Hundreds of airmen opt to leave Air Force amid sky-high retention 3 hours ago Airmen of the 730th Air Mobility Squadron load a C-17 engine onto a C-17 Globemaster III at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 4. (Tech. Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal/Air Force) Hundreds of airmen have decided to leave the Air Force as part of the service’s effort to rebalance a glut of troops who stayed in longer than expected amid the coronavirus pandemic. About six months after it announced record retention rates, at least in part spurred by economic uncertainty, the Air Force said Thursday it will end its voluntary force management initiatives May 27.