Broadening the Vertical Cuts

If the Air Force is compelled to make vertical cuts to live within a continuing budget sequester—such as taking out the whole A-10 or B-1 fleet, for example—Air Force Materiel Command won’t simply get rid of everyone currently working on the affected platform. Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, head of AFMC, told the Daily Report on Monday that the command “will try to do a balanced” reduction, preserving the right mix of experienced—and less experienced—people across the AFMC enterprise, if a reduction in force is necessary. That would mean moving some people on a retired platform to other projects; but it also means some people working on other programs might lose their billets, she said. She spoke to the Daily Report after her speech at AFA’s 2013 Air and Space Conference.