,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dcgc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #bb1 #bjbf,mr4 ,budd 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,mr4 ,schmitt1 ,mr4 ,rounds1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 and ,ms4 ,rosen7 introduced the following bill2 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 aircrew1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,fighter ,aircrew ,career ,flexibility ,act4 #b4 ,retention of ,experienced ,regular ,air ,force ,fighter ,aircrew ,pilot ,program 7a7 ,establishment ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of the ,air ,force shall establish a pilot program1 to be known as the ,retention of ,experienced ,regular ,air ,force ,fighter ,aircrew ,pilot ,program1 to permit one-time1 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 7in this ,act referred to as the ,program74 7b7 ,participation eligibility ,participation in the ,program shall be limited as follows3 7#a7 ,participants shall be officers in the active component of the ,air ,force with #aa;,f and #ab;,f ,air ,force ,specialty ,code 7,,afsc7 designations4 7#b7 ,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 rank4 7#c7 ,the existence of an active duty service commitment 7,,adsc71 other than the commitment referred to in paragraph 7#b71 shall not bar any otherwise eligible individual from participating in the ,program4 7#d7 ,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 7,,afforgen7 as opportunities for eligible members to participate in the ,program4 7#e7 ,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 cancelled4 7#f7 ,wing commanders may limit participation in the ,program for purposes of mission requirements4 7c7 ,process for entry 7#a7 ,approval authority ,the ,secretary of the ,air ,force shall delegate to wing commanders the authority to approve entry into the ,program4 7#b7 ,processing ,the ,air ,force shall adjudicate requests for entry into the ,program within #cj days of receiving written requests from applicants4 7#c7 ,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 section4 7d7 ,intermission period 7#a7 ,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 duty4 7#b7 ,duration 7,a7 ,in general ,the duration of the intermission shall be between #d months and #a year in duration1 as selected by the participant4 7,b7 ,changes ,while on intermission1 a participant may request a change in duration1 which shall be adjudicated by the wing commander within #ad days4 7#c7 ,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 proficiency1 at a level determined by the ,secretary to be sufficient1 in the military skills1 professional qualifications1 and physical readiness of the participant during the inactivation of the participant from active service4 7#d7 ,retention of access and certain active status benefits ,the ,secretary of the ,air ,force1 to the maximum extent practicable1 shall allow participants in the ,program to retain their security clearances1 access to special access programs and alternative compensatory control measures1 network access1 base access1 commissary and exchange access1 ,common ,access ,card1 and other items to ensure rapid return to an active status from ,individual ,ready ,reserve status4 7#e7 ,compensation and benefits ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall ensure that while participants in the ,program are on intermission1 they and their families1 as applicable1 receive pay and allowances in accordance with1 and on such terms as prescribed under1 subsection 7f7 of section #gaj of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 except that subsection 7e77#b7 of this section1 rather than subparagraph 7,d7 of paragraph 7#c7 of such subsection 7f71 shall govern the active duty service commitment that is required under the agreement described in such paragraph 7#c74 7#f7 ,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 #djc of title #cg1 ,united ,states ,code1 is suspended4 7#g7 ,continued entitlements ,the provisions of subsection 7h7 of section #gaj of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 shall apply with respect to continued entitlements for participants in the ,program4 7#h7 ,combination of intermission with permanent change of station ,participants in the ,program may combine an intermission with a permanent change of station 7,,pcs7 where operationally feasible4 7#i7 ,promotion ,subsection 7g77#a7 of section #gaj of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 shall govern the consideration and eligibility for promotion of ,program participants4 7#aj7 ,effect of inactivation on certain retirement benefits ,any period of participation of a member in a program under this section shall not count toward-- 7,a7 eligibility for retirement or transfer to the ,ready ,reserve under either chapter #ega or #abbc of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code2 or 7,b7 computation of retired or retainer pay under chapter #ga or #abbc of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#aa7 ,order to active service ,under regulations prescribed by the ,secretary of the ,air ,force1 a participant in the ,program may1 in the discretion of the ,secretary1 be required to terminate participation in the ,program and be ordered to active service4 7e7 ,return to active service 7#a7 ,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 #aa;,f#c_/ab;,f#c-rated flight duties or #aa;,f#d_/ab;,f#d-rated staff duties within #cj days of reporting back to active duty after an intermission pursuant to subsection 7d74 7#b7 ,active ,duty ,service ,commitment 7,,adsc7 ,upon return to active duty after an intermission pursuant to subsection 7d71 a participant shall incur a concurrent ,active ,duty ,service ,commitment 7,,adsc7 equal to double the duration of the intermission4 7#c7 ,exemption from ,,userra #e-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 #e-year reemployment rights time limitation provided for in section #dcab7;c77#d77;,d7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7f7 ,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 boards1 career development opportunities1 assignment matching1 selection for intermediate- and senior-level education1 or in any other manner with respect to determining career development and progression4 7g7 ,report 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #d years after the establishment of the ,program1 the ,secretary of the ,air ,force shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report assessing the effectiveness of the ,program4 7#b7 ,elements ,the report required under paragraph 7#a7 shall include the following elements3 7,a7 ,a description of how many eligible aircrew applied for the ,program and how many were accepted4 7,b7 ,an assessment of changes in retention for the #aa;,f and #ab;,f career fields based on the pilot program4 7,c7 ,an assessment of changes in #aa;,f_/#ab;,f manning in ,air ,operations ,centers and air staffs as a result of the ,program4 7,d7 ,a description of the out-placement of ,program participants after the intermission period4 7,e7 ,a recommendation from the ,air ,force whether to continue1 discontinue1 or modify the ,program after it ends pursuant to subsection 7h74 7h7 ,duration ,the pilot program established under this section shall terminate #e years after it is established4 7i7 ,regulations ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 in consultation with the ,secretary of the ,air ,force1 shall prescribe regulations to establish and implement the ,program4