Strengthening U.S. Air Force Human Capital Management A Flight Plan for 2020-2030 (2021) / Chapter Skim
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5 Force Development, Utilization, and Retention
5 Force Development, Utilization, and Retention
Pages 99-140
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From page 99... ...
The chapter concludes with a discussion of research areas to support postaccession decisions as the Air Force seeks to strengthen its human capital management (HCM) system to develop and support its future force.
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From page 100... ...
Ultimately, this has a profound impact on how the Services use and manage their military force and also serves as an incentive for those military members who want to progress to take advantage of competitive force development programs that will set them apart from their peers. FORCE DEVELOPMENT Air Force doctrine is very clear on the importance of its people: "People are the Air Force's most critical asset.
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From page 101... ...
and Enlisted Airman Orientation Course All Active Duty, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard recruits with no previous military service attend BMT for 8.5 weeks at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Recruits with prior non-Air Force military service attend the Enlisted Airman Orientation Course (optional for Reserve and National Guard)
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From page 102... ...
AETC is working to adapt training so that Airmen can quickly test out of training on skills and knowledge they already possess. During the committee's visit to Keesler AFB, cyber career field trainers demonstrated their approach to this type of training; another example includes the work being done to shorten Air Force pilot training through the use of technology.6 Each functional area collaborates with AETC regarding the curriculum for its technical training, and some career fields are ahead of others on modernizing their curriculum and pedagogy.
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From page 103... ...
Appointments do not get further stratified into AFSCs. 10 Functional, occupational, or additional duty training is not included in ancillary training; however, ancillary training includes subjects such as chemical, biological and nuclear warfare training, information protection, human relations training, force protection, law of armed conflict, religious freedom, self-aid and buddy care, substance abuse, suicide prevention, and additional duty training.
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AIR FORCE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT 1. Total force awareness training; 2.
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This training includes, but is not limited to, distance learning, resident enlisted professional military education, and Joint Professional Military Education. Intermediate Airmen in grade E-7 (roughly 10% of Air Force enlisted active duty)
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106 STRENGTHENING U.S. AIR FORCE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT FIGURE 5-1 Enlisted education and training.
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From page 107... ...
. To further their education, there are s everal opportunities for enlisted Airmen to obtain advanced academic degrees through programs managed by Air Force Career Field Managers.14 Officer Professional Military Education In FY2020, there are approximately 64,000 officers in the Air Force, making up just 19 percent of the active duty force.15 Each member of this small cadre is functionally developed to be expert in their respective career fields, guided by education and training plans.
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From page 108... ...
In 2019, the Air Force began using the webbased platform, the Talent Marketplace, for making officer assignments (Lieutenant Colonel and below)
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From page 109... ...
and Lieutenant Colonels) • Senior rater nominates • Senior rater nominates • Central Air Force Board selects • Central Air Force Board selects • AFPC matches selects t en • AFPC matches selects to specific to specific programs pm programs elo ev eD iat ed erm Int t Primary Development en pm (In-Residence and Distance-Learning PME, elo Graduate Education, and Education with Industry)
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From page 110... ...
, designed according to Air Force Policy Directive 36-21, Utilization and Classification of Military Personnel (USAF, 2019d) , and implemented according to Air Force Instruction 36-2110, with more than 500 pages on Total Force Assignments (USAF, 2018b)
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From page 111... ...
and uses a much older technology platform than the Talent Marketplace for officer assignments. See Figure 5-3 for the enlisted assignment process.
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112 STRENGTHENING U.S. AIR FORCE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT FIGURE 5-3 Enlisted assignment process.
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See Figure 5-4 for the officer assignment process that utilizes the Talent Marketplace. The idea behind this is to add preferences on both sides of the assignment process because preferences can express information held by position owners (commanders)
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Military Evaluations In this section, the Air Force Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems are introduced. These systems are based on the rules and regulations provided in Air Force Instruction 36-2406, Officer and Enlisted Evaluation System, which states that military evaluations serve three purposes: 1.
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, Enlisted Performance Reports (EPRs, chapter 4) , Letter of Evaluation (chapter 5)
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Airman Comprehensive Assessment (ACA) The ACA is mandatory for all active duty and reserve Airmen, Airman Basic (AB)
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Officer Performance Report (OPR) The purpose of the OPR is to "document performance and potential as well as provide information for making promotion recommendation, selection, or propriety action; selective continuation; involuntary separation; selective early retirement; assignment; school nomination and selection; and other management decisions" concerning officers (USAF, 2019c, section 3.2.1)
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From page 118... ...
. 20 "The fundamental purpose of the officer promotion program is to select officers through a fair and competitive selection process that advances the best qualified officers to positions of increased responsibility and authority and provides the necessary career incentive to attract and maintain a quality officer force" (USAF, 2020c, p.
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From page 119... ...
