The Air Force is cutting back the amount of time airmen and guardians can spend building civilian job skills through private industry programs as they transition out of the military. The updated SkillBridge policy applies to all ranks, with senior service members now receiving the least amount of time for career training during their final six months of service. (Jason Ragucci/U.S. Army)
The Air Force is reducing the number of days that airmen and guardians are given to sharpen their job skills in the private sector as they prepare to leave the military.
Changes to the popular SkillBridge program affect all ranks, but the highest grades will now have the fewest days allowed for career training during their last six months of service, according to the new policy.
Airmen and guardians previously were given up to 180 days to intern full-time with an approved commercial partner while still receiving their military pay and benefits.
The new limitations balance the need for units to maintain readiness while also ensuring personnel “can access opportunities aimed to support their transition to the civilian workforce,” the Air Force said in a statement last week.
Around 200,000 service members transition from military service to civilian life each year, according to a 2024 Government Accountability Office report.
In 2022, SkillBridge said that over 22,500 service members had either enrolled in or completed a training program, according to the GAO. As of June 2024, the program offered 7,959 opportunities through 4,867 industry partners, the report said.
Air Force noncommissioned officers at the E-8 and E-9 pay grades, along with senior warrant officers and lieutenant colonels in the service are now limited to 60 days of career training under the new guidance. It took effect March 31.
Mid-grade ranks get 90 days now, while lower-level enlisted personnel and officers can take up to 120 days. Air Force colonels, meanwhile, require “special exception to policy approval” to participate in SkillBridge training, according to the announcement.
For Space Force personnel, those at the pay grade of E-9 or O-6 and above are limited to 90 days, while all lower-ranking guardians have a maximum of 120 days in the program.
The new guidelines also raised the approval authority to squadron commanders and above. Previously, first-line supervisors such as section leaders could authorize participation, Air and Space Forces Magazine reported Tuesday.
Some current and former airmen expressed disappointment with the change and told of the benefits they had gained from the transition program.
“Skillbridge was huge for me, not just the internship but the time necessary to interview and relocate,” a poster in the Air Force’s Reddit community said last week.
The message also said the writer would not have found their current job without the program.
Another commenter wrote that the longer a person’s military service, the harder the transition can be.
“I feel this is an overall detriment for those using the program,” the commenter said.
The changes align the Air Force with the other services. The Army, Navy and Marine Corps in recent years have implemented a rank-based tiered system that is more favorable to junior enlisted personnel.
Since the Defense Department rolled out the program in 2014, the Air Force was the last service to allow a flat 180-day training period for all ranks.
