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Rethinking Recognition: A New Perspective on Air Force Decorations In the U.S. Air Force, the awarding of decorations, guided by DAFI 36-2806, is a process steeped in tradition and significance. Leadership plays a crucial role, with unit commanders authorizing and supervisors nominating. Commonly awarded medals like ASAM, ASCOM, MSM, and others symbolize meritorious service in various scenarios - from deployments to retirements. Yet, there's an ongoing debate within our ranks. Often, commendable service is overlooked, tagged with the phrase "the member's service did not warrant a decoration." This reflects an older mindset in the Air Force, one that overlooks the absence of quotas in decoration awards. The result? Many deserving airmen may go unrecognized. What if we shifted this paradigm? Imagine a system where decoration quotas are linked with monetary incentives. While this idea might stir controversy, it also brings a unique perspective to the table. Could this encourage a culture where striving for excellence and recognition becomes more tangible? This approach raises important questions about motivation, merit, and the true meaning of honor in the military. Let's open a dialogue: How can we balance tradition with a modern understanding of recognition? Can we make the process of awarding decorations more inclusive and reflective of diverse achievements? Your thoughts and experiences are invaluable. Share your insights on this critical aspect of military life. #USAF #MilitaryLeadership #Recognition #Innovation
Jay Hughes
11mo
I believe most federal agencies have performance bonus programs for individual and team awards. So fair would only be fair, however that would be a huge paradigm change as the military has been considered of 'cheap labor' for our civilian counterparts.
I like associating the decoration with granted leave. I would recommend allowing immediate ability for the service member to sell it back, and making leave earned in conjuction with a decoration except from the 60 day sell back rule. This will give the member an immediate monetary benefit along with the additional promotion points.
Brett H.
11mo
USMC had done this in the form of bonds. Not saying it didn’t work, just saying it’s not a foreign concept.
Scott Lauer
11mo
I like it, going a step further, in addition to promotion points would it be possible for memembers to exchange it for leave? Finance controls both, so we’ll have to submit a portal help ticket to find out the viability.
Samuel Gonzalez
11mo
Was just having a conversation the other day that related to this. I would keep decorations as they are but would love it if there were a way to include more incentive to quarterly and annual awards. Would require lots of work to figure out where those incentives come from, how much at each level, taxable or not, etc...
Air Force Talent Managment
11moI’ve been thinking about this lately, but specifically towards the value we put in quarterly awards. Almost seems like we could shift towards recognizing effort more outside of the usual ceremonies based off the substance in a package and more so on the process/work accomplished (base project x for example)z Relating to your post— the value/time in awards in general could be more focused towards that monetary incentive that you mention (like time off awards or cash awards civilians have). The shift would be both a culture shift and a huge policy update as well though.