Town hall meeting addresses force management programs, force size reductions Published Dec. 20, 2013 By Master Sgt. Kevin Wallace 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho -- 366th Fighter Wing leadership and the 366th Force Support Squadron commander hosted several town hall meetings here to address force management programs, which are currently underway to reduce force size. Col. Christopher Short, 366th FW commander, and Lt. Col. Diltrice Thomas, 366th FSS commander, are meeting with three enlisted sessions and three officer sessions, and video-recorder versions of the town hall meetings will begin looping on IPTV today. Leaders encouraged Airmen to educate themselves on programs and take an active role in their careers. While many of the reduction programs are based on Air Force Specialty Code overages, a few are not. One such program is the Date of Separation Rollback, which, according to Thomas, only affected two Airmen here. Thomas stressed Airmen should frequently visit the myPers website https://mypers.af.mil. Of the many valuable tools found there, a matrix showing overage AFSCs will be posted soon. "Only Airmen in projected overage populations by grade and AFSC will be eligible for any of the volunteer programs," said Thomas. In addition to volunteer programs, there are a couple of involuntary reduction programs. One such program is the Quality of Force Review Board, which will consist of a panel of one Air Force colonel and two chief master sergeants, who will review records containing negative quality indicator codes and consider Airmen for involuntary separation. Some negative codes include reporting identifiers, grade status reasons, reenlistment eligibility and assignment available codes. A complete list of codes is expected to be released to the myPers website. "The difference from years past is that we announced voluntary programs first, then involuntary," said Lt. Gen. Samuel Cox, the deputy chief of staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services. "This year, due to the limited timeframe, we're announcing all programs at once to allow Airmen time to consider their options and ensure their personnel records are up to date." Airmen considering Palace Chasing to the reserves or Air National Guard, should speak to a recruiter. The local recruiter is Tech Sgt. Richard Isaacson, who can be reached at (208) 828-6053 or by emailing richard.isaacson@us.af.mil. Enlisted only programs The chief master sergeant retention board will include two phases. During phase one, chiefs in specific specialties may apply for voluntary retirement in lieu of meeting a retention board. Chiefs with 20 years of total active federal military service from identified overage career fields who do not apply for retirement before the phase one window closes Mar. 15, 2014, will be considered by the board, Cox said. The quality force review board will look at senior master sergeants and below with a negative quality indicator code. Negative codes include reporting identifiers, grade status reasons, reenlistment eligibility, or assignment availability codes. For a complete list of codes, Airmen should visit the MyPers website once the Personnel Services Delivery Memorandum for this program is released. Airmen who have declined to obtain retainability for PCS, TDY, retraining/training, deployments or promotion will be looked at under the Date of Separation, or DOS, rollback program. Voluntary separation pay applies to Airmen on the active-duty list with more than six years, but no more than 20 years of total active federal military service, and will be offered to enlisted retention board eligible Airmen as a voluntary incentive prior to the retention boards. The enlisted retention boards will look at senior airmen through senior master sergeants in overage Air Force specialty codes with a date of rank of Jan. 1, 2013 or earlier. Senior NCOs with a minimum of 20 years of total active federal military service by the mandated retirement date will also be considered by the board. Officer only programs Force shaping boards will consider active-duty officers with more than three but less than six years of commissioned service as of Dec. 31, 2014, for separation and will target career fields and year groups based on sustainment levels. Overages in the officer corps will require the force to conduct an Enhanced Selective Early Retirement Board, or ESERB. An ESERB allows the service to consider retirement eligible active-duty officers below the rank of colonel, lieutenant colonels once deferred for promotion, and colonels with two to four years time in grade. By law, the Air Force will select no more than 30 percent for each grade in each competitive category. Voluntary separation pay will be offered to active-duty officers with six or more years total active federal military service as a voluntary incentive prior to the meeting a board. A reduction in force, or RIF, board will consider regular officers below the grade of lieutenant colonel who have served at least one year of active duty in their current grade, are not on a promotion list, and have six or more years total active commissioned service and less than 18 years of total active federal military service. Officer and enlisted programs Officers and enlisted in over-manned career fields with more than 15 but less than 20 years of service will be eligible for Temporary Early Retirement Authority, or TERA, Phase II. The Air Force will offer TERA in fiscal 2014 with the application window starting in January 2014. These measures are part of the Air Force's comprehensive Force Management Program designed to shape the future force. (Courtesy of Air Force Public Affairs Agency, Operating Location - Pentagon) To the Airmen of the United States Air Force: