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Air Force announces civilian workforce restructuring

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Cynthia Anderson
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Air Force officials announced several adjustments to the civilian workforce. In response to direction from the Secretary of Defense for DoD to stop civilian growth above fiscal year 2010 levels and the need to add 5900 positions against the Air Force's top priorities, the Air Force eliminated approximately 9000 positions. These adjustments reflect several initiatives designed to align limited resources based on Air Forces priorities. This process is an ongoing effort to increase efficiencies, reduce overhead and eliminate redundancy.

"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."

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.

The strategic review revealed several imbalances. Some high priority areas needed to grow, while some management and overhead functions needed streamlining. These imbalances led to a variety of initiatives focused on realigning scarce manpower resources with the most critical missions.

In particular, the Air Force will grow by approximately 5900 positions in acquisition, the nuclear enterprise, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and other key areas while reducing approximately 9000 positions in management, staff, and support areas.

"We clearly understand the turbulence these and future reductions will cause in the workforce," General Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the Air Force said. "We are making every effort to use voluntary measures to achieve reductions whenever possible."

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 our fiscal constraints.

"The initiatives announced November 2 represent 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. "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 4500 civilian positions for reduction."

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

Air Force-wide, local leaders will be sharing the results of the civilian manpower adjustments with their workforces over the next several days.

"Civilian manpower adjustments will occur at all levels of the Air Force," Grosso said. "We are focused on shaping the force within our fiscal constraints and are committed to maintaining our long history of excellence as we build the Air Force of the future.

"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."

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

"We understand the stress caused by uncertainty and will do our best to share information across the workforce as soon as it becomes available," said Grosso.