The Defense Department has asked Congress to include some “force-shaping” incentives in the Fiscal 2007 defense authorization act. Although DOD is asking for separation incentives to cover all departments, its explanatory text singled out the Air Force for special attention, stating: “The Air Force is about to embark on its most significant transformation since the Cold War drawdown of the 1990s. The Air Force is eliminating approximately 34,500 active duty authorizations in order to fund this transformation.” You’ll find the incentives, such as opening Voluntary Separation Pay to all grades—enlisted and officer—and applying Selective Early Retirements more broadly, in the legislative proposals here.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
