Anyone got the skinny on this program? I've got plenty of articles from google that speak of the program's greatness but these all have that Public Affairs flavor (spouting the company line).

I was "unofficially" notified that I've been selected.

90% leaning towards 3-day opting out.

It sounded like a horrible time for you and your family when AMC's roadshow was down here.

Learn the language, spend a year in Afghanistan/Pakistan a year back home where you are hoping to be picked up for school and then another year in Afghanistan/Pakistan.

I'm sure some others might have more information/practical experience. Good luck.

A year dealing with AfPak culture issues and then do it again? I'd be 190% considering 3-day opt.

Edited May 16, 201510 yr by sky_king

Are you an aviator? If so I'd be GONE. Good luck.

Chuck

Gone.... unless you signed an ADSC for a pilot retention bonus.

Did you get any indication as to why you were selected? Language background?

Did you have the specific AFPAK Hands vector from a previous DT? All the guys I've heard of that ended up getting picked for the program all had the vector but then ended up three day opting. I'm afraid they're going to run out of guys that were vectored and start coming for us MAJCOM staff vector guys.

Sounds like a great ANG recruiting initiative.

Aren't you in sanctuary by now?

So.....can I still fly for the ANG after I retire? I've heard so many different answers but that's something for another forum.

Theoretically. Do you mean retire, draw retirement pay and serve as a Guard TR? I have heard of it but I have also heard of it never working well.

Edited May 16, 201510 yr by Clark Griswold

It can be done. The deal is that the days you are on mil payroll, you are not getting paid your pension. Essentially you are working at a discount. If you're doing it for shits and grins, not a terrible deal. If you're doing it to pay the bills,not so much.

Why the hell do they put flyers in this program? Or Air Force at all?

One of my buddies was non vol'd last week. Really hope he can find a way out...

C-17 pilot '06 year group

We're hemorrhaging aviators so badly that we're upping bonuses, yet THIS is what's dropping to flying units?

I understand that I don't have the big picture perspective, but seriously...what is A1 thinking?

I can think of a lot of pretty sh-tty deals out there but AFPAK hands sounds like about the absolute worst of the worst of the sh-tty deals.

zb

I have to read more: I thought AFPAK hands didn't have an ADSC, but the underlying training/PCSs did.

It may be as simple as 7-day opting when the language school RIP comes around.

Why the hell do they put flyers in this program? Or Air Force at all?

Some are legitimately interested in serving in this way. It could lead to work in the Intel community, the State Dept, or NGOs post retirement.

Of course, it gets F-ed up when the AF picks guys who don't want to do it or who won't be good at it just to pay some perceived higher level manpower bill.

Most of us '06 guys still have 2.5 to 3 years of UPT ADSC left. So I'm not sure how much of the program AFPC could make us do. Figure there is at least enough commitment for the language training and the 1st deployment.

I'd tank the language training on purpose rather than eat that shit sandwich.

We're hemorrhaging aviators so badly that we're upping bonuses, yet THIS is what's dropping to flying units?

I understand that I don't have the big picture perspective, but seriously...what is A1 thinking?

This is the CJCS's program. I guess if you think it's a bad idea you could drop him a note...

It's a CJCS program because of politics. Throw the ol joint chief stamp on there so that everyone thinks its serious.

Are there people that want to do this, probably. Are they in avaition, now we're getting to slim pickins. No one likes to work for futility, which is my opinion of this program and region. Send lots of intel and foreign affairs types to this program.

Out

I've been mentoring young'ins for years to be afraid of this Bullshit program... Don't take the DLAB unless you have a very specific reason for taking it. No DLAB = No AFPAK Hands. Call me paranoid, but I won't be getting this shit sandwich. I guess I also won't get some sweet foreign IDE either. Since I had about a .001% chance of that anyway, I can live with it.

AFPAK Hands - RUN! Run far and run fast. It may have been fun back in the days when they got to roam around Afghanistan with a full beard, sleep in mud huts and do whatever they wanted to...(For some, not me) I work with a bunch of them here and these days they all go to non flying staff gigs. It's a terrible deal. Two deployments required. One 10 months and the other 12 months. A shitty deal all around.

This is the CJCS's program. I guess if you think it's a bad idea you could drop him a note...

Not the program, overall. The idea that we are short on rated bodies...so short we're extending the bonus for some to 9 years...and then we vector them into jobs that can be done by any officer.

I thought this program was winding down. We had a guy get tagged for this last year as it was in his DT vector.

AFPAK Hands is the only reason needed to not take the bonus. The fact they are giving it to 06 year group dudes now is probably evidence that they are losing too many people to 3/7 day opts.