Regarding USAF Personnel Cuts
One of our readers of the USAF-persuasion recently provided a link regarding USAF personnel issues. So thought I’d write about that too.
As has been the case with the Army and Navy, members of the USAF are also being scrutinized for involuntary separation. The USAF recently completed a records review of 7,121 individuals in the ranks of Senior Airman through Senior Master Sergeant in “over-manned specialties”. Of that group, 5,700 were retained – a retention rate of just over 80%. The remaining 1,421 individuals will be discharged, will be offered the opportunity to retire under temporary early retirement authority (TERA), or will be allowed to retire normally (but involuntarily) NLT 1 February 2015. And individual’s time-in-service will determine which option(s) they can use.
Little information was provided regarding current USAF officer force-shaping measures. The article did mention that due to voluntary losses there would be no reduction-in-force of USAF medical officers by the reduction-in-force board to be held in October.
To put things in perspective: the number enlisted personnel selected for involuntary discharge by the USAF this year is approximately the same as the number of CPTs and MAJs that the Army has selected this year for involuntary separation. And while I have no idea how many enlisted personnel have/will be been identified by the Army to get their walking papers this year, I’d guess that number will be somewhat larger than the number of O3s and O4s combined. But I could be wrong.
Still – for those selected, I’m sure they’re thinking “Bless Our Hearts, It’s Christmas Almost. Or at least thinking the acronym.
And, yeah – being told to “hit the bricks” is one helluva Christmas present from Uncle Sam.
Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", Air Force, Defense cuts
I’m glad I bailed when I did in 2007.
I’ve heard nothing but bitching from my brothers and sisters that are/were still after me, including my best friend, A Cheif Master Sergeant that deployed to Kandahar in 2012. He came back in September, returned to the unit in December after taking standard leave and then sent me an invitation for his retirement in April 2013. He had planned to say for *quite* a few years but apparently things went bad not only for him but MANY others. Our unit has about a 35 to 50% turnover in about 18 to 24 months. and it was NEVER that way thought the 1990s and then even into a few years after 2001. Most guys were getting out either due to High Year Tenure or 60 years old but not many were just so pissed off they bailed. Then the flood gates opened about 2004-ish when they changed the deployment tempo. We were supposed to be “in the bucket” for 6 months and were supposed to fill deployment quotas (which we mostly did voluntarily) and then OUT for 18 months while they rotated through the rest of our AFSC throughout the Air Force Reserves nationwide. in about a year, that went out the window with our requirements having to fulfill deployment and teams for IG ORI inspections at the same time with a dwindling crew of senior experienced personnel.
It’s a wonder…with less and less support at the Wing, and then the Numbered Air Force levels.
/shakes head. It’s the 1970s & the 1990s again isn’t it?
Yeah, had a similar story to that. One of my superintendents at Mountain Home, Idaho wanted to deploy. They pretty much told him if he took a 365 assignment, they were going to force him to retire. he took the 365 to Afghanistan to train the afghani on command and control. Came back to Mountain Home, pretty much put him in a floating position till he was forced to retire. He just died recently, not sure how. But I was pissed when I heard about them ousting him.
I left military in 2011 only to come back and now they are trying to force me out in the reserves as a technician.
@Chip, same with us here in the Alabama Air National Guard. Up tempo deployments, ORI’s (Now called UEI’s), reduction in Combat Comm units across CONUS. Lead to around 44% departure of our current personnel and manning doc’s. I wonder how long our unit will survive to be honest. Just hovring over the 60% manning right now as it is. Looking for ward to my 20 here in the future myself, 4 more years and I will be done Im a thinking.
