Congress approves separation incentives for officers; no decision for enlisted

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WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  As part of the Air Force's Force Shaping Program initiatives, officers are being offered voluntary separation pay to leave the service earlier than scheduled, said an Air Force officer here recently. VSP allows government agencies that are downsizing or restructuring to offer employees a lump-sum payment to voluntarily separate.

The Air Force goal for fiscal year 2007 is to approve approximately 3,200 officers for VSP. There is currently no equivalent plan for enlisted Airmen. Under current public law the Air Force can't offer VSP to enlisted personnel.

The 2006 National Defense Authorization Act, signed by Congress, authorized all military services to pay officers with six to 12 years of service to voluntarily separate in order to assist the services in their force-shaping efforts. The amount authorized is double what officers would get for involuntary separation pay.

While officials can't predict if more incentives will be offered in the future, they have asked Congress for additional legislation to expand VSP to enlisted and to officers with six to less than 20 years of service, according to Lt. Col. William Hampton, chief of retirements and separations branch at the Pentagon.

Even if Congress approves VSP for enlisted Airmen, a decision to implement the program would depend on several factors, said Colonel Hampton.

"If we reach our enlisted end-strength goal through the use of current programs, or our fiscal resources are limited even more, we won't offer incentives," he said.

Current plans for shaping the enlisted force include reducing the number of accessions, or new Airmen being recruited, and continued use of the Career Job Reservations and NCO Retraining Program to reach targeted goals.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley stressed it is important for all Airmen to understand the reasons behind force shaping.

"Our nation is at war, fighting global terrorism with the oldest fleet of aircraft in our history," he said. "We are at a critical time and must modernize and recapitalize our force and our aircraft. It comes down to prioritizing.

"We have to win this war, and more importantly, win the next," Chief McKinley said. "The challenge is doing this within a limited budget. Right now we must put money into our aircraft and that means we need to shift money from other areas. We have to live within our budget."

The chief said the Air Force must shape the force smartly to ensure we keep, "the right people in the right job at the right time, while improving the capability of our Air and Space force." With financial resources scarce throughout DOD, all branches of the military are grappling with force structure and mission requirements.

Many Airmen remember the early 1990s when Congress passed legislation allowing the Air Force to offer both officers and enlisted lump sum or installment payments to leave the Air Force early, the chief said. That legislation has since expired. Officials say the 2006 Force Shaping Program is different. The end goal is not simply to make the Air Force smaller but to be a more efficient Air Force ready and capable of meeting tomorrow's challenges.

Enlisted Airmen should not be waiting for monetary incentives to drive their career decisions, according to Chief McKinley.

"They need to keep informed about changes that could affect their career path, ask questions and make informed decisions," said the chief. "Not every Airmen will be able to remain in our service, and not everyone will be able to continue in the job they're in today. But what we do need is every Airman to be committed to doing the best job they can for our Air Force and our country. Our way of life we enjoy as Americans today and for generations to come depends on it."