End Strength by the Numbers: The Air Force leadership ultimately got Congress to go along with about half of the personnel cuts that it requested for Fiscal 2013. House and Senate defense authorizers decided to allow the Air Force to draw down its end strength by 4,860 Total Force positions in this fiscal year rather than the 9,900 reductions that the service leadership sought, according to the figures in the conference report for H.R. 4310, this fiscal year’s defense authorization bill. Lawmakers released the conference report on Dec. 18. Here’s our breakdown:
Total Force authorized end strength in Fiscal 2012: 510,900
Active Duty: 332,800, Air National Guard: 106,700, and Air Force Reserve: 71,400.
Air Force leadership’s original Fiscal 2013 request: 501,000 (-9,900)
Active Duty: 328,900 (-3,900), Air Guard: 101,600 (-5,100), and Reserve: 70,500 (-900).
Fiscal 2013 defense authorization conference report: 506,040 (-4,860)
Active Duty: 329,460 (-3,340), Air Guard: 105,700 (-1,000), and Reserve: 70,880 (-520).
H.R. 4310 conference report full text; caution, exceedingly large file.