AF personnel chief: 'We've been here before'

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  Referring to budget uncertainty and a looming government shutdown, Lt. Gen. Darrell D. Jones, deputy chief of staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services assured base personnel that "we've been here before and we know how to do this," during his visit here Sept. 20.

He went on to say it doesn't mean the impact on the individual person is not going to be significant.

"Airmen and civilians are going to have to become a little more multiroled," said Jones. ""We're also going to have aircraft that do two or three things, more multirole capability in everything we do."

He challenged personnel to look for new innovative approaches to be more efficient.

"I challenge all of you as we enter into these austere times ... be looking for ways to do things better and do things cheaper," said Jones. "Your innovations are the things that made the AWACS what it is, Joint Stars what it is and command and control what it is. They're the things that changed our advantage and asymmetrical warfare."

While speaking at two all-call sessions, the general spoke about fiscal challenges facing the Air Force and addressed topics such as sexual assault, physical fitness and same-sex benefits.

During the civilian all-call session, Jones said the furlough was a "breach of faith," adding he wished it could have been avoided.

He was optimistic, however, that furloughs of civilian personnel in fiscal year 2014 would not be needed.

Announcements such as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel mandating a 20 percent reduction in headquarters staff across the Department of Defense as a result of sequestration will help trim budgets, but that's not enough.

The service's top personnel official went on to forecast hiring limits continuing into the next fiscal year.

"The Air Force has nearly 9,000 vacancies and going up, and if we are forced to reduce our civilian ranks any further, I need those positions," he said. "If we go to RIFs in the future, it opens up authorities to move people around and put them in other jobs."

Jones predicts, as a worst-case-scenario, maybe a reduction of 25,000 Airmen. He said that, if the Air Force has further reductions, employees can expect to see more Voluntary Early Retirement Authority or Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment programs like the Air Force has done in the past for the civilian workforce.

While speaking to both military and civilian audiences, Jones spoke about the importance of personnel not tolerating any form of sexual assault anywhere.

"We just don't treat each other that way -- a society or a group that allows that stuff to happen has lost their way and are doomed to failure," he said.

To the military audience, Jones said the fitness testing program in the Air Force is not going away.

He closed both sessions with a similar theme: the Air Force has been through similar circumstances in its history.

"Innovation is what makes us special, on the enlisted, officer and civilian side of the house," said Jones.

He encourages Airmen to continue that innovation and to not get down because we're going to come out leaner.

"We'll be just fine -- we've done this before: after World War II, after Vietnam and after the Reagan build-up; this is nothing new. The only difference is now you're going through it."

Jones, who was the 66th Air Base Wing commander from 2002 to 2004, was here to serve as guest speaker for the Air Force Birthday Ball the previous night.