Sequestration could affect 315th AW readiness, people

Published Feb. 26, 2013
By Public Affairs
315th Airlift Wing

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C -- Air Force Reserve Command officials estimate potential automatic budget cuts triggered by sequestration will result in a reduction of up to 18 percent of flying hours and affect the command's 13,000 civilian employees.

At the 315th Airlift Wing, 230 air reserve technicians and 36 civilians will be affected if sequestration occurs. The 560th Red Horse (supported by the 315 AW) has an additional 15 ARTS.

Wing leadership continues to monitor the situation and more details will be given as they become available.

"Despite the possibility of sequestration and its severe impacts, the 315th Airlift Wing still has a vital mission to perform," said Col. James Fontanella, 315 AW commander. "As troubling as this situation might be, we will continue to perform theater operations to the best of our ability as required by the Air Force."

Civilian furloughs will mean command units across the nation will have a significant impact to daily operations and mission accomplishment.

A reduction in flying hours will result in unacceptable readiness levels, say officials. Units slated for near-term deployments will be trained using remaining hours, while units not slated to deploy will lose their currency and mission readiness.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta notified Congress Feb. 20 that the Department of Defense is prepared to implement furloughs for civilian employees in response to the threat of sequestration.

If sequestration occurs, the military services and defense agencies expect to furlough most DOD civilian employees for an average of one day per week for up to 22 weeks starting as early as late April. This equates to about a 20 percent cut in pay for that timeframe.

Of the 13,000 AFRC civilians who would be affected by furlough, nearly 9,000 are air reserve technicians --officer or enlisted Airmen who work the same job as a full-time Title 5 federal civil service employee and as an Air Force reservist.

The ART program was developed as a means to provide cost savings for DOD. The command relies on the program's full-time manning to train, maintain readiness and provide continuity to the wings' missions.

In a memo to all employees, Panetta vowed to continue working with Congress to avoid sequestration, which would add $470 billion to the $487 billion in defense spending cuts the department already is making over the next 10 years. If Congress cannot agree on an alternative deficit reduction plan, the cuts go into effect March 1.

Panetta and other senior defense leaders have called the cuts dangerous. The reductions would come on top of cuts imposed by operating under a continuing resolution.

For fiscal 2013, the effect will be further magnified because the cuts must be done in the final six months of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

"In the event of sequestration, we will do everything we can to be able to continue to perform our core mission of providing for the security of the United States," Panetta wrote in the memo, "but there is no mistaking that the rigid nature of the cuts forced upon this department, and their scale, will result in a serious erosion of readiness across the force."

Check back with us at www.315aw.afrc.af.mil for updates as they become available. Follow the 315th Airlift Wing Facebook fan page and 315AW on Twitter.

(Editors note: this story was localized from an AFRC article posted earlier today)