All these cuts, while we are trying to execute a war against terrorism, worldwide. A war that is becoming more intense and wide spread every hour that passes. A few bombs here, a few there and it’s back to the golf course for our non-present-Commander-In-Chief. He has said, (paraphrased) he wants to “keep them at bay, not destroy them”. What is this non-leader going to do if and I think a matter of when, the next attack comes to American soil? I know already. He and Holder will call it a criminal act again and promise to “find, bring to justice and prosecute those responsible”. Any other president I can remember, even…yes I even believe Jimmy Carter probably too, would have already been bombing the hell out of all those IS troops and their families in Syria and Iraq. But Obama and his lap dogs in the Pentagon cut deeper and deeper. They take no notice of even the SoD who says IS is more dangerous and a bigger threat than al Queda. Just keep putting your heads in the sand (trap) guys and WE, here in the American heartland, will pay the price.
Yep,we say FUBAR,he hears FUPAR(Freed Up,Play Another Round).
@Chip, no kidding with the numbered AF levels. They pretty much destroyed one NAF and combined the remnants wtih another one on the east coast. Command Post levels are so bad they are sending emails out to anyone who wants to return to active duty at a neearby CP.
And 14 year SFS 3P0s or forgot what their AFSCs are..are being forced to cross train into intel, Command Post or Loadmasters a few years ago.
WOW guys, that sure is something.
It used to be SFS, Chow Hall and Aerial port and MAYBE Civil Engineers were Recruiters dumping grounds for newbies, cross trainers and transfers from other branches.
I guess Reagan, GHWB, Clinton (not so much) and GWB were the good old days. Huh?
Now it’s just a giant suckfest.
Maybe we’re just getting old and out piss and vinegar tanks are getting low.
😀 😀 😀 😀
/nah, it sucks plenty good.
I think we are in the dark days of military. Either PC Bullshit, shortcuts to fixes, dumbass ROE and horrible Seniors and Chiefs with bad ideas.
Oh yeah and now the new dumping grounds is Loadmaster, CP, Intel and EO. Its hard to believe that air force is hard up for EEO folks. I remember in 2011, I got an email asking for volunteers to cross train into EEO for exciting opportunities.
All of the comments so far just confirmed what I was seeing around the force in the cyber AFSCs and one of the prime motivators in my decision to retire a year early when given the chance. Too much PC crap, back stabbing, good ole boy/gal, not taking care of the airmen, and that was just at the SNCO level. Overall it just wasn’t the AF I knew and loved any more. Coupled with the yes men/women at the 5 side not doing their jobs, giving the average enlisted member the shaft when ever possible, and not only willingness but rushing in line to bend over and take it from the White House at every turn. Enough was enough.
In April the Army changed the QMP/QSP rules to state “anyone and everyone we ‘feel’ needs to be removed, will be removed.” (Memo signed by McHugh 10Apr14)
So lots of NCOs will be getting the boot for that potential “1” NCOER they might’ve gotten a raw deal on, or had an issue during the rating period causing one. And I’m going to bet that the QMP boards will get the “yeah, unless they have a Silver Star, they don’t have the ‘potential to excel in the future’ so they shouldn’t be around any longer” meaning the QMP boards will be 99% “get out, you suck” including many who will not have the AFS to get a retirement, so they’ll just be ETS’d for their years of service.
And I say again, the SMA is not doing his job. Instead of standing up to make his Soldiers’ lives better, he’s telling Congress (with I’m sure ‘command influence’ from the WH) they should cut personnel and this and that.
Oh, but we’ve got a threat now from ISIS according to Dempsey. Oh, but wait, the very next day they magically became only a “regional threat” from his point of view. So back in January they were “JV” but yesterday they were the greatest significant threat, oh but over night they suddenly dropped down to “regional threat” again.
So once they become a real threat (again) then it’ll be “oh but the military can’t function because we kicked a bunch of people out to cut the budget” its okay though, Eric Holder will lead the DoJ in a charge to defeat ISIL, so its all good I guess.
Its amazing Barry has the time to concoct these silly schemes with all the golf he’s playing lately…
Retired last year after 24 years of Air Force Security Forces. People ask me how I stayed so long, and I say “I only had to serve 5 years under Obama, that’s how”.
I’d do it again, but only if I could start again back in 1989.
So many people dissatified with top leadership they are getting out after 4-5 years. Even a few here I know are punching out with 12-15 years of service.