source GAIA package: Sx_MilitaryTimes_M6201410310220047_5675.zip Origin key: Sx_MilitaryTimes_M6201410310220047 imported at Fri Jan 8 18:19:05 2016
One week after the Air Force reluctantly acknowledged a mix-up that led 1,000 airmen to believe they were eligible for benefits that they really weren’t due, the service posted a memo saying officials were “actively working to identify any inconsistencies regarding benefits and separation program details.”
The memo, provided to Air Force Times after multiple requests for information on how this situation would be resolved, goes on to say that force management is complex and “it would be unrealistic to expect perfection.”
What is unrealistic is the expectation by Air Force leaders that airmen who made the tough decision to leave the service should put medical care, career choices and other post-service decisions on hold while the Air Force gets its act together.
This is the same flawed approach personnel officials took to address other embarrassing mix-ups over 2014 force management programs, such as the “strategic pause,” when the Air Force temporarily stopped approving voluntary applications to make sure the force cuts aligned with the proposed 2015 budget.
It took the Air Force eight days to explain the so-called pause.
The Air Force also escalated fear and frustration in the ranks when it revoked — and then reauthorized — early retirement benefits for about 20 airmen. In that case, an online outcry, including a White House petition, prompted the Air Force to change course.
“Perfection” may not be realistic, but responsiveness and accountability should be.