Under the new arrangement, officers will compete against officers within specific developmental categories, in career fields that have "similar progression milestones, experiences, and mission area focus."23 The new Line of the Air Force developmental categories are Air Operations and Special Warfare, Nuclear and Missile Operations, Space Operations, Information Warfare, Combat Support, and Force Modernization. In addition to the six new categories, 21 For example, see Losey (2017)
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120 STRENGTHENING U.S. AIR FORCE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT FIGURE 5-5 Officer promotion.
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. Promotion eligibility Under current policy, to be eligible for promotion, Airmen must meet merit criteria and requirements for time in the current grade as defined by law and several Air Force policy documents (e.g., 10 U.S.C.
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Air Force Officer Selection Record, which includes: q O fficer Performance Reports, a Promotion Recommendation Form, an O fficer Selection Brief (one-page data summary of officer's career) , a l etter to the board submitted by the eligible officer, if applicable, and information not part of the official military record of an officer.
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From page 123... ...
Enlisted promotions The purpose of the enlisted promotion program is also to select enough enlisted Airmen of the desired quality, in the proper grades, to carry out the mission. However, enlisted promotions have very little legislation governing the process, which gives the Services wide latitude to tailor enlisted promotion programs.
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124 STRENGTHENING U.S. AIR FORCE HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT FIGURE 5-6 Enlisted promotion.
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From page 125... ...
The following list is an example of such policies but is by no means all-inclusive: changes to high-year-of-tenure policies for enlisted Airmen; allowing retired Airmen to come back on active duty; liberal retraining programs to allow greater flexibility in assigned career paths; expanded maternity leave; sabbatical programs; changes to the fitness policy post-pregnancy; and changes to the tattoo policy. The Air Force can also adjust active duty service commitments to secure service for a longer period associated with certain training schools.
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Enlisted and Officer Promotions; and 5. Performance Appraisals.
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From page 127... ...
individuals to begin self-development activities before entering a formal training program, potentially speeding up their time to training completion; and (c) identification of individuals who already possess higher levels of skills and abilities, 26 The topic of adaptive training was discussed with Air Force representatives during site visits to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph (November 5–8, 2019)
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(see AFWIC, 2020) .27 A systematic program of research to integrate needs assessments that focus on the job, on the individual Airman, and on the future force would improve coordination and planning capabilities.
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From page 129... ...
For example, databases that incorporate information on Airman training performance integrated with performance management information could provide etter information on where, when, and how training can be enhanced. As b a nother example, representatives of the USAFA indicated a desire for higher quality data systems that would allow a feedback loop to the Academy on the subsequent success of cadets throughout their career.28 A human capital data superstructure could prove valuable to USAFA in understanding areas of needed curriculum enhancements and relative preparation for various officer career paths in the Air Force.
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, Department of Social Sci 29 Information about the Talent Marketplace was provided to the committee during the site visit to Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph (November 5–8, 2019) and a follow-up conference call (November 18, 2019)
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Turning back to the Air Force, the present (preliminary) use of deferred acceptance algorithms in the Talent Marketplace is not an evidence-based decision; rather it arises from a perhaps too-hasty parallel with the operation of the private-sector clearinghouse for American physicians (see discussion of preference informed matching in Appendix D)
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• How does the Talent Marketplace affect individual and unit performance? Enlisted and Officer Promotions As noted earlier, Air Force policy documents outline the general process used to promote enlisted Airmen and officers to various ranks.
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For example, for promotions from E-3 to E-4, commanders have the authority to promote 15 percent of their eligible Airmen early using a board process to review enlisted performance reports and personal information files (USAF, 2019e)
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From page 134... ...
Although the committee understands that WAPS has undergone at least two successful evaluations of its ability to capture the policies of promotion boards (i.e., evaluations of its designed purpose) , the committee found no evidence during our study that a systematic evaluation has been done of WAPS' ability to predict performance at the higher grade, or that there is a system in place for tracking and periodically evaluating how WAPS content or weighting may need to change over time in light of shifting demands at the E-6 level.
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From page 135... ...
. Although promotion decisions made via boards can be effective, the committee found little evidence that the Air Force is engaged in a systematic program of research to evaluate and strengthen the process its promotion boards use to make enlisted/officer promotion decisions that are in line with professional standards and best practices.
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From page 136... ...
For example, the EPR yields quantifiable job performance and promotion readiness data that could be used as criteria for validating personnel tests. As introduced in Chapter 4, a "Human Capital Data Superstructure" would be beneficial as a central personnel repository for these and other kinds of data.
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SUMMARY The Air Force aims for an integrated approach to advancing the areers c of its Airmen and managing its force, through its assessment of training, evaluation of performance, and promotion decisions. The committee believes that better use of the data these separate processes produce and further collection of additional data would strengthen integration and conceivably yield improved results, helping the Air Force meet the challenge it faces in implementing the National Defense Strategy through the optimal use of its human capital.
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From page 138... ...
The committee found little evidence, however, that the Air Force is evaluating the processes its boards use to ensure they are in line with professional standards and best practices. The research and analysis implied by the committee's findings will require establishment of a human capital data superstructure.
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From page 139... ...
. You and Your Promotions -- The Air Force Officer Promotion Program.
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