More than 700 positions will be eliminated at Langley Air Force Base due to a U.S. Air Force program geared toward reshaping headquarters staff to save money and the creation of a new support center designed to centralize some operations.
The changes are expected to save the Air Force $1.6 billion over the next five years. In addition to reducing costs, the program, called Air Force Management Headquarters Review, was created to increase efficiency, eliminate redundancies and improve effectiveness and business processes, according to a news release from the Air Force.
“I will work to ensure the world’s best Air Force is the most capable at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayer,” said Deborah Lee James, the Secretary of the Air Force. “Everyone knows our economy is still not where it should be; we have a responsibility to ensure that every dollar adds value to the taxpayers and our national defense.”
Civilian personnel affected by the changes will be offered options such as voluntary early retirement and voluntary separation pay. Military personnel have been offered a variety of voluntary programs as part of the effort to “responsibly shape the force,” according to the release.
To achieve the cuts, units will be deactivated and realigned at installations across the country. The Air Force will also create the Air Force Installation and Support Center to centralize policy and oversight of installation and mission support activities, according to the release.
“We are aggressively pursuing reductions within the first year, rather than spread them out over five years as allowed by [the Department of Defense],” James said in the release. “It’s better for Airmen because it provides them predictability and allows us to re-stabilize our workforce sooner. It also allows us to harvest the savings earlier so that we can plow it back into readiness and some of our key modernization programs.”
The creation of the Air Force Management Headquarters Review came about when the Department of Defense issued a directive requiring the Air Force to reduce costs and staff levels by at least 20 percent.
The Air Force will seek to go beyond the 20 percent requirement to find additional savings from staff functions so that additional combat capability can be provided, according to the release.
“The Air Force has been making incremental changes in our business practices for the last several years, but we must change the way we are doing business if we are to meet the Air Force’s goal to reduce staffing functions by more than 20 percent,” Bill Booth, the Air Force’s acting deputy chief management officer, said in the release. “Reducing higher headquarters’ staffs means we can save money that can be re-invested in getting ready for combat missions at the wing level.”
Langley Air Force Base, located in Hampton, is one of the oldest Air Force bases in the country, according to its website. Several units are stationed there, including the 633rd Air Base Wing, the First Fighter Wing and the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing.
