Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

OPERATION BLUE TO GREEN: Army recruiting airmen, sailors

Two military branches set to downsize as demand for soldiers increases

Army Capt. Rick Barton, who works at a Las Vegas recruiting office, says recruiters scan lists of potential airmen who will be separating in 2005. Photo by Ralph Fountain.

Uncle Sam still wants you.

So does Army recruiting Capt. Rick Barton.

That's the message floating around Nellis Air Force Base these days as the Army shoots for signing up many of the Air Force's 22,500 airmen, including some from Nellis, who are on the list to switch jobs, retrain or leave behind their blue uniforms about a year from now.

The Navy faces a similar, but smaller reduction in personnel by Sept. 30, 2005, when 7,900 sailors are expected to leave for various reasons while the Navy continues on a more efficient, manpower course.

The Air Force is downsizing because its buildup during and in the aftermath of the Cold War exceeds its authorized strength.

Called Operation Blue to Green, the program allows separating sailors and airmen to join the Army, which needs more soldiers.

"It gives them an opportunity to continue serving their country because that's why they got in in the first place," Barton said in a recent interview.

Though interest among airmen at Nellis Air Force Base is currently thin -- only a handful of prospects have inquired about the four-week Warrior Transition Course -- Barton anticipates enrollment will grow toward the end of the next fiscal year.

"We're going to do everything we possibly can to see that airmen or seamen become an Army soldier," he said.

Barton, 31, said recruiters scan lists of potential airmen who will be separating in 2005.

"We will contact them by telephone or in person. We'll knock on their door," he said.

Among the incentives are cash re-enlistment signing bonuses. For example, an incentive can amount to as much as $14,000 for a satellite operator/maintainer.

"One of the benefits is there is no break in service," Barton said. "One day they're in the Air Force; the next day they're in the Army."

In North Las Vegas at the Army's 6th Recruiting Brigade, 12,784 soldiers signed up for the Army this year from the brigade's 15 states and Pacific rim areas.

But the brigade's goal is set higher for next fiscal year, and departing airmen and sailors could help the Army achieve it, said Col. Bob Bell, deputy brigade commander.

"It's a unique period in history when you have two services drawing down and one increasing manpower levels," Bell said.

He noted that the Warrior Transition Course is designed to make the switch easier for sailors and airmen.

For one, unlike regular Army basic training, the course is taught by instructors, not drill sergeants. Also, Bell said, it takes the prospective soldiers about half the time, or only four weeks, to learn the Army's basic combat skills including weapons training, physical training and land navigation.

In some cases, such as for certain airmen, the job switch is very compatible.

"The Army is always looking for skilled aviators," Bell said. "We have a lot of rotary wings, but we have fixed wings as well, such as intelligence-collection platforms and transport platforms."

At Nellis Air Force Base, word about Operation Blue to Green is just beginning to trickle through the ranks of the base's 7,000 active duty airmen.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Rico Fleming, assistant non-commissioned officer in charge for separation and retirement, said the program targets lower ranking enlisted personnel and officers who, for example, want a better shot at flying aircraft that are compatible in both services.

"We have a lot of airmen that actually ask about it," Fleming said. "Some have gotten in trouble in the Air Force and are looking for a better opportunity to serve."

Barton said those airmen will be judged on a case-by-case basis. "It depends on what the trouble is on whether they are allowed to come into the Army or not," he said.

Operation Blue to Green is also competing with in-house Air Force programs designed to retain airmen who would otherwise be involuntarily separated under the drawdown. Some are requesting new dates of separation. Others are competing to be retrained in another field.

Although lower-ranking helicopter pilots and crew members and satellite operators might see an advantage to transitioning to the Army, other jobs, like security police, might perceive staying in the Air Force is more to their advantage.

On security police, Fleming said, "I think they get a pretty good bonus to stay in the Air Force. I wouldn't foresee them jumping ship and heading over to the Army too soon."

According to Capt. Misti Kincaid at Nellis, the Air Force's overseas rotation system is more appealing than the Army's for military personnel with families.

In the Air Force, "you go for four months during your rotation, four months deployed, and then you'll be home for a much longer time. Whereas the Army, they go 18 months."

Though the Navy anticipates having roughly 7,900 fewer sailors next year, a small fraction of its overall force, the term "drawdown" is really a misnomer, according to Cmdr. Carl Murphy, Operation Blue to Green coordinator for the Chief of Naval Personnel.

"We're reducing some jobs, but we're not wholesale shoving people out on the street," he said.

Murphy said there's been "a fair amount of interest" among sailors nationwide for Operation Blue to Green but any changeover by next year will boil down to personal career decisions.