The Air Force is proud of true north The program is considered a unique success in providing mental health support directly to the most stressful workplaces. Instead of expecting Airmen in need of spiritual support to take time away from their daily duties to visit specialists at a clinic or hospital, this program places mental health and religious support teams directly on the units where Airmen serve.
But Air Education and Training Command (AETC) officials are now looking to scale back the program as part of cutting costs across the civilian workforce.
An AETC spokesperson told Task & Purpose that the command’s proposal is not final, but the action is already having an impact. Jeffery Clark, a licensed clinical social worker, told Task & Purpose that he recently resigned from True North at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington after hearing that AETC was phasing out the program.
“They told us at the meeting that we should contact them within 24 hours through an Excel spreadsheet they provided us with the number of patients we were currently seeing and begin coordinating with local treatment facilities and developing a treatment plan,” said Clark, who has worked as a clinical social worker at the 36th Rescue Squadron and the School for Survivors, Avoidance, Resistance and Escape in Fairchild.
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These units include high-stress SERE training programs and active rescue operations on Mount Washington. Clark said that while assigned to the unit, he participated in physical training with instructors and operators and always performed flight missions. He said the job is much different than that of a therapist who works part-time hours in a clinic.
“These are special operations personnel, and any kind of medical documentation can compromise their ability to perform their mission.” Clark said.
The likelihood of AETC’s True North program ending is as follows: First reported by KXLYRadio station in Spokane, Washington.
“This is a very dynamic role that provides care to Soldiers instead of taking them away from the mission,” he said. He said Airmen seeking help at traditional clinics “may have to take a day off and change their schedules because it takes time to get to the hospital and check in.”
Future program status unclear
Clark learned in a September 24 memo that his position at True North was being eliminated. Additionally, the order from AETC’s Director of Personnel, Personnel and Services outlined the program’s termination in a Sept. 25 email to “commanders and directors.”
“As part of AETC’s submission for approval of Department of the Air Force (DAF) FY26 workforce optimization reductions, all True North (TN) program positions will be eliminated,” the email said Oct. 1. “The command appreciates the dedication TN experts provide to Airmen. As we navigate this transition, leadership remains steadfast in ensuring the well-being of Airmen is a top priority.”
Air Force officials told Task & Purpose that although the Sept. 25 email was distributed throughout AETC, the updated guidance made it clear that AETC’s proposal to remove Truth North from the unit remains tentative.
AETC spokesperson Lt. Col. Korry Leverett said in a statement provided to Task & Purpose that no final decision has been made on phasing out the True North program.
An Air Force spokesman echoed this message.
“The Department of the Air Force has not confirmed any civilian workforce optimization reductions for fiscal year 2026,” the spokesperson said. “Airmen currently receiving support through civilian workforce reduction targeted programs will be transitioned to existing, readily available resources at the installation for ongoing care.”
However, True North’s built-in characteristics make it unique among resilience programs.
“Once the Department of the Air Force approves a strategic realignment of resources, AETC will transition Airmen receiving care within the True North program to other resiliency-based programs to ensure continuity of care,” Leverett said.
But that’s not the way things were presented to Clark, who said AETC’s decision to discontinue the program was approved by Air Force leadership.
Clark, an Army veteran, said AETC officials initially notified him that his position would be terminated by Oct. 1 and that he would have to submit his resume to a civilian personnel office to find a new job. He was also told that AETC may not continue to pay him because he is a probationary employee.
He then received an email from AETC saying the Air Force had approved phasing out True North over time and that he and others involved in the program were expected to continue in their current roles until a formal plan to end True North was implemented, Clark said.
Based on conflicting information, Clark resigned from True North on October 3 after 10 months on the job.
Leverett said he determined there were adequate resources available to Airmen at all bases before considering a request to phase out the True North program as part of civilian cuts. He also said he was committed to providing “appropriate care” across the command.
“True North providers will carefully and intentionally direct Airmen to trusted support channels such as Military OneSource, military and family life counseling, installation behavioral health clinics, chaplains, and off-base providers. Airmen can also self-refer to mental health providers at any time.” Leverett said.
True North ‘provides care to soldiers’
The Air Force presents True North as a unique resource for service members, military civilians and their families. public official Air Force website Included are anonymous “True North Testimonials” about how effective the program has been in increasing care and resilience.
“Statistics and effectiveness reports about programs never capture the true impact a program has on a unit,” one quote reads. “Mental health is no longer a last resort for Airmen in crisis, but rather an educational and clinical tool to prevent Airmen from falling into crisis in the first place.”
RAND Corporation’s 2024 Report Research has shown promising results in deploying behavioral health professionals into military, educational, and health care settings.
“These impacts include increased service utilization, increased diagnostic accuracy, and increased continuity of care,” the report said.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Olvin in January Combine True North with other programsAn operational support team that temporarily deploys medical professionals to units to increase access to care for Airmen.
Deployed professionals must understand both the Air Force’s mission and the specific role of the unit they work for, Clark said. Providers offer a variety of mental health care services, from coaching service members dealing with personal difficulties to counseling patients for more serious issues.
Clark’s role coaching Airmen is particularly important, he said. They told him about their difficulties, including sleeping problems, arguments with their spouses and dealing with the death of a loved one. Importantly, this process does not involve any documentation.
He said being directly attached to an Air Force unit allows him to provide more services than other mental health providers.
“I’m already there. All it takes is a quick text or phone call and I can usually be at the training site within a few hours,” Clark said. “They’ll stop by, make an appointment, and no one knows they’re doing it. And they get what they need and continue their mission.”
It’s unclear how many jobs could be at risk or how much money the AETC would save by discontinuing the program. The Air Force does not appear to have disclosed the total number of True North employees across the service or within major commands such as AETC. but website Within Air Combat Command, the Air Force’s largest major branch, True North said it provides embedded support to more than 22,700 active-duty Airmen in 104 high-priority units at 27 DoD installations, including overseas.
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