 home. NG baby bush tells you when to go, he brings you home when ever he damn well pleases. Go for it, you have my support with whatever branch you join. As for rank, i have no clue, but it would make for a great job at a millitary hospital or a VA hospital, All of those guys need someone worth a damn.

Answer 10

You can't just walk in as an officer any longer. You would have to enlist and then apply for and go to Officer Candidate School. It's not an easy process to see all the way through but it's possible and social work is not a good degree for the military, yet nothing is a show-stopper. Deployments may be based on 130 day cycles but they can easily change those if needed. Don't be overly focused on yourself, you need to have a focus on the needs of the Air Force while still keeping your own goals in mind. Go for it if you want, but it just concerns me when peoples questions are focused on an "easy" way to do things, or finding a way to avoid hardship. The military is a tough life, it's service over self and you need to have that mindset going in, or be willing to learn it real fast. George Washington didn't worry about deploying, and thank God he didn't.