Arlington, VA, September 15, 1998 -- In its just-released policy and position papers, the Air Force Association said the Air Force is "overextended," "strung out," and that the "ruinous operational tempo is a big reason why the Air Force is losing some of its best people."

According to AFA's 1998 Statement of Policy, "Too few people with too few resources are trying to cover too many deployments to operating locations in Southwest Asia and elsewhere. The difficulties affect both those who deploy and those at their home stations who cope with the suddenly increased workload left behind."

The association's 1998-1999 Personnel Issue Paper, which was adopted unanimously by delegates to AFA's 1998 National Convention and Technology Exposition, pointed out that "Congress has reduced force levels by one-third, yet four times as many personnel are deployed today compared to the number of personnel in the late 1980s." The paper applauded the efforts by the Air Force to reduce what it calls the "personnel tempo," the number of days people are deployed in a year to below the maximum desired level of 120 days. But AFA maintains that the real answer is for "Congress to allocate the funds necessary to maintain proper personnel levels, equipment, facilities and training for both the Active and Reserve Components."

The unrelenting operational tempo and personnel tempo are part of the reason that trends in enlisted retention are down, the issue paper said. First-term reenlistments were down by 7 percent, and second-term reenlistments by 6 percent. Second-term airmen are the Air Force's skilled technicians, it added, and this trend is a real cause for concern. In the next four years, 91 percent of the enlisted force will make a "stay in or get out" decision.

Besides the pace of operations, quality of life benefits will figure into that decision. Unfortunately, the trends here are troubling, too. According to the issue paper, military pay has been losing ground in 12 of the last 16 years, leading to a pay gap between military and civilian pay of 14 percent. Other benefits, too, like the military's managed-care health care program, are "fraught with major problems." There are 41,000 Air Force families on waiting lists for on-base housing, and various reforms of the military retirement system have diminished its lifetime value by 25 percent.

In its policy statement, AFA said, "The government is systematically destroying the vital relationship of trust between military members and the nation. People in uniform accept the hardships and dangers of the military profession; in return, the nation is expected to take care of military members and their families and provide them a reasonable compensation and quality of life. In recent years, however, the government has defaulted on its promises, cut back on programs that directly affect people, and sought cheap solutions to cover its obligations." 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Stephen P. Aubin, Director of Communications

(202) 745-2121 [Sept. 14-16]; (703) 247-5850 [after Sept. 16]