The Air Force expects it will cut 355 captains and majors under a reduction in force board scheduled to convene this month.
That is a 14 percent reduction from September’s estimate, when the Air Force expected 413 officers would be RIFed. The Air Force entirely dropped 51J judge advocates and 61A operations research analysts in the 2002 year group, and 63A acquisition managers in the 2001 year group under the final revision to RIF estimates, which were released Wednesday.
The Air Force Personnel Center said that other officers who accepted voluntary separation or retirement offers helped reduce the need to involuntarily cut officers through the RIF board.
The board will consider 2,333 officers who are vulnerable to RIFs. That is down from 2,593 officers who were vulnerable in early September.
AFPC said the Air Force is still considering what additional force management programs it will use in fiscal 2015. Those programs “will be announced as early as possible so airmen have the necessary time to consider all career options,” AFPC said.
AFPC also said it is planning to RIF civilian employees on Sept. 30, 2015, if it cannot cut enough civilians voluntarily or move civilians out of overmanned positions. This planned board will be “utilized as a last resort,” AFPC said.
To try to avoid involuntary RIFs, the Air Force on Oct. 6 will offer this year’s first round of civilian early outs and buyouts, known as Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments. AFPC expects 781 overmanned civilian employees assigned to Air Force headquarters locations, mainly in the Washington area, and some major command locations will take the offers. Buyouts and early outs will be offered to civilians at other major commands in subsequent rounds.
These early outs and buyouts will not include facilities where major command headquarters are located, such as Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia and Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, AFPC said.
AFPC also approved 239 civilian employees’ requests for early outs and buyouts in fiscal 2014 by the end of September. That was the fourth and final round of early outs and buyouts last fiscal year.
