ACC leaders explain force management

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Steven Goetsch
  • Air Combat Command Public Affairs
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) --  Air Force leaders announced March 25 an expansion of force management measures designed to bring the Air Force within its congressionally mandated end strength.

Air Combat Command leaders explained the reasons for this latest personnel program, and how ACC plans on helping Airmen make a smooth transition out of the service.

"Because we need to remain within our end strength cap, we also need to have the flexibility within our end strength to be able to adjust our manpower," said Col. Bob Labrutta, ACC director for Manpower, Personnel and Services.

This program isn't just about cutting the number of Airmen; it is also about evolving the force to keep up with mission requirements.
"We need to meet today's critical needs and also the future critical needs of the Air Force," Colonel Labrutta explained. "If you're over that end strength, you don't have the ability to do that."

The Air Force is over its end strength because the service continues to retain more of its Airmen. "We are at a 15-year high [for retention]," said Chief Master Sgt. Martin Klukas, ACC command chief. "This is a luxury that the Air Force has not seen for some time, and it's time to adapt to that luxury and take advantage of that."

The Air Force has been drawing down its end strength since 2005, when it went from 359,700 to 331,700. The Force Management program not only looks to bring the total number of Airmen within end strength numbers, but also shape the force based on mission requirements. This required intense planning and coordination.

"First of all, we are doing this with precision," Colonel Labrutta said. "The key to all of this is we are taking a look at every single career field."

One of the biggest questions raised is how the Air Force can cut Airmen when the operations tempo remains at such a high rate.

"Funded positions are 'postured' or assigned to deployable unit type codes, and personnel assigned to those funded positions are then tasked to deploy, to include Joint Expeditionary Taskings," Colonel Labrutta explained. "Getting more personnel into high demand, low density career fields should help better meet future JET taskings."

The Force Management program has been in effect since last November when Airmen were offered voluntary incentives, explained Colonel Labrutta. Because not enough Airmen volunteered to separate or retire, the Air Force was forced to move into the second phase, which involves several involuntary programs.

Chief Klukas said Airmen need to be open and flexible to the idea of retraining into one of these critically manned career fields, by taking advantage of programs like the annual NCO Retraining Program.

"I think the NCORP is always something those Airmen in overmanned, especially overmanned career fields need to look at and make sure they have in their toolkits."

Another major component of the Force Management program is identifying and notifying the affected Airmen. The military personnel section will receive a list of eligibles for these programs and will notify impacted individuals and provide specific instructions concerning eligibility and available options.

Some of the involuntary options include a date of separation rollback, which means Airmen who have less than 14 years of service, or more than 20, that are on a control roster, are serving a suspended Article 15 punishment, or have declined retainability for an assignment, could have their separation dates curtailed to fiscal 2010.

Although the actual number of affected Airmen is relatively small, around three percent, the members that are affected, will be facing a life change that not only has a direct impact on them, but also their families.

"The bottom line is that you have my word that your force support squadrons are going to do everything they possibly can to make sure that if you are impacted by this decision that we take care of you through our programs," Colonel Labrutta said. "Our transition programs are the best in the world, and we'll make sure that we take care of you and your families to the best of our capacity."

Jean Michel, chief of ACC's Airman and Family Services Branch, explained that the best place for transitioning Airmen to start is at their local Airman and Family Readiness Center.

"ACC will lean forward in every way possible to ensure affected Airmen receive the maximum support they deserve."

Mr. Michel added that besides the AFRC having primary responsibility, the transition assistance programs they offer are designed to provide the skills and information Airmen will need to be successful. AFRCs throughout ACC are postured to give all Airmen full and timely support.

ACC is fully committed to helping ease the transition the affected Airmen.

"It was a difficult decision, but it was a necessary decision for the United States Air Force," Colonel Labrutta said. "The chief of staff and our (commander of ACC), all the way down to the first-line supervisors, are totally involved in this."

Some transitioning Airmen might want to continue serving the Air Force, even if it is in a different capacity.

"We've got a lot of great opportunities for them to stay within the Air Force," Colonel Labrutta said. "We have 21,000 new Air Force civilian service positions, and we have our Reserve and Guard components that are looking for expert Airmen."

Colonel Labrutta, who was once himself an airman basic, knows how critical information is in the process, so he is hitting the road and teaming up with local leadership and conducting briefings at all ACC bases. The briefings will augment the information that is already available on the ACC and Air Force Web sites.

The command chief reiterated senior leadership's commitment and ACC's wingman philosophy to not only those affected, but those units that will lose Airmen.

"Bottom line, we care about you, we care about the warriors that are affected by this," Chief Klukas said. "Being associated with those affected will have a little bit of drain and draw on us, so we need to come together as a family, and we will get through this."