A little more in depth on the Air Force Times site.

Air Force plans narrow cuts in 2008



Force shaping will occur mostly through retirements, separations
By Bruce Rolfsen - [email protected]
Posted : Wednesday Aug 22, 2007 13:13:49 EDT

The Air Force intends to shed about 5,600 active-duty positions in 2008 and bring the service down to 328,600 airmen. But the narrow reductions for 2008 will require the Air Force to spin up a wide-ranging program of cuts in 2009 if a service strength of 316,000 airmen remains the target.
For 2008, the Air Force will have no enlisted force reduction programs, said Col. Chuck Armentrout, chief of the Military Force Policy Division at the Air Staff. Instead, the service will shed about 4,760 enlisted positions through normal retirements and separations.
If not enough enlisted airmen leave during 2008, the service could initiate some waiver programs.
“We may open up those plans if we have to,” Armentrout said. “Those things are easy to turn on.”
Among officers, cuts will be limited.
The goal is to reduce the officer corps by 827 positions. Most of those positions will be lost through normal retirements and separations, Armentrout said.
The service will offer officers who have 12 to 15 years of service a voluntary separation bonus worth about three times their base annual pay. Only 200 officers will be eligible for the bonus, and they must be leaving career fields that have too many people in their year group.
The coming year’s program boosted the separation bonus from the twice the annual pay offered to volunteers in 2007 because the 2008 program involves officers who have served longer and will need more enticements to leave, Armentrout said.
A limited number of active-duty service commitment and time-in-grade waivers will also be available, Armentrout said. And prior-enlisted officers will be able to retire at 20 years or more once they reach eight years of commissioned service.
Lieutenants will again face a force-shaping board. The service aims to cut 130 lieutenants who were commissioned in 2005. They too, will come from career fields that are overmanned.
To help reach the 2008 goals, the Air Force is limiting the recruitment of new airmen to 4,417 officers and 27,800 enlisted airmen.
The officer and enlisted accessions are in line with the service’s projections for 2007, but less than 2006, when the Air Force welcomed 30,700 enlisted recruits, and more than 2005, when the service took in only 19,169 enlisted airmen
“One thing we’ve tried not do this round is reduce accessions to meet end-strength goals,” Armentrout said. “We’ve probably done that a little too much to our determent. We’ll continue to access at a level that will sustain us for 30 years.”
The new voluntary separation pay plans call for the leaving officers to get a lump-sum payment equal to about three years of their current base pay. Base pay does not include housing, food and clothing allowances or bonuses.
The departing officer will not be eligible for retirement benefits, Armentrout said. The officer will also have to serve in the individual ready reserve for three years, meaning he could be called back to duty as reservist.
To qualify, an officer must leave the service before he reaches his 15th year of service but after he has completed his 12th year in uniform. Prior-enlisted officers will count their enlisted and commissioned time.
The officer also must come from career field that is overmanned or not specifically exempted by the Air Force.
Officers can apply for the separation bonus starting on Sept. 5 at their unit’s military personnel flight, Armentrout said. The request can not be done online.
Qualified applicants will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis. And once a career field is no longer overmanned, no other applicants from that career field will be eligible. The officers will have to leave the service by the end of next June.
The force reduction board for lieutenants will follow the same rules as the boards on 2006 and 2007. Junior officers in career fields that are overstaffed will be able to voluntarily separate until their career field’s manning level is no longer more than 100 percent.
If enough lieutenants don’t leave on their own, a reduction in force board must decide which lieutenants leave. The departing lieutenants will not be eligible for separation benefits beyond job counseling.
Lieutenants interested in volunteering should contact their personnel flight.
Read more

For more on the Air Force’s 2008 and 2009 force shaping plans, see the Sept. 3 issue of Air Force Times, on newsstands Monday.

 

Force Shaping 2008

Palace Chase

FY08 PALACE CHASE Program is for Officers in the 2005 Total Federal Commission Service (TAFCS) year group only.
All other Officers and Enlisted members may apply under normal PALACE CHASE transfer IAW AFI 36-3205[/CENTER]

PROGRAM INFORMATION

PALACE CHASE is a voluntary separation program for active duty Air Force officers. It affords you an opportunity to separate from active duty early and serve the remaining portion of your commitment in the Air Force Reserve or Air National Guard. Your separation date must be no later than 29 Sep 08

BASIC ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Officers in the 2005 commissioned year group only.

All MSC, Chaplains, and LAF AFSCs (including Academy grads) and officers once deferred for promotion are eligible. AFSC and career fields not eligible are: 11B, 11H, 11M, 11R, 11S, 12B, 12M, 12R, 12S, 13B, 13D, 13M, 14N, 16F, 16P, 21R, 31P, 32E, 51J, 64P, 71S, and BSC/MC/DC/NC.

No minimum time in service requirement but officers must have completed initial skills training prior to applying for PALACE CHASE..

Must not be under investigation, pending administrative discharge, court-martial charges, or any action being considered under the UCMJ.
[*]Officers twice deferred for promotion are not eligible.

MORE INFORMATION

5 Sep 07/1200 central standard time (CST) application packages are accepted at AFPC/ DPPRSR for requested date of separation (DOS) no less then 90 days from application date or no later than 29 Sep 08. Applications must be signed by the Wing Commander

Approval/disapproval will be based on the AFSC/year group sustainment as shown on the Officer Matrix.

Curtailment of DEROS for overseas tours will not be considered.

365-day TDY are eligible to apply provided the rotation dates are no later than 31 Aug 08. Curtailment of 365-day TDY will not be considered.

Officers once deferred for promotion must apply and be approved prior to their next promotion board meeting.

Transfer to the ARC results in a 1-for-1 (not less than 2 year or greater than 6 years) commitment..

Officers will require a 4-year service commitment to be appointed to the Air National Guard. Officers may request this commitment waived see ANGI 36-21014, Chapter 5.

Unearned portions of ACP and CSRB bonuses will be recouped.
[*]Education costs associated with service academy graduation, ROTC scholarships, AFIT and Tuitions Assistance will not be recouped.

 

well it looks like force shaping won't be helping me get out this year.
I'm considering trying the normal route via "regular" Palace Chase...but I've still got 5.5 years left on my commitment, and my AFSC (11m) was listed at 0. We've had a couple of guys at my base get it recently, but we did just have a guy get turned down...

advice? suggestions?
Good luck to everyone else out there.

 

hello FY09...I don't think they'll get the numbers they want on this, especially when twice passed over guys are deferred from the program. Damn this whole GWOT.

 

There is still a light at the end of the tunnel. Since the FY08 VSP's are required to seperate by June, that tells me they want that done in June so that during July they can really sit down and figure out how to make the massive cuts required of FY09.

 

Where did the basic eligibility criteria come from (i.e. certain career fields not being eligible)?

 

I really don't see them getting the numbers from this, and FY09 is gonna be a bastard for cuts. I expect VSP/RIF for 09 for all overage career fields and year groups that have not been touched..and likely then some.

 

I found the main article on Force Shaping on the airforcetimes.com website (btw aftimes.com is "action figure times"), but can't find any of this additional info on eligibility criteria or exempt career fields.

 

matrix hasn't been released yet

 

So, if i am in one of those mentioned ineligible AFSC's for palace chase, how can i do regular palace chase/front?