The Air Force understands your need to know when and if your child can be deployed as a member of the military. The deployment structure recently changed to respond to the increasing number of contingencies and maintain a sense of predictability and enhance the readiness of all military branches.

As of September 15, 2004, the deployment length of the Aerospace Expeditionary Force was changed to 120 days every 20 months. This new structure was designed to achieve more predictability in deployments.

In major surge operations, your child can expect to be either on call or deployed for 90 days every 15 months and will know about the 90-day period well in advance. The remaining 12 months of this cycle will be spent doing routine activities: conducting training, participating in exercises, working on their civilian or military education and spending time with their families.

In an effort to help ease the stress of deployments, the Air Force offers a free online service that lets your Airman communicate with friends or family in the Air Force. Through Friends and Family Instant Messenger (AFIM), extended family and friends can stay in touch with Airmen from virtually anywhere in the world. AFIM can be accessed through the Air Force Portal and requires you to be sponsored by a friend or family member with an active account.