AF Reserve C-130 wing plans for reductions in flying, civilian work hours

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  • By 302nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  Automatic budget cuts triggered by the possible sequestration set to begin March 1 could result in a reduction of up to 18 percent of flying hours and civilian employee furloughs in the 302nd Airlift Wing here. These actions could create significant challenges for the Air Force Reserve Command unit in Colorado Springs, Colo.

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 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 work hours and pay for that timeframe.

Unlike other Air Force organizations in the local area, as an Air Force Reserve wing, roughly 99 percent of the 302nd AW's full-time work force is comprised of 195 federal civilian employees known as Air Reserve Technicians, or ARTs and 21 federal civil service employees. This means nearly 100 percent of the full-time work force, including the commander of the C-130 airlift wing could be furloughed, potentially facing a 20 percent reduction in civilian weekday work hours during the furlough timeframe.

While the nearly 200 uniformed, full-time ARTs of the 302nd AW are required to maintain the same qualifications, train to the same level and perform the same jobs as their active duty Air Force counterparts, as ARTs they maintain dual duty statuses. ARTs are full-time federal civil service employees during the week and convert to military status for Unit Training Assembly weekends and when on active duty orders.

When established in the 1950s, the ART program was created as cost savings measure for the DOD. Today, the Air Force Reserve Command relies on the program's full-time manning to train, maintain readiness and provide continuity to perform its missions. The ARTs assigned to the 302nd AW are instrumental in maintaining operations for the wing of approximately 1,300 Air Force Reservists.

"The possibility of civilian furloughs and potential reduction in flying hours for our Reserve wing is extremely challenging. The group commanders and I have discussed possible options. Scheduling of aircraft maintenance, flying hours, ground and flying training and mission support for our Airmen will be scrutinized and adjusted. While we will do everything we can to avoid it, these cuts have a good chance of affecting our readiness and ability to perform our mission at our current level, and that would be new and unsettling territory for us," said Col. Jay Pittman, commander, 302nd Airlift Wing.

Discussing the impact sequestration would have on the wing's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System mission, Lt. Col. Luke Thompson, chief of aerial fire fighting explained, "We are working on contingency plans in the event sequestration becomes a reality. Our deploying aircrews, C-130 aircrew instructors and MAFFS crews will take priority for available flying training hours."

"The MAFFS mission is a priority for our wing and we will do everything we can to ensure the 302nd is ready to support it when called upon by the U.S. Forest Service," Pittman added.

The 302nd Airlift Wing along with Air Force Reserve wings around the nation are awaiting further guidance from Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command should sequestration and subsequent cuts occur.

"The ARTs and Reserve Airmen of this wing have succeeded in every aspect of our mission when previously faced with challenges to include limited resources, but the possibility of sequestration and civilian furloughs in my opinion, may present one of our greatest challenges to date," said Pittman.

Editor's note: Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs also contributed to this story.