Human Resource Strategic Planning in the Air Force: Force Reduction
Human Resource Strategic Planning in the Air Force: Force Reduction
The United States Air Force is undergoing a radical transformation. Between 2007 and 2009, the Air Force will reduce its force by more than 40,000 people as well as undergo massive organizational restructuring. There is a high probability the Air Force will initiate a second round of personnel cuts. This Air Force transformation initiates fundamental changes in the technology and current organizational structure rendering current technology and warfare methods obsolete. It also comes on the heels of 16 years of non-stop military operations, the effect on aircraft, accelerated wear and tear. Since 1990, the Air Force has been involved in international policing actions, humanitarian missions and most notably, war against the nation of Iraq. The attack on the World Trade Centers in 2001 brought our nation into war against terrorism. Today's Air Force is operating with the oldest inventory of aircraft in its history (Unattributed). The cost of replacing and/or upgrading its fleet of aircraft runs into billions of dollars. The "force reduction" exercise significantly reduces personnel costs and the Air Force will divert these savings for fleet modernization. Force reduction implies a reduction in the current workforce however; the Air Force's mission (workload) remains unchanged. The Air Force initiated process-streamlining initiatives intended to increase efficiencies and minimize service level disruptions due to personnel losses.
The Air Force's vision is "Global Vigilance, Reach, and Power" and its mission stateme ...