--- title: "Tired of active duty? Air Force offers options to get out or transfer to the reserves" description: "The Air Force announced new options for leaving as the branch contends with a retention high due to the COVID-19 pandemic." date: "2021-01-20" modified: "2021-01-20" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-transfer-active-duty-guard/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Military Branches" - "News" tags: - "Reserves" --- # Tired of active duty? Air Force offers options to get out or transfer to the reserves ![]() *U.S. Air Force members from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla., jump out of the back of a C-130 Hercules Sept. 27, 2010. (Air Force photo / Master Sgt. Russell Cooley)* Tired of active duty Air Force-ing? You could be in luck: the branch is offering limited service commitment waivers, which allow airmen to retire or separate early; and expanding its existing [Palace Chase Program](), which allows eligible airmen a chance to transfer out of active duty and into the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard. The Air Force announced the new options on Tuesday as the service contends with a retention high, since many more airmen than usual elected to stay in the Air Force amidst the economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The branch was supposed to grow by about 900 airmen in 2020, bringing the total to 333,700 active-duty airmen, [*Federal News Network*]() reported*.* Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, said the service wound up about 900 above that benchmark. Offering better incentives might help the service offload active-duty airmen as the branch faces possible [budget cuts]() under President Joe Biden. “Voluntary force management programs provide Airmen with flexible options to retire, separate or affiliate at times that suit their personal circumstances and allow the Department of the Air Force to balance certain specialties to ensure we meet the needs of the high-end fight,” said Col. Richard Cole, chief of the military sustainment and transition program division, in the branch’s [announcement]() on Tuesday. ### Video - Which educational benefit is best for you? Airmen have from Wednesday to April 2, 2021 to apply for the programs. Here’s the breakdown: **Limited Active Duty Service Commitment waivers:** - Allows eligible airmen to retire no later than Sept. 1, 2021, or separate no later than Sept. 29, 2021. - Retirement-eligible enlisted airmen must have at least 20 years of total active federal military service under their belts, while officers must have at least 10 years of total active federal commissioned service before the requested retirement date. - Enlisted airmen could use the waivers to reduce commitments invoked by permanent change of station, date estimated return from overseas curtailment, and senior noncommissioned officer promotions. - Officers could use the waivers to reduce commitments invoked by PCS, DEROS curtailment, tuition assistance, direct accession, and extended active duty ROTC and OTS. - Airmen approved for a waiver have to repay the government for related unearned portions of bonuses, special pays, education assistance, and all other monetary incentives. **Extended Palace Chase Program** - Allows Airmen in select specialties and grades to transfer from active duty to an Air Reserve Component, which includes the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves. - Usually, enlisted airmen who transfer via Palace Chase have to serve double the time they had left active duty in an ARC, while officers served triple. This year, it’s a one-to-one exchange for both enlisted and officers. - Airmen released under the expanded Palace Chase program don’t have to pay back unearned bonuses. Recoupment of education costs will also be deferred as long as the airman fulfills their Palace Chase obligation. If you’re interested, you should probably apply sooner rather than later. The Air Force is processing applications on a first in, first out basis. Also, an airman’s eligibility could change with manning and mission requirements, Cole warned. Plus, the Air Force did not specify in its announcement how many slots were available for the waivers and expanded Palace Chase program. ***Related: [‘I knew I needed to do something’ — Airman awarded for braving rocket fire to treat wounded during Camp Taji attack]()*** ## Author David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis. Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific. Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io]()