The Air Force has around 62 major bases in the Continental United States (CONUS). The Air Force also has bases located overseas in Alaska, Hawaii, Belgium, Germany, Guam, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom (England). Of course, assignment opportunities depend on your Air Force job. For example, if your Air Force job is fixing F-16 aircraft, you will be assigned only to bases that have F-16 aircraft. If your job is to repair HH-60 helicopters, you would only be assigned to bases that have HH-60 helicopters.
First-term airmen (those who have not re-enlisted) generally must have 36 months time-on-station (TOS) before they can be reassigned from one state-side base to another state-side base. They must have at least 12 months TOS before they can be assigned from a state-side base to an overseas assignment. For career airmen (those who have re-enlisted at least once), the TOS requirements are 48 months for state-side to state-side, and 24 months for state-side to overseas. Overseas assignments have designated "tour lengths." For most locations, it's two years for an unaccompanied airman, and three years for an airman who elects to have his/her dependents relocated with them. There are also a few 12-month "remote" assignments to places like Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Turkey.
Want to read more about the pros and cons of choosing the Air Force?
- Recruiting Environment
- Enlistment Incentives
- Job Opportunities
- Basic Training
- Deployments
- Quality of Life
- Promotion Opportunities
- Educational Opportunities
- Enlisted Commissioning Programs
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