February 5, 2004 ARLINGTON, Va. — Facing manning excesses, the Air Force has announced it needs to get rid of 16,600 airmen over the next 18 months. Soaring retention rates and stop-loss orders have boosted the service's manning levels beyond the authorized end strength of 359,000, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper said in a Jan. 29 message to the force.As a result, "By the end of [fiscal] 2005, we should reduce the size of our active force by 16,000 people, and we must reshape the force to correct existing skill imbalances and account for a new...
