August 13, 2007: The U.S. Air Force is the envy of the other services because its troops serve four month tours overseas, in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. After that, they are supposed to spend twenty months at their home bases. But in practice, 40 percent of airmen assigned to AEFs (Air Expeditionary Wings, brigade size units that go overseas), end up spending six months overseas at a time, and only get to stay home for six months before going off again. Some air force personnel, currently about 550, serve one year tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Air force security personnel regularly do six month tours in Iraq. The air force is considering going to regular six month (or longer) tours, to cut the time troops spend getting ready to go overseas, and returning. This will provide more "dwell time" (being at the home base.)