Active-duty and some reserve officers who are slated to deploy could have their retirements denied -- or delayed -- under a newly updated "stop loss" provision, according to a recent change to the Air Force's retirement rules.

The Sept. 18 update to Air Force Instruction 36-3203, which governs retirements, changes the criteria by which the Air Force can stop airmen from retiring. A footnote to a rewritten section of Table 2.1 specifically invokes stop loss for some airmen who are officially tasked to deploy, or who have applied for retirement on or after their assignment selection date or notification of a 365-day extended deployment.

That footnote says that for those deploying airmen, "The SecAF [secretary of the Air Force] or designee may suspend retirement of Active Component officers and certain Reserve officers projected to retire on their [mandatory separation date] ... in accordance with ... 10 USC 123 or 12305 (Stop Loss)." It also says the secretary can't prohibit or suspend mandatory retirements beyond the mandatory separation date, except in special circumstances.

The previous version of the AFI, which has been in effect since 2006, also references the stop loss provision in a footnote. However, that footnote was not applied to sections discussing deployed airmen in the old AFI.

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Chris Karns said in an email that the change to the AFI does not necessarily mean the Air Force is planning to start suspending officers' retirements.

"AFIs are designed to address a range of possibility and potential circumstances," Karns said. "We operate in a volatile, uncertain and complex global environment and the Air Force is more in demand than ever. The terminology 'may suspend' retirement does not constitute a certainty. The AFI looks to responsibly address a range of possibility against the backdrop of an uncertain global dynamic and budget environment."

Blogger and former airman Tony Carr first reported the change on his blog John Q. Public on Oct. 9. Carr said the new guidance tells Air Force human resources officials "to deny retirement requests filed by airmen who have been selected to deploy, which basically enacts a back-door conscription policy just one year after the Air Force voluntarily slashed 19,000 airmen from its workforce."

"This is a dramatic change that has not been well-communicated to the field," Carr said. "The essence of the message is that airmen who are eligible to retire will not be permitted to do so in lieu of an extended deployment unless they gain approval before [the Air Force Personnel Center] selects them to fill a deployed billet."

On his blog, Carr said that the stop loss rule is typically used to fill needs during national emergencies that require extreme measures. Using it in this way could hurt retention.

"The current Air Force manning shortage was not only foreseeable, but self-inflicted, which makes [the] resort to Stop Loss under the circumstances look less like force management than force malpractice," Carr said.

Stop loss was controversially used during the Iraq War to keep troops from leaving the military after they fulfilled their obligations. Critics, such as 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, called the policy a "back-door draft."

The Air Force has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.

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