Is there still a Green to Blue Program (Army to Air Force)?

2015-11-08T10:37:52-05:00

My son joined the Army 3 years ago and his enlistment is almost up. He wanted to join the Air Force, and took the ASVAB and all of his scored were in the mid to high 80s, unfortunately the AF recruiter blew him off. The Army recruiter was relentless. So to make a long story short he join the Army and is in Infantry.

So what I am wondering, is there still a Green to Blue Program? If so where can I find out more information on it?

TIA

Response by Maj Chris Nelson made Nov 8 at 2015 11:23 AM

2015-11-08T11:23:42-05:00

The Air Force, like all branches, are seeing a cut in numbers. It is far cheaper to bring in a brand new recruit off the street then to bring in a prior service person at a higher rank with time in service.... With that being said, much of it depends on what the Army MOS is/was and what AFSC in the AF the individual is going for. It is all about needs of the service. I went from Army enlisted medic to AF officer RN. The AF needed nurses. If he qualifies for a career path that is hard to fill AND is low manned, things can happen, but short of that....may be pretty difficult.

Response by COL Sam Russell made Nov 8 at 2015 12:20 PM

2015-11-08T12:20:59-05:00

I know there is a Blue to Green program, as I have served with a number of Soldiers who used to be Airmen, but I've never heard of the reverse.

http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/current-and-prior-service/continue-serving/transitioning-services/blue-to-green.html

Operation Blue to Green

Transfer from other military branches into the Army and continue your military career using the Operation Blue to Green program.

Response by MSgt John Carroll made Nov 8 at 2015 12:34 PM

2015-11-08T12:34:02-05:00

The Air Force is currently accepting prior service in these AFSCs. http://www.docdroid.net/kCfNqTe/fy16-prior-service-afsc-list1.pdf.html

FY16 Prior Service AFSC List1.pdf

View and download FY16 Prior Service AFSC List1.pdf on DocDroid

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 8 at 2015 12:52 PM

2015-11-08T12:52:40-05:00

check http://www.recruitersneverlie.com they may have some information on that plus he will a signed and approved dd form 368

Home - Recruiters Never Lie

Learn The Facts About Army Recruiting & Other Dumb Things Recruiters Do…

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 8 at 2015 3:54 PM

2015-11-08T15:54:55-05:00

If he is getting close to his ETS/EAS maybe he could transfer to the Air Force Reserve or Air Guard. And then try going active AF from there after tech school. Could be worth a try. I tried going active AF when my enlistment ended in the Corps but had no luck. Of course that was in the mid 80's. Sorry not much help! But wish your son luck in the future!

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Nov 9 at 2015 5:26 PM

2015-11-09T17:26:14-05:00

I don't know of a Green to Blue program. However, in the early 2000's (after 9-11) there was a Blue to Green program. There are several AFSC's that are looking troops with Army type backgrounds. Security Forces would be one of them. But I would have him do his homework before he decides an a AFSC. The good news is that he should not have to attend basic training.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 10 at 2015 7:20 AM

2015-11-10T07:20:44-05:00

I think the ASVAB score will be an impediment. Mid 80s is going to hold him back. He needs to be in the mid 100s. Before he ets he needs to talk to his 1SG and education counselor and see if he can go to the course to increase his ASVAB scores. This should be step 1 regardless of desired branch of service.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 10 at 2015 9:25 AM

2015-11-10T09:25:35-05:00

A Soldier asked about this last week, and I can't find any information regarding it. Does the Soldier have to ETS out of the Army and then join the Air Force? Or can he submit a DD368 (Request for Conditional Release); if so to who?

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 10 at 2015 9:29 AM

2015-11-10T09:29:28-05:00

My recommendation MSgt Deborah Wilson would be to have your son sign up for the "fast class" if he hasn't already, to boost that GT and other line scores. I also hope he's been using his army TA for 3rd level education. The Air Force is pretty restrictive, but I know they're taking certain MOS.

Response by SPC Theresa Pierce made Nov 10 at 2015 12:06 PM

2015-11-10T12:06:06-05:00

There used to be a time when transferring from one branch of service to another - well, it was never easy but has been done. Today's military has changed with the draw downs and the determination of this administration to cut back our military forces - that transferring from one branch of service to another has gotten even harder to do and almost impossible. The MOS your son has - has to be transferable and something the Air Force is in demand for and need to fill positions. The reason to change branch of service has to be compelling and the Air Force has to want and need to have his skill. Increasing the ASVAB score is not enough. Army career counselors and advisors would best be able to answer that question for him. It's always best to go to the source - so his information is as accurate as possible.

Should your son consider ETSing, it would behoove him to do his research before making a decision of leaving - talk to the Retention NCO to get the facts on this. From what I understand, the military - his old branch or another branch - recruiters don't take prior service members anymore.

Perhaps he might consider staying in the Army and obtaining a secondary MOS might be a better route for him. If he plans to make a career of the military one way to improve his position is to look for resources within the Army to help him improve his chances for promotion and a job he would be happy performing. The Army has many career choices. But he has to do his due diligence, and discover the right questions to ask. Increasing his ASVAB scores can help him select a secondary MOS and give him more job choices in the Army.

Best wishes for your son, with the decisions he has to make. Hopefully he'll get the answer on how he can transition from the Army to the Air Force. But if he cannot, I hope he finds the right advice on how he can better his skills in the Army. But the good thing is that he has a good range of options to find what suits his needs and the Army's needs.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 10 at 2015 1:16 PM

2015-11-10T13:16:50-05:00

I'm a current Army recruiter and yes there is a message that says Air Force is accepting prior service with less then 8 years for special ops and other jobs.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 11 at 2015 12:42 PM

2015-11-11T12:42:00-05:00

I'm seeing a few comments here that are getting confused about the ASVAB score. What MSgt Wilson is referring to is the AFQT, which is the only score shared by all of the services. It has an upper limit of 99 and its sole purpose is to categorize you. If you score below a 50, you are a "B". If you score 50 or above, you are an "A". Each of the services then decide if they want to take you based on that. When I was recruiting the Army wouldn't take any GEDs that weren't in the A category, and if you were in the B category regardless of education you were considered an "Other", rather than say a high school graduate.

After the AFQT each of the services interprets the ASVAB into their own line scores. For recruiting, the Army does not look at GT. That's only for schools once you are in. Everything else goes by one of the other scores, such as CO for Combat Operations. In any case, the ASVAB in question is three years old and the Air Force might want him to retake it before considering him.

Really, the only one who can answer this is an Air Force retention NCO. I don't know about where he is, but some installations have multi-service retention NCOs in the Welcome Center for this kind of thing. If he can't find one, he can check with his Brigade Retention to point him in the right direction.

Response by PVT Edmond Paradis made Nov 18 at 2015 7:49 AM

2015-11-18T07:49:35-05:00

Just to let you know, the only recruits that go into the INFANTRY in the Army, are not high in the score department...There are many levels of "infantry" however, as I was in the infantry but my scores indicated that I be trained in Mortars, and also being in Air Assault I wasn't an 11B. If your son wants to join another branch after the Army, I don't understand why after being in the Army all this time he hasn't looked into this request on his OWN, instead of his Mommy doing it for him. That may be a problem right there...

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2017 12:27 PM

2017-04-04T12:27:10-04:00

What is the procedure for Officers for Green to Blue?