Top Five Air Force Stories for Feb. 3, 2012

Today's stories include:

Air Force announces force structure overview for FY 13 and beyond 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123288620

AF officials update enlisted constrained jobs list 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123288468

AF offers WAPS testing materials online 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123288550

Engineer promotes African-Americans in early days of aviation 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123288445

Air Force Week in Photos 
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123288461



All stories in this message as well as any referenced images are in the public domain and do not require copyright release. Story submissions should be sent to afnewsdesk@dma.mil. To unsubscribe from this service, scroll to the bottom of this message for instructions.

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Air Force announces force structure overview for FY 13 and beyond

by Ann Stefanek
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Air Force officials announced proposed force structure changes which support the new DoD strategic guidance retiring 286 aircraft over the next five years, including 227 in fiscal year 13.

According to Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Donley, the Air Force is shaping itself for future challenges by realigning Air Force assets with the Defense Department's new strategic guidance.

"We've had to adjust our force structure based on our strategic objectives and to balance capability and capacity with constrained budgets," Donley said. "We must have the right tools and enough of them to credibly deter potential adversaries and to deliver on our objectives."

The new strategic guidance requires the joint force to be capable of fighting one large scale, combined arms campaign with sufficient combat power to also deny a second adversary, and de-emphasized large-scale, prolonged stability operations. The Air Force's approach to this new strategy is to retire fighter, mobility, and ISR that are beyond those needed to meet the capacity requirements of the new defense strategic guidance.

"Where possible, we attempted to retire all aircraft of a specific type, allowing us to also divest the unique training and logistic support structure for that aircraft," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz explained. "When that was not possible, we worked to retire the oldest aircraft first, and redistributed aircraft into effective and economical units, eliminating other units when that was most efficient. Where we retained older aircraft, we are taking steps to ensure they will remain viable into the future."

Although the U.S. has removed all combat forces from Iraq and the new strategic guidance reduces the steady state requirement for ground forces, the Air Force expects steady state rotational requirements to remain constant, or perhaps increase.

According to Schwartz this continuing combatant commander requirement for Air Force aircraft and Airmen to deploy forward was a key factor in determining the required mix between Active and Reserve component forces due to differences in sustainable deployment rates and operations tempo.

Schwartz also explained the need for reductions in the Reserve Component.

"Two decades of military end strength and force structure reductions in our active duty component has changed the mix of active duty to Reserve Component forces," Schwartz said. "We've carefully considered the mix and what the appropriate balance should be between the active and reserve components. The Reserve Component is a critical and essential part of our Total Force, but must be balanced and matched appropriately within a constrained fiscal environment."

"We're going to do this intelligently in a way that balances tempo, that keeps the right mix of assets, modern and less modern, in each of the components, and we're doing this in an inclusive fashion with Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve leadership," said Schwartz.

The Air Force is going to get smaller, and all of the components--active, guard and reserve-- are going to get smaller together, he said.

Schwartz also emphasized that we will avoid a hollow force by protecting readiness at any force level, and strengthen our integration of the Total Force team of Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve Airmen.

"To ensure an agile and ready force, we made a conscious choice not to maintain more force structure than we could afford to properly train and equip," Schwartz said. "We've taken this approach to preserve the capabilities the Nation requires of its Air Force."

The announcement specifies the force structure changes experienced by the Total Force: Air Force Active Duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve and will save the Air Force $8.7 Billion over the next five years.

For fiscal years 2014-2017 the Air Force plans to reduce 50-plus aircraft from its inventory, continue to reshape the missions between the Total Force, and increase Reserve Component participation in the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance as well as cyber missions.

Implementation of these actions will occur only after completion of appropriate environmental analyses. The Air Force is scheduled to announce related force structure manpower changes in March.

For more details about the Fiscal 2013 Force Structure changes click here.

