The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph has gotten internal documents that indicate the fears of folks at Robins AFB, Ga., are true—the Air Force has decided to move critical civilian personnel functions such as classification to the Air Force Personnel Center in Texas. An announcement earlier this month that USAF planned to shift 170 civilian personnel positions mainly from Air Force Materiel Command facilities, including Robins, to Texas, set off alarm bells, particularly at the service’s air logistics centers. At least one former commander of the Warner Robins ALC thinks the Air Force plan would inhibit a commander’s ability to hire the right people at the right pay. Retired Maj. Gen. Ron Smith told the Telegraph, “I have a hard time figuring out how classification can be done with a thousand-mile screwdriver.”
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
