 Today, we're gonna talk about some popular programs to help active duty Air Force members transition into the Air National Guard. Those programs are called Palace Chase and Palace Front. And before we do any of that, I do wanna give a big thank you to Airman Vision for providing the forum for us to talk casually about these programs and just help members make the best decision for them. I'm Andre Costa, I'm a technical sergeant in the Air Force and a recruiter for the California Air National Guard. If you have any questions about the California Air National Guard, feel free to give me a call at 805-415-7269. Again, you can also text. You know, I remember at the 13 year mark of my career, I transitioned into the Air National Guard through a program called Palace Chase. I remember just thinking like, what's Palace Chase? What does this mean? Essentially, it's separating mid enlistment into the Air National Guard. Now there are some parameters, at a minimum you have to have completed at least half of your initial enlistment and you do have to be within good standing within the Air Force to make that transition. Thinking about service obligation, it's usually whatever time you have remaining on that enlistment will double. So if you have two years left on that enlistment contract, you know, you might have an additional four years to serve in the Air National Guard. But I have heard that since right now the Air Force is so over, man, they're doing one to one ratio. So if you only have, you know, for example, two years left on your contract or one year, you just have to serve about that remaining time in the Air National Guard. So right now it's a great time to apply for Palace Chase. Another option is Palace Front. Palace Front is separating at the end of your enlistment. So what that means is if you're on your four year or six year enlistment, you finish that up and then you just continue serving with the Air National Guard thereafter for usually a three year or a one year enlistment. Again, you do have to be within good standing, you know, within the Air Force. If you're into AFIs, that's Air Force instruction, you wanna research a little bit more details about these programs, the AFI is 36-3205. You can also reach out to your local ISR, that's the local Air National Guard in-service recruiter. There is one assigned to each Air Force active duty base. Their primary job is to help active duty members make that transition into the Air National Guard. I do wanna answer some additional questions that I get, like, hey, can I cross train? You know, if I Palace Chase or Palace Front into the Air National Guard, can I cross train? And then the answer to that question is yes. You know, talking a little bit about my story, you know, when I joined active duty 18 years ago and I was picking a job, being in the process, you know, felt a little bit convoluted to me. I didn't really understand what the jobs were because I was brain new. I ended up, you know, getting open general and then, you know, the Air Force basically picked for me, right? But now when I transitioned into the Air National Guard, I knew a little bit more of what the jobs were and this was the opportunity for me to be picky and I appreciated the Air National Guard let me do that, right? You know, I could kind of be picky when it came to selecting my job. So that's something I do wanna let you guys know, you know, it's a great reason to go make that transition because maybe you can get your Air Force Dream job, right? Another question I get is, can I get a bonus? You know, if I do Palace Chase or Palace Front, am I still eligible for a bonus? And the short answer to that is no for Palace Chase because you're leaving, you know, early from the active duty side, but yes for Palace Front. So you can be eligible for a bonus if you're, you know, taking advantage of the Palace Front program. And lastly, why go Air National Guard at all? If you've already served on active duty, you know, you might be thinking, I've already done my service, I'm ready to transition to the civilian world again. And my two answers for that are, one, keeping your benefits, and two, why not control your Air Force career? Talking about that, that one, keeping your benefits. So what that means is continuing your service. You've already done four or maybe six years or so, right? Why not keep those benefits going? Keep those retirement benefits going so you're heading, you know, towards retirement. This is a way to add to your retirement benefits, whether that's, you know, TSP or the pension. One thing that can be shocking for a lot of members is the cost of health insurance. Being a member of the Air National Guard, you'll still be able to access low-cost health insurance through TRICARE. Another big thing is just having access to the base, being able to go to the commissary. Here in Southern California, where I'm at, you know, things cost a little bit more. So being able to get discounted grocery store, you know, access to that, that's important and it adds up, you know, gas. Gas out here is $4 a gallon, which is pretty crazy, right? So going, being able to go on base and use the gas station on base, again, saves me almost a dollar a gallon. Being able to go to the MWR, that's around welfare and recreation and get access to Disneyland tickets, you know? So all those benefits, you know, they save you a couple bucks in the end of the year that comes out to thousands of dollars. When you're serving in the Air National Guard, you're getting paid for every day you're wearing the uniform, right? That equals extra money in your pocket. Who doesn't need or want to have extra money around? And then lastly, it's about controlling how much Air Force you participate in. You don't have to PCS if you don't want to. In the Air National Guard, you choose where you're being stationed. So you have control and then because you're serving part-time, you have all this time to focus on what your priorities are. So whether that's spending more time with family, whether that's going back to college, right? Whether that's working on passion projects or enhancing your career, you have all that time. So I hope that's helpful and you guys learn a little bit. If you want to do a little bit more research, check out the GO ANG website. That's G-O-A-N-G website. It'll also tell you where all the different locations you can serve in the Air National Guard. Also your ISR, the Air National Guard in Service Recruiter which is assigned to every Air Force active duty base. You know, they're there to help active duty members make that transition into the Air National Guard and a great resource to answer your questions. But if you've got any questions for me about the California Air National Guard, just feel free to give me a call or send me a text. My phone number 805-415-7269 again, 805-415-7269. Thanks, y'all, take care.