(Mitch Gettle, Air Force Public Affairs Agency contributed to this article)

AF officials update enlisted constrained jobs list

by Eric M. Grill
Air Force Personnel, Service and Manpower Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AFNS) -- Air Force Specialty Codes on the fiscal 2012 career job reservation constrained list were updated effective Feb. 1, Air Force officials announced. Four AFSCs were added to the constrained list, and three were removed.

The career job reservations program enables the Air Force to control the number of first-term Airmen who reenlist in career fields where projected manning levels exceed Air Force needs.

Additions to the constrained list are:

-- 1P0X1, Aircrew Flight Equipment
-- 2A0X1S, Avionics Test Station and Components, Avionic Systems
-- 2A6X2, Aerospace Ground Equipment
-- 2S0X1, Materiel Management

The following have been removed from the constrained list:

-- 3D1X3, Radio Frequency Transmission Systems
-- 3E9X1, Emergency Management
-- 8M000, Postal

The complete list of AFSCs and career fields on the constrained list effective Feb. 1 are:

-- 1P0X1, Aircrew Flight Equipment
-- 2A0X1S, Avionics Test Station and Components, Avionic Systems
-- 2A6X1, Aerospace Propulsion
-- 2A6X2, Aerospace Ground Equipment
-- 2A6X4, Aircraft Fuel Systems
-- 2A7X3, Aircraft Structural Maintenance
-- 2S0X1, Materiel Management
-- 2T0X1, Traffic Management
-- 2T1X1, Vehicle Operations
-- 3D1X1, Client Systems Technician
-- 3E7X1, Fire Protection
-- 3M0X1, Services
-- 3N0X4, Still Photography
-- 3P0X1, Security Forces
-- 4A1X1, Medical Materiel
-- 4A2X1, Biomedical Equipment
-- 4Y0X1, Dental

First-term Airmen in those AFSCs who are in their CJR window as of Feb. 1 are affected, said Chief Master Sgt. Shannon Parker, the Air Force Personnel Center's chief of Air Force skills management branch. "All first-term Airmen must have an approved CJR to reenlist," she said.

The Selective Reenlistment Program automatically requests a CJR for first-term Airmen when they enter their first month of eligibility. Airmen serving in a constrained AFSC will be added to a waiting list and compete for monthly quotas based on a rank-order process.

Starting in February, Airmen and their supervisors will receive monthly CJR notifications reflecting their status. The virtual Military Personnel Flight will also be updated to reflect the Airman's CJR status.

First-term Airmen in constrained AFSCs may not extend for any reason while pending a CJR or while on the CJR wait-list. The exception is Airmen overseas who need retainability to be eligible for a CONUS return assignment.

All first-term Airmen, including those on the CJR waiting list, may apply for retraining or a special duty, officials said. Airmen who do not have an approved CJR and have not been selected for retraining may reapply for retraining or special duty if they are not within 120 days of separation.

Constrained AFSC quota updates will be posted on the Air Force Personnel Services website as they occur at https://gum-crm.csd.disa.mil.

AF offers WAPS testing materials online

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO -- RANDOLPH, Texas (AFNS) -- The Air Force now offers Career Development Course volumes online for use as promotion study material. The volumes offered online are those identified in the Enlisted Promotions References and Requirements Catalog as study references for Weighted Airman Promotion System testing.

The online library provides Airmen the opportunity to download those study materials for use on electronic devices. It also offers enhancements for visual learning.

"We wanted to create a site where Airmen can download the most current WAPS CDC study materials in a simple and easy-to-use format," said Dwayne Hafer of Air Education and Training Command's Airman Advancement Division.

As the site continues to be developed, historical versions of the CDCs will be added so Airmen testing out of cycle will be able to access the appropriate materials for the cycle they're competing in, Hafer said.

"Anything that makes our study materials more accessible is helpful," said Staff Sgt. Stacceye Stallard, Headquarters AETC Commander's Support Staff. "I already use the online [Professional Development Guide] on my smart phone, so having my CDCs available too will be good."

