U.S. Air Force prepares to move to new deployment model

Aug. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force is moving towards a new deployment model to improve readiness.

The Air Force announced it is moving toward replacing the Air Expeditionary Force deployment model with a new model to balance combatant needs with "high-end readiness for the future."

"Under the current AEF construct, we've lacked the ability to present an easily understood model that reflected all facets of airpower and the ability to clearly articulate readiness impacts," Air Force Chief of Staff Charles "CQ" Brown said in a statement last week.

"After nearly two decades of demanding rotational deployments, we are shifting to a model that builds high-end and sustainable readiness toward future missions by balancing elements of current availability, modernizations and risk," Brown said.

The new two-year deployment model is separated into four six-month phases.

The four phases include available to commit, reset, prepare, and ready.

The available to commit phase is similar to the normal deployment phase and means the forces are either deployed or ready to deploy.

The reset phase includes post-deployment leave.

The prepare phase builds the troops towards readiness while shielding them from deployment.

And the ready phase works to achieve high-level readiness, and involves units from multiple wings coming together to complete certifying events such as large force exercises.

The Air Force expects the new model to reach initial operational capability in fiscal year 2023, officials said.

Brown laid out the model a day before the Air Force announcement, telling Air Force Magazine

Brown also laid out the new model in an interview with Air Force Magazine, saying the new model would help to standardize the branch's work to better align with the various major combat commands.

The changes follow an October interview in which Brown said that the old deployment model had to be overhauled to simplify deployment and improve readiness.

By better aligning with the combat commands, Brown and other Air Force leaders have said the new model could prevent the branch from stretching itself too thin as it tries to meet all its requirements.

"For the past 15, 16 years ... whatever was needed we would send," Brown said Friday at a National Press Club event, Air Force Times reported.

"What we're doing is running ourselves ragged," he said.