Air Force Reduction in Force

Interesting goings-on in the Air Force of late. Since the economy has been so bad the last couple of years, the natural attrition of Airmen (officers and enlisted) has slowed to a crawl. So the higher-ups have recently been looking for additional ways to get the numbers down. It looks like they've exhausted all of the voluntary ways for people to go (with the idea being that they're not replaced and this brings our overall numbers down). Next up - Reduction in Force (RIF) boards. Everybody's records meet a group of senior officers and those who don't make the cut have to separate. Looks like the NLT separation date is February 1, 2012. And for those of you who are pretty sure you're not going to make the cut? Opt for voluntary separation during the month of March and you get a little bump to your separation pay.

I just learned that my year group is going to be one of those meeting one of these boards. I'm exempt because I have over 15 years total military service and because I'm within 2 years of retirement. These are anxious times for some of my peers, though.