SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. –
Air Force officials announced Nov. 16 measures to meet the Fiscal Year 2010 end strength of 331,700 Airmen; requiring personnel management actions to reduce manpower by approximately 3,700 officers and enlisted members through voluntary and involuntary early separation and retirement programs.
As the Air Force moves to realign its force to meet fiscal 2010 end strength requirements, Air Mobility Command leaders and service agencies are leaning forward to assist affected personnel.
"AMC is committed to taking care of its people," said Col. Lee Wyatt, AMC's director of Manpower, Personnel, and Services. "We are leaning forward to make this process as transparent as possible in order to alleviate uncertainty for those eligible and ineligible."
The initial focus will be on voluntary retirements and separations.
For officers, early retirements and separations will be encouraged for certain ranks and career fields. Active Duty Service Commitments will be waived for some overage and non-critical career fields. Transfers to the Reserve forces or participation in the Blue-to-Green inter-service transfer program to the Army will be encouraged.
Enlisted Airmen identified as ineligible to re-enlist will be separated earlier. Enlisted Airmen who fail initial training programs can be separated if they are not qualified for, or not selected for reclassification and training into a short or critical career field.
Eligible active-duty Airmen can apply now for early separation online through the Virtual Military Personnel Flight. Airmen are encouraged to seek more information and counseling on their options from the base MPF separations office or Airman and Family Readiness Center.
The force management measures came in response to a projected $228 million personnel funding shortfall after the weakened economy led to a unexpectedly high retention rate, as well as the need to strategically balance skills and abilities, officials said.
"The Air Force needs to shape the force occasionally to ensure we are properly balanced in order to meet the [requirements] of today's dynamic combat environment," Colonel Wyatt said.
"Our undermanned career fields are overstressed, while other career fields are overmanned," he said. "The Air Force needs to adjust some career fields because filling overages in some skills at the expense of others doesn't help combatant commanders, and it uses valuable funding needed to produce Airmen with the skill sets needed for the fight."
For more information, visit the Air Force Personnel Center's "Ask" site at http://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil/; or call the Total Force Service Center at 800-525-0102.
For information from the Charleston AFB military personnel section, call 963-0677. For the Airman and Family Readiness Center, call 963-4406.