The library is available to .mil users only at http://cdc.aetc.af.mil. Once downloaded to their military desktop, Airmen can e-mail the documents or burn them to a CD in order to transfer them to a personal electronic device. The complete Enlisted Promotions References and Requirements Catalog is also available online at https://www.omsq.af.mil/TE/EPRRC.pdf along with the Professional Development Guide at https://www.omsq.af.mil/PD/.

The electronic volumes are provided as a secondary or alternative source for WAPS testing materials. Hafer said current plans are for Airmen to continue to receive hard-copies of their CDCs in the usual manner.

The WAPS CDC study material library is not identical to the Air University online library used for Airmen in upgrade training, Hafer said. Those Airmen in upgrade training still need to contact their unit training manager to obtain access to their CDCs.

(Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs)

Engineer promotes African-Americans in early days of aviation

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) -- An engineering student from Chicago would go on to become an important link in African-American aviation history and do much to take the accomplishments of the early pioneers in aviation and propel them to national acclaim.

William J. Powell was born in Kentucky in 1897 and moved with his family to Chicago, where he went on to attend the University of Illinois engineering program before the start of the first world war. When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, Powell interrupted his studies and enlisted in the racially segregated 370th Illinois Infantry Regiment as a lieutenant.

During the war Powell suffered a long-term injury after a gas attack during a battle in France. He moved back to Illinois to both finish his degree and recuperate from his injuries and it was during this time that Powell became fascinated with flight and the idea of becoming a pilot.

After being rejected by all of the area flight schools, as well as the Army Air Corps because of his race, Powell finally was accepted to the Los Angeles School of Flight in 1928. In four years, he not only received his pilot license, but also was certified as a navigator and aeronautical engineer.

As a tribute to Bessie Coleman, the first African-American to obtain a pilot's license in the U.S., Powell created Bessie Coleman Aero clubs as a way to introduce flying and aviation to the African-American public nationwide. He also created the first black-owned airplane building company and envisioned the firm as a way to hire African-Americans to design, build and maintain aircraft throughout the U.S.

In 1929, America's only black U.S. representative, Oscar DePriest, made a visit to Los Angeles, and was honored when Powell made a flyover above the parade DePriest was attending and named the plane after the congressman.

Later Powell took the congressman on a flight in the plane and noted to DePriest that it was the first instance of a congressman being flown by an African-American.

Two years later, Powell would host the nation's first all-black airshow, drawing more than 15,000 attendees. It was also during this time that Powell's dream of all-black flying clubs and airshows began to take root, with clubs cropping up in major cities like Chicago and New York, as well as other cities throughout the country. Aviator pioneers such as James Banning, Thomas Allen, C. Alfred Anderson and Albert Forsythe began breaking distance records, with transcontinental flights from the East to West coasts.

While Powell's initial aircraft company went bankrupt along with countless others during the Great Depression, in 1934 he created "Black Wings," another aircraft production company. But that company also became a casualty of the depression in a few short years. In the same year, Powell wrote a semi-autobiographical book, also entitled "Black Wings," dedicated to early aviation within the black community, and contained many of his aviation exploits and chronicled the rough road he endured to become a pilot.

In his book Powell wrote of those struggles and dreams: "I do not ally myself with the Negro who begs a white man for his job. I ally myself with that ... young, progressive Negro who believes he has the brain, the ability, to carve out his own destiny."

Powell lived many of his dreams, creating his own flying school and shop and was famed for his stoic and strong work ethic. He was never an aerial showman and never became a "larger-than-life" public figure.

He died young, at the age of 45, most likely from the effects of the gas exposure during World War I. But he lived long enough to see the formation of the Army Air Corps' Tuskegee Airmen black fighter pilots. Those efforts would later lead to other forays into American history such as blacks as airline pilots and eventually as astronauts in space.


Air Force Week in Photos

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) -- This week's photos feature Airmen around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

View the slideshow.