[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4373 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4373
To establish a pilot program for the retention of experienced regular
Air Force fighter aircrew, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 22, 2026
Mr. Budd (for himself, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. King, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Rounds,
Mr. Cramer, Mr. Kaine, and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a pilot program for the retention of experienced regular
Air Force fighter aircrew, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fighter Aircrew Career Flexibility
Act''.
SEC. 2. RETENTION OF EXPERIENCED REGULAR AIR FORCE FIGHTER AIRCREW
PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force shall establish a
pilot program, to be known as the ``Retention of Experienced Regular
Air Force Fighter Aircrew Pilot Program'', to permit one-time, time-
limited career intermissions for regular Air Force fighter aircrew to
test whether targeted intermissions reduce early separations and
preserve experienced fighter aircrew subject matter experts for air
staff positions and leadership roles in the active component (in this
Act referred to as the ``Program'').
(b) Participation Eligibility.--Participation in the Program shall
be limited as follows:
(1) Participants shall be officers in the active component
of the Air Force with 11F and 12F Air Force Specialty Code
(AFSC) designations.
(2) Participants shall have completed their respective
Undergraduate Pilot Training or Undergraduate Navigator
Training active duty service commitment and shall not be
subject to any limitation with respect to maximum number of
years of service or maximum rank.
(3) The existence of an active duty service commitment
(ADSC), other than the commitment referred to in paragraph (2),
shall not bar any otherwise eligible individual from
participating in the Program.
(4) The Secretary of the Air Force may limit pilot program
participation for members tasked for a deployment and should
consider the ``Prepare'' and ``Reset'' phases of Air Force
Generation (AFFORGEN) as opportunities for eligible members to
participate in the Program.
(5) An individual who is scheduled for a deployment shall
be ineligible for participation in the Program until the
individual returns from the deployment or the deployment is
cancelled.
(6) Wing commanders may limit participation in the Program
for purposes of mission requirements.
(c) Process for Entry.--
(1) Approval authority.--The Secretary of the Air Force
shall delegate to wing commanders the authority to approve
entry into the Program.
(2) Processing.--The Air Force shall adjudicate requests
for entry into the Program within 30 days of receiving written
requests from applicants.
(3) Scrolling process.--The Secretary of the Air Force
shall ensure that the Air Force's officer scrolling process
does not interfere with the Program timelines specified in this
section.
(d) Intermission Period.--
(1) Placement in individual ready reserve.--Participants in
the Program will be placed in the Individual Ready Reserve for
the duration of their intermissions from active duty.
(2) Duration.--
(A) In general.--The duration of the intermission
shall be between 4 months and 1 year in duration, as
selected by the participant.
(B) Changes.--While on intermission, a participant
may request a change in duration, which shall be
adjudicated by the wing commander within 14 days.
(3) Training requirements.--Each participant in the Program
shall enter into a written agreement with the Secretary of the
Air Force agreeing to undergo during the intermission such
inactive service training as the Secretary shall require in
order to ensure that the participant retains proficiency, at a
level determined by the Secretary to be sufficient, in the
military skills, professional qualifications, and physical
readiness of the participant during the inactivation of the
participant from active service.
(4) Retention of access and certain active status
benefits.--The Secretary of the Air Force, to the maximum
extent practicable, shall allow participants in the Program to
retain their security clearances, access to special access
programs and alternative compensatory control measures, network
access, base access, commissary and exchange access, Common
Access Card, and other items to ensure rapid return to an
active status from Individual Ready Reserve status.
(5) Compensation and benefits.--The Secretary of Defense
shall ensure that while participants in the Program are on
intermission, they and their families, as applicable, receive
pay and allowances in accordance with, and on such terms as
prescribed under, subsection (f) of section 710 of title 10,
United States Code, except that subsection (e)(2) of this
section, rather than subparagraph (D) of paragraph (3) of such
subsection (f), shall govern the active duty service commitment
that is required under the agreement described in such
paragraph (3).
(6) Housing.--Participants in the Program residing in
military installation or government housing shall not be
required to vacate their residence during the intermission but
shall be responsible for rent payments during the period that
basic allowance for housing under section 403 of title 37,
United States Code, is suspended.
(7) Continued entitlements.--The provisions of subsection
(h) of section 710 of title 10, United States Code, shall apply
with respect to continued entitlements for participants in the
Program.
(8) Combination of intermission with permanent change of
station.--Participants in the Program may combine an
intermission with a permanent change of station (PCS) where
operationally feasible.
(9) Promotion.--Subsection (g)(1) of section 710 of title
10, United States Code, shall govern the consideration and
eligibility for promotion of Program participants.
(10) Effect of inactivation on certain retirement
benefits.--Any period of participation of a member in a program
under this section shall not count toward--
(A) eligibility for retirement or transfer to the
Ready Reserve under either chapter 571 or 1223 of title
10, United States Code; or
(B) computation of retired or retainer pay under
chapter 71 or 1223 of title 10, United States Code.
(11) Order to active service.--Under regulations prescribed
by the Secretary of the Air Force, a participant in the Program
may, in the discretion of the Secretary, be required to
terminate participation in the Program and be ordered to active
service.
(e) Return to Active Service.--
(1) Expedited on-boarding.--The Secretary of the Air Force
shall provide expedited on-boarding to ensure that a returning
participant in the Program meets prerequisites to perform 11F3/
12F3-rated flight duties or 11F4/12F4-rated staff duties within
30 days of reporting back to active duty after an intermission
pursuant to subsection (d).
(2) Active duty service commitment (adsc).--Upon return to
active duty after an intermission pursuant to subsection (d), a
participant shall incur a concurrent Active Duty Service
Commitment (ADSC) equal to double the duration of the
intermission.
(3) Exemption from userra 5-year reemployment rights time
limitation.--The Secretary of the Air Force shall ensure that
participants in the Program returning to active duty are placed
on orders the Secretary deems to be a critical mission or
requirement of the Air Force for purposes of the exception to
the 5-year reemployment rights time limitation provided for in
section 4312(c)(4)(D) of title 38, United States Code.
(f) Prohibition on Use of Participation as Negative Factor in
Career Development.--Participation in the Program shall not be used as
a negative factor in the context of promotion boards, career
development opportunities, assignment matching, selection for
intermediate- and senior-level education, or in any other manner with
respect to determining career development and progression.
(g) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 4 years after the
establishment of the Program, the Secretary of the Air Force
shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report
assessing the effectiveness of the Program.
(2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall include the following elements:
(A) A description of how many eligible aircrew
applied for the Program and how many were accepted.
(B) An assessment of changes in retention for the
11F and 12F career fields based on the pilot program.
(C) An assessment of changes in 11F/12F manning in
Air Operations Centers and air staffs as a result of
the Program.
(D) A description of the out-placement of Program
participants after the intermission period.
(E) A recommendation from the Air Force whether to
continue, discontinue, or modify the Program after it
ends pursuant to subsection (h).
(h) Duration.--The pilot program established under this section
shall terminate 5 years after it is established.
(i) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with
the Secretary of the Air Force, shall prescribe regulations to
establish and implement the Program.
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