Senior Air Force leaders are discussing a proposal to reduce
the number of total-force personnel by up to 40,000 from
fiscal 2006 to 2011, according to an official in-house
publication.
It said AF secretary Michael W. Wynne discussed the proposal at
a Dec. 13 press conference and that the reduction would be
applied across the entire force, including active duty, Reserve,
Guard and civilian positions.
AF chief of staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley said the first step
would be to balance and reshape the force, noting that 13
percent of officer career fields and 20 percent of enlisted
career fields are stressed.
“We have opportunities to move people into those stressed
career fields and balance those across that entire spectrum,”
said Moseley, adding that when the force is balanced then the
Reserve component, Guard and AF civilian positions would be
addressed.
Chief master sergeant Gerald R. Murray emphasized that the
force would be reshaped throughout all the ranks, by
organization and specialty, and that the AF was “not just
going to cut out the workers of the force.”
