The White Falcon - 01.05.1992, Page 3

rce Association
Membership Drive
The Air Force Association (AFA) is con-
ducting its 1992 membership drive through
May 28.
AFA membership means you belong to
your professional association. AFA was char-
tered in 1946 and now has approximately
195,000 active duty, reserve, guard, retired
and Air Force civilian members. Past accom-
plishments of the AFA include across-the-
board pay increases, transition services, such
as health care, GI Bill, employment and relo-
cation assistance for personnel involuntarily
separated, separation pay for enlisted person-
nel, enlistment bonuses, retention of the Com-
missary system, creation of the Office of Chief
Master Sergeant of the Air Force and many
other quality of life programs.
As a large national association, AFA also
provides a wide range of more personal bene-
fits for its members. Among them are a
monthly subscription to Air Force Magazine,
anemployment transition service, AFA/VIS A
n^H^.rd, eligibility for five low cost insur-
.^^^Pjgrams, an AFA motor road service,
disBunt long distance telephone service and
discount automobile rental.
In addition to chapter, state and national
recognition programs, AFA also plays a vital
role in properly recognizing Air Force person-
nel who have provided outstanding service to
the Air Force and nation, with a variety of
special aerospace, management and combat
crew awards, citations of honor, Air Force
Team-of-the-year awards and the Twelve Out-
standing Airmen program.
For more information about membership
contact your unit membership representatives:
AFIHQ - Capt. Wilson; 4557th Supply - Capt.
Cameron; 57th FS - Lt. Umbaugh; 932nd
ADS/DO - Lt. Swindler; 932nd ADS/LG -
SMSgt. Hendley; 960th AWACS - TSgt.
Smith; 4557th SPS - TSgt. Leroy and 56th
ARS - Sgt. Nesbitt.
VSI count
«HINGTON (AFNS) — The Air Force
meet its goal of 7,500 officers and
unlisted people taking either of the two
ry separation incentives (VSI), meth-
ods designed to avoid involuntary manpower
cuts, personnel officials said.
By the April 15 deadline, only 19,419 VSI
and special separation benefit (SSB) applica-
tions—2,166 officers and 17,253 enlisted
people—were approved.
Of the 23,260 total applications submitted,
18,131 enlistees chose SSB and 2,063, the
annual VSI payments. Of the 3,066 officers
who applied, 1,446 chose SSB and 1,620
chose VSI.
Lt. Gen. Billy Boles, Air Force Deputy
Chief of Staff for Personnel, told Congress if
mandated reductions continue to grow, the
military must continue to address separation
incentives, thus encouraging a greater number
of voluntary losses. Boles said this is neces-
sary throughout the Air Force, but particularly
among members who are approaching retire-
ment eligibility.
“We may need to conduct an officer reduc-
tion in force (RIF) board in fiscal year 1992 to
effect reductions in 1993 if there is not a
significant increase in the number of officers
who accept VSI-SSB,” said Boles.
The Air Force has said it will do everything
possible to avoid a RIF, but, if a RIF is neces-
sary, it would consider sergeants and staff ser-
geants with nine to 14 years of service.
TAC Commander
Addresses Commitee
The following portion is from a statement
prepared for the Senate Armed Services
Committee Hearing, presented by Gen. John
M. Loh, Commander, Tactical Air Command.
As the Tactical Air Command (TAC) com-
mander, I am responsible for training, organ-
izing and equipping the men and women of
TAC. Most importantly, I provide combat
ready forces to the combatant commander-in-
chiefs during operational contingencies.
The drawdown underway is our largest
force structure reduction since the end of WW
II. In 1988, we had more than 38 fighter wind
equivalents, with 72 operational aircraft
comprising each one. By 1994, we’ll have
26.5 wings. In 1988, we had 607,000 person-
nel. By 1994, we’ll have 420,000 people. In
TAC, I am in the process of closing five of our
17 bases. Thirty percent is a big reduction. It
leaves us with a force which will meet our
nation’s security needs for the future, but with
little room to spare.
Fanatic groups, ethnic rivalries, oppressed
minorities and border disputes threaten the
peace in many regions. The chance we will be
called to defend American interests in other
parts of the world is large.
The principal challenge now is to ensure
that our Air Force is sized correctly, honed
through technology and training and ready to
meet any foe in future joint campaigns.
Our current strategic framework—Global
Reach and Global Power—stresses the ability
to exploit airpower’s characteristics of speed,
range, flexibility, precision and firepower.
The 30 percent reduction underway now
will allow us to maintain this standard in one
regional contingency. But if more than one
trouble spot appears, we will need to employ
every fighter wing and most of the bombers in
the Air Force—both active duty and air re-
serve components.
The drawdown affects our readiness in other
ways. The job insecurity the drawdown fos-
ters is foremost in the minds of our people
today. The separation incentive programs that
you authorized are helping us meet our low-
ered military end strength in an honorable and
humane way. The 23 percent cut in our opera-
tions and maintenance budget since FY 90 is
another area of concern. Bases can only re-
spond to emergency or urgent maintenance
requests.
The reduced O&M budget may also force us
to stop flying before the end of the fiscal year
or to reduce our training operations tempo.
As our force structure gets smaller, we must
ensure it has more flexibility, versatility and
multi-mission capability to compensate for its
reduced size. We must start planning now for
the multi-role fighter of the future and address
it in future budgets. We also need to modify
the B-l to increase its capability.
Today we have a new paradigm focused on
regional battlefields and quick response. We
expect more renegade regimes will be tempted
to resort to military force to resolve problems
or gain leverage. This threat dictates that we
shape tomorrow’s Air Force to fulfill our
mission of providing global reach and power
for America and work with the Army, Navy
and Marines as part of our joint defense team.
The challenge is to keep the Air Force the
world’s best as we downsize. We must be
careful not to reduce too fast or too far. We
must remain able to meet the responsibilities
that come with being the world’s only super
power and the leader of an increasingly free
and democratic world.