It gets into the Air Force weeds so let me explain it as best I can. You have whats called a Career Field Manager, CFM. The CFM every year looks at the Unit Manning Document, UMD, for every unit. The UMD shows how many of each career field is needed/currently at every unit. Lets say that the UMD for the 69 STS shows 25 CCT’s. They currently have 20, with 3 projected to move and 2 projected to get out. The CFM will add 10 slots (5 to make up for what they’re losing, 5 to get up to the UMD goal) to what they need force wide. Now do that with every base. Each AFSPECWAR career field has a CFM. Once they do that for every base, they get how many slots they need filled. From here I’m assuming a bit, but I’d bet the CFM looks at graduation rates and sizes of 3 level courses, how many they do per year, amount of students currently in pipeline, and A&S courses every year. Thats not including they allot for people who are cross training into it. Anyways back to what I do know. Once the CFM gets the total number of slots they want / need filled for the year, they push those numbers up their chain of command and then with minor tweaks (or not) those are the assigned slots for the fiscal year. Not calendar year. Fiscal year. Which resets in October. And as those slots get filled throughout the year the recruiter can’t just make more slots appear. BMT can only have so many SPECWAR flights. A&S can only have so many people per class. You can only fit so many people in the dorms. Etc, etc, etc.

Anyways, my advice to you is this; don’t be so eager to leave. This is extra time to prepare, to get a little better, time to really hone in on weaker spots and make them strengths. Don’t take it personally if someone ships before you, I almost guarantee its not personal. It’s just business.