3/18/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Cody took questions from Airmen here March 14, on the decision to suspend military tuition assistance.
He also addressed how Airmen can continue to further their educational needs and what the future holds for the program next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
Click here to watch Chief Cody's discussion with Airmen.
Comments
3/27/2013 5:08:15 AM ET @ckj I understand the plights of the civilian workforce believe me i do however saying that ta isn't necessary is something i am having trouble comprehending. when i first joined the af i was promised an education that the af would assist me with finaciallybut im sure youll say the g.i. bill is what they meant but understand that isnt free ive been taking paycheck deductions and i still dont get to use it right out if i was informed correctly im sure you can understand how i would feel if im promised this help at the expense of my life only to have it stripped away seemingly as soon as we face difficulty. doing these sort of things makes me feel as if im just a body to be used at the dod's whims. as a civilian you have more options employement wise than i and are probably more capable of a higher paycheck but what do i know i am just an A1C my opinions obviously dont matter
just an a1c, tinker afb
3/22/2013 7:20:58 PM ET @JS Your assessment of me is wrong on every count. This website is not the sole location for TA gripes. Go to any Air Force base. Sit in any Air Force dining facility. Go to any Air Force PT session. It is absolutely endemic. There's a THICK line between voicing one's opinion and whining and obviously you can't tell the difference. On a side note while you may view a GS position as the pinnacle of your existence I have no interest in lifelong government employment. So fear not. I will not challenge you for post-military government employment.
CKJ, CONUS
3/21/2013 4:46:11 PM ET @CKJ Just because our military guys and gals are voicing their concerns about losing TA does not mean they are downplaying civilian furloughs. This story that is being commented on is about TA so naturally that is where the conversation will go. You sound like a retired guy who already received a paid for degree while in but are now disgruntled because youre facing a furloughI feel for you. Let our military men and woman voice their concerns about TA as they have the constitutional right to do. If YOU dont like it you grow up and get out. Sounds like you already have one foot out of the door anyway.
JS, CONUS
3/21/2013 2:13:16 PM ET Why cut TA There are more effective ways to cut spending and waste. What about awards What about EPR's - How many hours do we waste writing bullets for our subornidates inventing new ways to say that they did thier job Whos looks at an EPR after it is approved - all we pass on or care about is a number Middle management should be spending more time investing in thier troops lives or traning the next generation of Airman not wrigting award packages or EPR's. That is a Huge waste of time and money. What about how much money the USAF spends on plaques and awards. Can we focus on the mission and effective cuts by eliminating needles waist of valuable manpower. It is shameful that our government is not making a real attempt to cut spending but instead is focusing on cuts that make no sence and hurt in a real way. Playing politics has got to stop - real adjustments that make sence are needed. I vote to start with an obvious waste of manpower with minimal impact THE EPR - and AWARDS
Effective Cuts, PACAF
3/21/2013 8:02:13 AM ET The sequester and all the pain that is coming as a result of it like loss of TA for Airmen is an intended consequence not an unintended one. Our leadership in DC both civilian and military have failed us in a fundamental way. Keep that in mind as you're not sitting in a classroom after work or as you're not going to work as you've been furloughed.
Mike, Florida
3/20/2013 8:14:09 PM ET What this article doesn't mention is that General Welsh decided to suspend TA to get people riled up and they would make a stink to congress about it and military funding in general. Sure he could make larger and more effective cut but if few people see or feel those cuts then nobody cares.
Peanut, conus
3/20/2013 3:35:59 PM ET 1. This is not because the pot of money was frozen by sequestration but a choice by leadership. If it wasn't the Navy could not keep theirs. 2. Yes civilians are losing out too but don't think they aren't using every avenue to complain. 3. Spent 100M already and expected the next 6 months to cost 90M so they froze it. My math says that's way more than a loss of 20 percent. A 7525 split would have been easier to swallow. 4. This was a carrot to entice enlistment and those who say quit complaining sound an awful lot like someone who's already got theirs. Whats next your housing allowance You werent issued that family. 5. Anyone with common sense knows at least a partial program could have been saved by other non mission critical cuts. Even today an airman with half a brain could identify significant waste on any installation.
Rick, Florida
3/20/2013 1:50:09 PM ET G Senior AF Leaders are given the latitude on where to make cuts so there are other options. Do you see a change in CommissioningOfficer programs Are we still paying for Officers to attend AFIT to get their Masters How about reducing appointees every year at the Academy ROTC scholorships selectees to OTS I don't see any of that TA is primarily an enlisted benefit and it's low hanging fruit. Senior Leaders don't want to make hard decisions that would affect the Officer Corps. Bottom line.
Thankfully Retired, USAFA
3/20/2013 12:56:19 PM ET There is a serious problem with our force when Airmen are complaining about losing TA while civilians are being furloughed. TA is a nicety that you CAN do without. Meanwhile many civilians have to take drastic measures just to make sure their mortgages are paid. Grow up or get out
CKJ, CONUS
3/20/2013 12:17:22 PM ET G in ND is right. Do some research. When Congress came up with this sequestration idea they specifically mandated which pots of money could and could not be touched. They wanted sequestration to be such an ugly prospect that no one in their right mind would let it happen. They failed. That is why the Air Force is forced to keep planes it does not want or need while at the same time cutting the civilian work forces hours and cutting TA. Had Congress allowed the DoD to decide where to make the cuts sequestration would not have been that bad.
James S, JBSA
3/20/2013 8:44:02 AM ET All commenters--Air Force leaders do not hold the purse strings Congress does. If you're mad about it drop a line to your esteemed Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill.
G, ND
3/20/2013 8:30:14 AM ET ...and yet I just read on the Early Bird that the Navy is trying to keep their TA program afloat but ours is grounded Pun intended
A SNCO, An AFB Near You
3/19/2013 6:48:45 PM ET I just watched this video and have some concerns. When asked about why TA was suspended at 100 percent rather than allowing an option to provide a reduced amount Chief Cody stated we really dont have the money. But yet it was recently identified by Rep. Ted Poe R-Texas that the United States is supplying Pakistan with 12.7 million for higher education. This methodology would coincide with what Chief Cody later stated in that as Airmen we should think of others before ourselves. The fact is the most powerful weapon any military can possess is a highly educated soldier sailor Airman or Marine not the 187 F-22s still waiting to be tested in actual combat which cost 79 billion. Make TA available so our armed services members can continue to be the smartest and most deadly weapon in the world.
Concerned Taxpayer, United States
3/19/2013 3:47:49 PM ET Just another example of how people do not come before the mission anymore. What many fail to understand is without the people there will be no mission. It's a shame that we do not seem to learn from past mistakes and continue to ignore what is in the best interest of the people. You demand education for promotion and to fill a square in EPR's but now ask that folks do it at their own expense. Good luck to those left behind to pick up the pieces in the future as most of the leaders who make the decisions do not have to bear the reprocussions of their actions as they will be long gone and happy in retirement. It's a shame that most do not know how to say enough is enough. And to think that I thought things were rough 12 years ago if only I knew what I know now.
Troubled, CONUS
3/19/2013 10:24:03 AM ET I agree...It isn't just the point that they cut TA it is hearing them say that they just didn't have the money anywhere. To much waste out there to say that there were no options. This was the easy cut...the lazy one.
Getting tired..., Chilly Northwest
3/18/2013 11:19:39 PM ET Yet we're still warehousing tons and tons of equipment overseas in vast warehouses doing nothing but gathering dust and never to be used...C'mon. The right thing to do is to stop the constant wasteful spending like this and give back the TA. Commands running business overseas now are huge waste-bins seemingly without limits...and no one kicking them to make cuts.
