Gates: No more cuts to Air Force personnel

[CommunityEditor]

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the end to the Air Force’s personnel cuts during a speech to airmen here Monday, one of three stops on an overnight trip he is making to three Air Force bases.

Gates is seeking to reassure airmen after he asked for and received the resignations of Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Secretary Michael Wynne June 5, and to explain his reasons for doing so.

“While most public attention on the costs of war and the strain on our forces has been focused on the Army, the reality is that our airmen and women — and those in the other services — are under strain as well,” Gates told the Langley airmen. “In fact, you have been forward-deployed and at war for 17 years — since the first Gulf War. Your families have also borne this burden, and the Air Force has its own fallen heroes — often struck down while serving on the ground alongside soldiers and Marines.

“We know this and are working to ease the burden. For example, I intend immediately to stop further reductions in Air Force personnel.

The announcement ends the drawdown just three months before the service aimed to begin cutting another 12,000 airmen, bringing the active-duty force to 316,600 airmen by the end of 2009.

That was to be the last step of the drawdown that began in 2005 — when the service had 359,700 active-duty airmen — to slash personnel costs and free up money for the modernization of aircraft.

The 2009 plan called for a $312 million program to pay officers to leave early and would likely have involved telling enlisted airmen in overmanned career fields to retrain or leave the service when it came time re-enlist.

At the same time the Air Force was preparing to make the cuts, the service’s manpower estimate to Congress indicated the service needed more airmen, not less. Overall, the service needs 330,154 airmen in 2009, the estimate said. For example, the service should have 5,200 more maintainers to deal with aircraft that are getting older and require more hours to keep flight worth. And beyond the 330,145 airmen, Air Force special operations needs 3,200 airmen to fill growing demands from U.S. Special Operations Command.

To avoid further cuts, the Air Force estimated it needed $690 million in 2009, and that bill would grow to $1.5 billion in 2010 as retirement benefits and other costs increased.

Lawmakers in Congress weren’t sold on the idea of increasing personnel or stopping the drawdown. When the House and Senate armed services committees approved their plans for the Air Force, both allowed the drawdown to continue.

Gates’ announcement comes at the start of a three-base tour that will include Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Gates spoke to about 300 airmen sitting in the Langley base theater.

He said it was his first visit to the base, adding he wished he was visiting “under happier circumstances.”

“By now you all know about my decision to accept the resignations of Secretary Wynne and General Moseley,” he said.

He explained to airmen he was left no choice but to fire Chief of Staff T. Michael Moseley and Secretary Michael Wynne after receiving a report from Adm. Kirkland Donald earlier this month outlining the continual degradation of Air Force nuclear standards.

“Were it not for the findings of Adm. Donald’s report regarding systemic problems and weaknesses in our nuclear weapons program, the leadership changes would not have taken place,” Gates said.

He went on to outline the three systemic problems Donald and his investigative team found.

* The service lacks a “clear, dedicated authority responsible for the nuclear enterprise. This started after Strategic Air Command was disbanded in 1992.”

* The Air Force could have prevented the mistaken shipment of secret nuclear nose cones to Taiwan had the “Air Force’s and Defense Logistics Agency’s existing inspections and oversight programs been functioning effectively.”

* The extent of Air Force nuclear expertise has declined over the years because its inability to keep airmen and officers in the nuclear community.

“When systematic problems are found, I believe that accountability must reach beyond NCOs and even colonels,” Gates said.

Gates tried to stop the speculation into his reasons for firing Wynne and Moseley saying the nuclear failures were the only reason.

He explained other influences like his debates with Air Force leaders on funding for the procurement of more F-22 Raptors, and Gate’s disappointment over the slow build up of UAVs in Iraq and Afghanistan had no part in his decision.

Following his official comments to the Langley airmen, he opened the floor to questions.

It sounded like a statement he made at Air University earlier this year, when he told airmen to question their leaders during a speech there.


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20..._ends_060908w/
Speech: http://www.militarytimes.com/static/...60908gates.pdf

His words have little meaning at this point in time because he is (1) a lame duck SECDEF), (2) It has been said before and the cuts just kept coming.

Well, I hope they institue some kinda of program to get back the enlisted and officers that got forced shaped or took the VSP...I know I would come back in a heart beat!

[technomage1]

I'm hopeful that this will be the case, but I'd like to see more specifics at this point. I suppose this means the modernization is over with at the least.

The Air Force is still pushing the modernization of fighters and the capitalization for the Global Hawk.

Except the numbers will be limited to current funding and without the additional funds anticipated with the 2009 reduction-in-force.

Big mistake made by the leadership was the failure to do a cost-benefit analysis of the RIF vis-a-vis the additional F-22 that can be purchased by funds saved by reducing the force.

Main question that should have been asked: How many F-22 do you get for X dollars saved vs. the degradation of operational readiness if you subtract the same X dollars from manpower?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The Air Force is still pushing the modernization of fighters and the capitalization for the Global Hawk.

Except the numbers will be limited to current funding and without the additional funds anticipated with the 2009 reduction-in-force.

Big mistake made by the leadership was the failure to do a cost-benefit analysis of the RIF vis-a-vis the additional F-22 that can be purchased by funds saved by reducing the force.

Main question that should have been asked: How many F-22 do you get for X dollars saved vs. the degradation of operational readiness if you subtract the same X dollars from manpower?

Exactly. Now also add the rising prices for fuel. They didn't save a dime - in fact we are gushing funds due to fuel for the planes, trucks, buses, cars, etc. It costs roughly $21,000 an hour to fly the C-17 right now due to fuel costs.

I think our leaders and government need to focus on domestic issues instead of fighting a war in Iraq that wasn't about WMDs but about oil and a personal vendetta. How did the war for oil turn out? Look at the gas pumps for the answer.

[FLAPS]

I'm curious how Sec Gates will get the money to stop the drawdown. The budget request is already in Congress and both the House and Senate turned down the AF's latest request to obtain additional supplemental funds to stop the drawdown. Only way I can see this drawdown stop is to re-allocate the $$$. Short of that, the AF will have no choice but to stay on track with downsizing to 316K personnel.

[FLAPS]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Well, I hope they institue some kinda of program to get back the enlisted and officers that got forced shaped or took the VSP...I know I would come back in a heart beat!

Don't hold your breath. There is no money, and probably no desire to undo the previous cuts and bring folks back in.

I was also one of the officers force shaped and I would come back in a minute also. Let's see you cut my career field (Public Affairs) but you can't seem to find enough officers to deploy and fill the positions required. I am sure it is not the only career field going through this problem. I have never understood the mindset of trying to reduce personnel during an active time of war. True enough there were deployments since Desert Strom, but the Air Force wasn't being tasked to perform many in-lieu of missions. Finally a SECDEF that understands the meaning of the phrase- "Our people are our most valuable resource." Let's just hope he puts the military back in control of the military instead of private contractors. Oh yeah with the Air Force now doing a mandatory 179 deployment- how is that going to affect retention when your pool of eligible personnel is being cut? It just means the same individuals deploy over and over and over again.

[technomage1]

Originally Posted by FLAPS

Don't hold your breath. There is no money, and probably no desire to undo the previous cuts and bring folks back in.

I don't know about that. There are some career fields that they just trained people out of 3 years ago that now they want those retrainees back. Granted, it's not as easy to come back into the military, but depending on the rank and TIS it's a possibliity. I wouldn't bet the farm on it, but it could happen.