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Fairchild AFB affected by civilian restructuring

  • Published
  • By Scott King
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. --  Base officials announced Thursday that 30 civilian personnel positions will be eliminated at Farichild Air Force Base, Wash., as part of civilian workforce adjustments announced by the Air Force on November 2 .

Base officials are making face-to-face notifications to those affected by the decision.

In response to direction from the Secretary of Defense for Department of Defense to stop civilian growth above fiscal year 2010 levels, the Air Force eliminated approximately 9,000 positions. There were also approximately 5,900 positions added against the Air Force's top priorities. These adjustments reflect several initiatives designed to align limited resources based on Air Forces and DOD priorities.

"We can't be successful without our talented and experienced civilian workforce," said Michael B. Donley, Secretary of the Air Force. "We are making difficult choices about how to deliberately restructure and posture the force and will continue to look for new ways of accomplishing the mission," said Donley. "We can't afford business as usual." In Air Mobility Command, those alignments are reflected in the planned reduction of 657 civilian positions across the command in fiscal year 2012 growing to 935 positions reduced in fiscal year 2013.

"For the majority of our civilians affected by this adjustment we are diligently working to reassign them into other available positions wherever possible," said Col. Steven Beatty, Director of Manpower, Personnel and Services, Air Mobility Command.

Upon receiving the Secretary of Defense's 2010 memo directing that civilian manpower costs stay within fiscal year 2010 levels, the Air Force began a comprehensive strategic review of the entire AF civilian workforce to determine whether or not civilian authorizations were in the right places to meet mission priorities. Based upon that strategic review, the AMC officials refined its civilian manpower priorities ensuring appropriate workforce levels could be retained to meet its mission objectives.

"The end state of these adjustments is to have a balanced, affordable, effective force both now and in the future," Beatty said. "To that end, we're taking a holistic approach to balance fiscal requirements, mission needs and the needs of our mobility family."

Beginning in May 2011, the Air Force implemented a series of hiring controls and voluntary separation programs designed to reduce overall manpower costs, but these hiring controls did not provide the results required to operate within fiscal constraints.

"The initiatives announced November 2 represents the next step toward that goal, but there is more work to be done," said Brig. Gen. Gina Grosso, Director of Manpower, Organization, and Resources, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. "The Air Force remains over fiscal year 2010 manpower levels and will continue to develop enterprise-wide solutions to achieve our goals with minimal impact to mission. The Air Force must still define an additional 4,500 (approximate) civilian positions for reduction."

Air Force-wide, local leaders will be sharing the results of the civilian manpower adjustments with their workforces over the next several days.  "We're doing everything possible to mitigate the effects on our personnel by placing affected employees in available vacant positions which use their skill sets to keep them a part of Team Fairchild," said Maj. Randy Bailey, 92nd Air Refueling Wing Force Support Squadron commander.

Given the constrained fiscal environment, Air Force members should expect continued workforce shaping measures affecting military, civilian, and contractors, Grosso said.

"At this time, we are not sure whether a reduction in force will be necessary," she said. "We are pursuing all available voluntary force management measures to include civilian hiring controls with the goal of avoiding non-voluntary measures. Every vacancy we don't fill brings us one position closer to fiscal year 2010 levels, and reduces the possibility for a RIF."

As details become final, Air Force officials will release information on the next set of initiatives.