Chief McKinley says force shaping will build stronger force

  • Published
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley acknowledges that today's force shaping initiatives will impact many Airmen, but the benefits will help build a stronger Air Force of tomorrow.

Force shaping addresses both the size and shape of the force, and Air Force officials prioritize shaping initiatives in order to complete mission requirements. By 2011, they plan to cut the number of Airmen in the service by 40,000 to meet appropriate end-strength numbers.

"We're going to be a little bit leaner Air Force, a little bit smaller, so we can, in the future, be a much more capable Air Force," Chief McKinley said. 

Officials will use various tools to downsize including the career job reservation program and NCO retraining, the chief said.  The service also will bring fewer people into the Air Force.

Click the video icon to hear Chief McKinley's remarks on the need for force shaping.