AF to Accelerate Personnel Cuts

The Air Force plans to slash 40,000 full-time positions by fiscal 2009, two years earlier than previously scheduled. Officials are taking the action to reduce personnel costs, which have escalated by 51 percent in the past decade. Although the number of slots to be cut remains unchanged, the acceleration is necessary for the Air Force to meet a $12 billion reduction in spending limitations, according to officials. The plan was driven by the Program Objective Memorandum (POM), which is the primary document used by the services for program planning.