Air Force Layoffs Include Academy Grads (Note: misleading headline)

MetroSource News | 11/21/05 | John Ravetti

[prisoner6]

Air Force Layoffs Include Academy Grads

(Colorado Springs, CO) - The Air Force plans to lay off more than 17 - hundred lieutenants in the next year, including hundreds of recent Air Force Academy graduates.

The cuts will be made in postitions such as security specialists and maintenence experts, but not pilots, satelilite specialists, or navigators.

The Air Force hopes to cut four-thousand of it's more than 73 - thousand officers.

Air Force spokleswoman Major Jennifer Stephens says the layoffs were triggered by an increase in the number of people staying in the service for full careers.

Stephens says the Air Force is hoping to move those facing layoffs into the Reserve or National Guard.

###

[prisoner6]

The bold is mine to show how the good news in the article is buried.

When I handed this story to one of our >radio newsreaders< this morning he got all excited thinking it was going to show how the W administration is screwing things up, weakening our military.

When I pointed out the reason for the "layoffs", the look on his face was.

PRICELESS!

prisoner6

[prisoner6]

BTW there is no link to the original article because I took it from our station newswires NOT the net. I'm Googling for a net article now and will post it if I have time.

prisoner6

[leadpenny]

Layoffs?

I guess that's the Air Force name for a RIF?

[cynicom]

Use to be called a RIF, now is a layoff???

[jimtorr]

Nah, AF uses RIF. Lay-offs sounds more like an ignorant news service attempt to make the military look bad.

[prisoner6]

RIF...Yuppers! Just why that "LAYOFF" term caught my eye. Obviously a blatant attempt to twist a story that is borderline news to begin with.

prisoner6

[cynicom]

I recall that in 1953, two weeks after Korean war ceased, the AF was in full swing throwing out officers, but I recall no Academy types going. Most were USED and abused recalled from WW2.

Same thing happened after Vietnam. I was in a position to help several that were thrown out to be employed. They were very very bitter.

[SIDENET]

Nah, AF uses RIF. Lay-offs sounds more like an ignorant news service attempt to make the military look bad

The AF's new term is "Force Shaping".

[leadpenny]

Seems as though Major Jenny Stevens used "layoff" also.

In any case, I wonder why DOD isn't actively offering inter-service transfers to the Army and the Marines?

[leadpenny]

Yeah, for some unknown reason I weathered the 73 and 75 RIFs. The 75 RIF included Regular Army where the 73 RIF did not. Both were brutal.

[cynicom]

I recall one Lt. Col with 15 years, F-105 pilot. One Major, B-52 pilot and a few junior officers, all thrown out. All too old for major airlines to be interested. Having friends in small airlines I was able to help them at least to find work.

The Colonel was flying US Mail five nights a week with an old twin beech aircraft and had to slug the planeload of mail off by himself each night. It kept him in the business until he could find a better job.

[Racehorse]

Layoffs?

I guess that's the Air Force name for a RIF?

No.  LOL.

It's a sad example of how unfamiliar with the military many reporters and editors continue to be, even after the country being at war since, basically, 1991.

At least Ravetti put the "layoffs" in an accurate and useful context.

Watching the Whitehouse news lemmings ask questions during the Bush personnel records flap was particularly insightful .  . and frightening.

[leadpenny]

Actually, I think it is important news. To me it shows how hard it is to redirect resources to where they are needed. The Marines and the Army have been fully engaged in the WOT for two or three years. A RIF of AF Lieutenants is just an admission by DOD that more emphasis should have been placed on the Marines and Army starting 3-4 years ago.

[leadpenny]

That just seems crazy. They could pick, choose and do a bit of retraining.

[leadpenny]

I was at Ft. Knox in the early 70s and there were many captains like myself who were retreads (commissioned from WO status to Armor Branch). Many did not have their undergraduate degree and it made it easy for the RIF boards. As the Vietnam War wound down the Army stopped promoting from a Major's promotion list. IIRC, it lay dormant for almost four years. I knew guys who had a promotion number to Major who were riffed. The casualties at Knox made it seem like a war zone.

[cynicom]

No one ever accused the military of being experts at managing manpower.

At end of Korean war we had hundreds of enlisted that were grounded with switch to jet bombers. What did the AF do? They house cleaned the officer corp and refused to let the enlisted go early. So for an entire year we did nothing.

Who were the officers riffed? Every officer that had ever offended command were the first ones out the door. The toadies and drinking buds remained.

[cynicom]

I had two friends that stayed. Both were used badly. One was a pilot, other a surgeon. After the AF got them committed to a career, the promotions ceased and both left as Colonels. Forced out due to age. Both knew they would one day be generals. Both played the game and lost.

[dufekin]

Given the fact that we ARE at war and lack many troops to spare, I find the recent round of defense cuts amazing. I recognize the necessity of cutting defense to pay for social programs, Congressional pork, and various forms of waste, fraud, and abuse. But couldn't our Congress have the backbone to support the troops at this dire hour? Do we want to win this war--or not?

You know, the war on terrorism isn't done after Iraq. Military manpower constraints simply suspended further offensive operations against terrorist dictators beyond Iraq. If there's one government department easily worth the money we invest into it, it's the military--not social programs. But alas, I neglect to recognize the insatiable desire among the American people for liberalism and surrender.

[leadpenny]

Leaving as a Colonel, even after 30 years, ain't bad.