The Air Force announced a major transformation to its developmental duty process, designed to provide Airmen more control over their career paths while ensuring essential positions are filled with qualified personnel. The updated system takes effect Oct. 1, 2025.
Expanded Volunteer Opportunities
Airmen will now be able to volunteer directly for seven key developmental duties:
- Military Training Instructor
- Military Training Leader
- Academy Military Training Noncommissioned Officer
- Officer Accessions Instructor
- First Sergeant
- Professional Military Education Instructor (NCOA/SNCOA)
- Recruiter
Previously, volunteering for these positions was limited. Most Airmen needed to be nominated by local leadership and approved by their career field manager before being considered.
Streamlined Selection Process
Under the new system, developmental duty opportunities will be posted on Talent Marketplace, where Airmen can submit applications. Once an application is received:
- The developmental duty hiring team will review and screen candidates.
- The Airman’s leadership will provide a recommendation after reviewing the application and service records.
- Final selections will be made from the pool of volunteer applicants.
This process replaces the previous career field manager approval requirement with a preset release system for each career field.
Career Field Release Limits
Each quarter, a maximum number of Airmen per career field will be permitted to join developmental duties. If a career field’s release quota has not been met, approved Airmen may be temporarily released from their primary AFSC to serve in developmental duties.
If the quota is already reached, Airmen in that career field will not be eligible to volunteer until the next cycle.
Launch Date and Access
The updated process officially launches on Oct. 1, 2025, when interested Airmen can begin applying for developmental duties via Talent Marketplace.
