If the Air Force doesn’t get enough junior officers to voluntarily leave the service, it plans to hold a reduction in force board in June, so says Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, USAF’s top personnel officer. The service plans to separate in 2007 around 8,000 officers, but that includes all ranks. (A senior officer early retirement board meets today.) For non-retirement eligible officers, the service has set a new date—March 31—as the last day to take the voluntary separation pay option. As of Dec. 28, it has approved VSAs for some 1,800 officers. USAF needs another 1,000 in overage year groups (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2001) to opt out, or the service will RIF that number in June and separate them by Jan. 29, 2008.
As commander of Air Forces Central, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich has been at the heart of almost all U.S. military action in the Middle East, from overseeing airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups to protecting troops as America’s air defense commander for the region. Just before handing over his command to…