Air Force Materiel Command’s latest restructuring plan (see above), announced Tuesday, would reduce the number of its centers from 12 to five, as officials strive to cut overhead costs and eliminate redundancy. The restructure will eliminate 1,051 civilian positions and will allow the command to reduce another 1,088 civilian positions as installation support functions begin to streamline, according to the release. This is expected to save the Air Force about $109 million annually. “We’ll approach our business in a more integrated fashion rather than thinking separately about research, test, acquisition, or sustainment in a center-by-center, base-by-base mindset,” said Gen. Donald Hoffman, AFMC commander. “The restructure will drive us to more standardized processes.”
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Defense Department needs to upgrade its electronic warfare capability and its EW training ranges; just as his predecessor said at his own confirmation hearing.