JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Air Force leadership announced force management programs designed to reduce the force by thousands of Airmen over the next five years as a result of sequestration.
Fiscal year 2014 force management initiatives are in addition to the announcement made in July, stating the Air Force will implement several force management programs to meet budget reduction requirements.
Below are commonly asked questions regarding FY14 force management. If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment.
Q. Who do I contact to determine what FY14 Force Management programs are applicable to me?
A. Once specific details are available, AFPC will notify Airmen via official personnel messages and public news releases that will be posted on www.afpc.af.mil and www.af.mil. At that time, Airmen will be able to visit myPers at https://mypers.af.mil to read the personnel messages and guidance on eligibility and applications.
Q. How will I know if I'm affected by force management actions?
A. Specific board information will be released on the myPers website at https://mypers.af.mil.
Q. Why is the Air Force announcing this now when details on specific career fields aren't available?
A. The service has made a conscious decision to announce these force management programs now in order to give Airmen as much time as possible to plan for their futures. Specific career field details will be available in the coming weeks.
Q. What career fields are vulnerable for this round of force management measures? Can those selected for an force management-related separation volunteer for a different career field?
A. Specific career fields will be determined based on overages and identified on the matrix on myPers website by career field and year group. Airmen who are selected for a force management-related separation may have an opportunity to continue their service in either the Air Force Reserve or the National Guard.
Q. Does this mean that a high quality officer or enlisted member in an overmanned field can get kicked out when a lower quality member in an undermanned field gets to stay? If so, why? If not, how will it work for the high-quality members to be retained?
A. The AF will focus on retaining top performers across multiple AFSCs. Retention boards, for both officers and enlisted, will be charged to review records and select high performing Airmen for retention.
Q. Are rated and medical officers vulnerable to force management actions?
A. Yes, some rated and health professions officers will be eligible for voluntary and involuntary force management programs.
Q. What grades and year groups will be vulnerable for Force Shaping Boards (FSB) and Reductions in Force (RIF)?
A. RIFs impact regular officers with 6 or more years Total Active Commissioned Service and less than 18 years of Total Active Federal Military Service below the grade of Lieutenant Colonel who have served at least 1 year of active duty in the current grade; are not on a promotion list; and are not eligible for retirement or will not become eligible for retirement within 2 years. FSB will consider active duty officers with more than 3 but less than 6 years of commissioned service as of Dec. 31, 2014. Officers selected for separation under FSB are not entitled to any type of separation pay unless they have 6 or more years Total Active Federal Military Service.
Q. Are there any other enlisted programs scheduled for FY14?
A. At this time, the Air Force plans to continue the Date of Separation (DOS) Rollback Program and implement Enlisted Retention Boards. Additionally, enlisted in over-manned career fields with more than 15 but less than 20 years of service will be eligible for Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA) Phase II. The Air Force also plans to offer Voluntary Separation Pay (VSP) to Airmen meeting an enlisted retention board with greater than 6 years but less than 15 years of service. Airmen meeting the quality force review board are not eligible for VSP.
Q. How will this affect specific bases and communities?
A. We don't know yet how this overall force reduction will affect specific bases or communities.
For more information, visit the myPers website at
https://mypers.af.mil.