ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard are testing a new program aimed at encouraging active-duty Air Force pilots to continue flying in the Reserve Component once they separate from active duty.
On February 25, Lt. Gen. John P. Healy, chief of the Air Force Reserve and commander of Air Force Reserve Command; Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, acting director of the Air National Guard; and Lt. Gen. Adrian Spain, Air Force deputy chief of staff for operations, signed a memorandum establishing the Total Force Shared Service (TFS2) program.
TFS2 is an initiative that offers flexibility to active-duty pilots seeking to affiliate with the Reserve or Guard, while ensuring no loss of capacity to the regular Air Force.
According to the memo, “Many pilots choose to leave RegAF at the end of their initial, 10-year Undergraduate Pilot Training commitment. These are highly experienced pilots in which we have made great investment. Therefore, it is imperative that we encourage pilots to affiliate with the Air Reserve Component if they choose to leave RegAF. When pilots affiliate, we retain talent for the Total Force, increasing our Total Force warfighting readiness and reducing the ARC pilot shortage.”
“The TFS2 model allows active-duty pilots to separate with one year left on their Active-Duty Service Commitment (ADSC) in return for a three-year Air Reserve Component commitment, with a one-year payback tour on Active-Duty Operational Support (ADOS) orders during the ARC commitment.,” said Lt. Col. Brian McGinnis, AFRC’s TFS2 project manager.
Under the TFS2 beta test there will be two options for separating members transitioning to the Reserve:
- Under option 1, a member separates from the active-duty Air Force, joins an associate Reserve unit and immediately serves a 12-month ADOS tour with the active-duty unit before serving the remaining two-year Reserve Component commitment as a traditional Reservist. This option is designed to give stability to individuals who desire to remain at their current geographical location.
- Under option 2, a member separates from the active-duty Air Force, joins an associate Reserve unit as a traditional Reservist and then has no longer than 12 months before serving an ADOS tour with the active-duty unit. Option 2 also allows the Air Force and Reserve units to mutually enter into an agreement where any Reservist or combination of Reservists from the gaining Reserve unit can help fill a capacity when there is a void left by the separating member. However, the separating member still owes the 12-month ADOS tour. This option is designed for members seeking to get started in an airline career who want to remain in the Reserve as an insurance policy for economic downturns.
McGinnis said the TFS2 beta test will be conducted at five locations: Luke Air Force Base, Arizona; Travis AFB, California; Lauglin AFB, Texas; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The goal is to take initial applications in fiscal 2025 for the first pilot transfers to the Air Reserve Component in fiscal 2026.
For more information on TFS2, e-mail McGinnis at brian.mcginnis.2@us.af.mil.