Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 7/12/2009

Question
I am currently 35, I have been separated from the military for 5 years (it will be
6 in April 2010).  I feel that my degree would be better served being back in the
military.   What are my chances for joining the Air Force?  I was military police
for close to 12 years while in the Army.

Answer
Dear Natalie --

I cannot predict whether the Air Force has any needs for someone with your skills.  It would be best to talk to an Air Force recruiter directly.

Currently you can enlist up to age 42 with no prior service.  So you are well within the age limit for returning to service.  Since you have 12 years of service you could be as old as 54, and still return to service.  However, you would still need to meet the fitness, health and morality standards.

If you have a positive discharge characterization and acceptable re-entry code (RE code), you could re-enlist.  Since six years has passed since you left the service, you will have to attend a refresher boot camp.  Also your entry rank will probably not be the rank at which you departed the Army.

If you have earned your bachelors degree or higher, you could re-enlist with an Officer Candidate School (OCS) rider.  Then you would train to become an officer after boot camp.  If you have your degree and skills the Air Force is looking for, you could try for a program that sends you directly to Officer Training School (OTS) which incorporates both basic training and officer training into one highly competition program.

Please write back if you have other questions.  Thank you for your service.