Air Force officials approve force shaping Phase II

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WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  As personnel officials review the last remaining applications for retirement or separation under the force-shaping program, a more extensive second phase of the plan has begun.

The new initiatives include expanded waivers for a number of programs including active-duty service commitments and transferring to the Guard or Reserve through the Palace Chase program. It also includes a few new ones, most notably the return of the career job reservation program. The CJR program limits re-enlistments into the career force by constraining Air Force specialties for some first-term Airmen, officials said.

In addition, Phase II requires commanders to consider a number of quality-force factors when considering Airmen for retention. Those include correctional custody, referral reports, unfavorable information files, Article 15 action, control roster restrictions, confinement, alcohol- or drug-related offenses, and financial irresponsibility or mismanagement.

Phase II widens the aperture on the Phase I initiatives, which netted almost 2,500 Airmen approved for retirement, separation or Palace Chase, said Maj. Gen John M. Speigel, director of personnel policy at the Pentagon.

“Phase II is the next step in our force-shaping program to move us closer to the authorized end strength of 359,700 while rebalancing the skills,” he said.

“Phase I put us on a glide slope to reduce the size of the force without (worsening) manning shortages in the specialties,” said Maj. Dawn Keasley, chief of retirement and separation policy at the Pentagon. “Phase II increases that momentum.”

The initial goal of force shaping was to have 16,600 Airmen leave the Air Force, 3,900 officers and 13,700 enlisted. Those numbers are projected to increase to almost 19,000 by Sept. 30, and to 24,000 by Sept. 30, 2005, because of record retention rates.

“Incredibly high retention and a slow recovering economy are the primary factors in the increase of personnel overages,” said Col. Mike Hayden, chief of the military policy division at the Pentagon. “Retention rates in the Air Force are at their highest in a decade.”

General Speigel said Phase I of the program met its objective.

“Phase I did exactly what it what it was supposed to do,” the general said. “It allowed us to assess the level of interest and recalibrate for Phase II. Our goal is to do this drawdown as smartly while rebalancing the force and improving manning in stressed career fields.”

Phase II of the program is designed to do just that. For example, Phase I required individuals to have a minimum of 24 months on active duty before applying to Palace Chase. Phase II dropped the minimum requirement to 12 months. This modification expands the opportunity to another part of the population that might be interested in serving in the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve, Major Keasley said.

Further, the active-duty service commitment following a permanent change of station in Phase I could be waived up to 18 months. Phase II allows for a full waiver of the commitment, officials said.

Those colonels and lieutenant colonels who would like to retire but who do not have the three-years time in grade previously required to do so are also in luck, officials said. Phase II reduces the minimum mandatory time in grade to two years for a limited number of eligible people.

The CJR program has returned for the first time since 1999. It serves a two-fold purpose, Colonel Hayden said, helping draw down the force and balance career field numbers at the same time.

“Now is a good time to use this tool again,” Colonel Hayden said. “Airmen in overage career fields, coming up on their first re-enlistment, are offered an opportunity to retrain into a shortage career field. If they choose not to retrain, they have the opportunity to transfer to Palace Chase, apply for civil service, join the Army or separate.”

“In Phase II, we have more flexibility in managing each (career field) by year group than we had in Phase I,” General Speigel said. “We will consider applications according to the manning health of the member’s specialty by both the year group and the grade (for officers) or skill level (for enlisted).”

Because of this change, a greater percentage of applications will be approved in Phase II, officials said.

Additionally, as part of Phase II, enlisted accessions will drop by about 11,000 to reach authorized end-strength levels by the end of fiscal 2005. Thus, about 24,000 new recruits will join the Air Force rather than 35,000 as originally planned, officials said.

“This accession cut would occur for one year only,” said Maj. Gen. Peter U. Sutton, director of learning and force development at the Pentagon. “Then we will resume normal accession rates.”