What Is AFI 16-107? Military Personnel Exchange Program

AFI 16-107 is the Air Force instruction that governs the U.S. Air Force Military Personnel Exchange Program (MPEP). It sets the rules for sending Air Force members to serve inside allied foreign air forces and for hosting foreign military personnel in American units. It applies to Regular Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard members assigned to the program.¹

If you arrived here looking for protocol, honors, ceremonies, or distinguished visitor procedures, that guidance is in AFI 34-1201, not this one. The two instructions share a similar-looking number but cover unrelated subjects.²

What the Military Personnel Exchange Program Does

The MPEP places American service members in operational positions within partner air forces overseas. In return, foreign military members fill positions in U.S. Air Force units. The Air Force uses the program to build coalition warfighting capability and long-term professional relationships with partner services. AFI 16-107 aligns the program with the National Defense Strategy, combatant command campaign plans, and the USAF Security Cooperation Flight Plan.¹

The MPEP is distinct from other international programs. AFI 16-107 does not cover education and training of international military students (AFI 16-105) or the broader defense personnel exchange activities governed by DoD Directive 5230.20.¹

Legal Authority

AFI 16-107 implements 10 U.S.C. § 311 and Air Force Policy Directive 16-1 on Security Cooperation. The statute authorizes the Secretary of Defense to enter into reciprocal or non-reciprocal exchanges of armed forces members and civilian defense personnel with friendly foreign governments and international security organizations.³

When the exchange involves a non-defense ministry of a foreign government or an international security organization, the Secretary of State must concur. Every individual placement requires the approval of both governments, and the specific arrangement follows the terms of the bilateral international agreement in force.³

Who Qualifies

The instruction does not set rank thresholds. Instead, each exchange position has a Position Description and Requisition Report that spells out the required grade, skill, training, and qualifications. Because exchange officers are highly visible representatives of the Air Force to a partner nation, selection is competitive.¹

Language proficiency is a hard requirement. USAF members nominating for an overseas position must submit either Defense Language Proficiency Test and Oral Proficiency Test scores or Defense Language Aptitude Battery scores, unless the host nation’s primary language is English (Australia, Canada, or the United Kingdom). Foreign officers coming to the United States need a NATO STANAG 6001 Standardized Language Profile of 3/3/3, or an English Comprehension Level of 80 with an Oral Proficiency Interview score of 2/2. Aircrew, academic instructors, lawyers, and doctors must meet a higher bar: 85 comprehension and 2+/2+ oral proficiency.¹

Tour Length and Who Pays

The default tour is three years, including any host-nation training, whether or not the member has dependents. A bilateral agreement can set a different length. Language training required to reach the position’s minimum standard does not count against the three years, so total time away can run longer.¹

Under 10 U.S.C. § 311, each government pays its own people. The home country covers salary, per diem, cost of living adjustments, travel, and training. The host government pays only for temporary duty it directs and for orientation or certification training unique to the exchange assignment. The statute also requires that reciprocal exchanges involve personnel of essentially equal qualifications, training, and skills.³

Classified Information Limits

The security section of AFI 16-107 is where commanders most often get into trouble. Foreign exchange personnel cannot begin duty in any position that could expose them to classified or controlled unclassified information not authorized for release to their government. What they can see is controlled by three documents: the Delegation of Disclosure Authority Letter, the Position Description and Requisition Report, and the bilateral international agreement.¹

Foreign exchange officers cannot hold personal custody of classified or controlled unclassified military information unless both the U.S. Air Force and their parent service approve. When access is authorized, it is limited to normal duty hours at the place of assignment and only to material needed for the exchange position. Unsupervised access to classified libraries, operations centers, or document catalogs is off-limits unless the material is publicly releasable.¹

Some categories of information require separate approval from SAF/IAPT before any access is granted. These include Restricted Data, information that could harm U.S. government officials or damage foreign relations, and specially marked programs of critical national security sensitivity. The commander and supervisor of the exchange position carry direct responsibility for keeping access inside the disclosure authorization.¹

How Big the Program Is

The MPEP is small in headcount but wide in reach. As of a 2023 Air Force conference, the program held roughly 87 billeted slots: 84 officer positions and 3 enlisted, spread across about 54 Air Force Specialty Codes in 14 nations.⁴

AFI 16-107 does not publish a fixed list of partner countries. The roster shifts as bilateral agreements are signed or expire, and each position identifies its participating country in the Delegation of Disclosure Authority Letter rather than in the instruction itself.¹

Where to Find the Instruction

AFI 16-107 is published on the Department of the Air Force e-Publishing site. If you need the protocol instruction instead, look up AFI 34-1201, which covers decorum, customs and courtesies during Air Force ceremonies, conferences and social events, hosting distinguished visitors, and military funeral honors.²

1
Department of the Air Force e-Publishing. AFI 16-107 – Military Personnel Exchange Program
2
Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations. AFI 34-1201 – Protocol
3
GovInfo. 10 USC 311 – Exchange of Defense Personnel Between United States and Friendly Foreign Countries
4
Secretary of the Air Force International Affairs. MPEP Unites Mission Partners Across Globe