WASHINGTON – The 188th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith would see a dramatic loss in manpower under the 2013 Air Force budget proposal now before Congress.
The Air Force recently released details of personnel changes that would accompany its plan to save $8.7 billion by eliminating 200 aircraft from its fleet.
Under the plan, Fort Smith’s mission would shift from flying A-10 Warthogs to piloting remotely controlled drones. The change would result in a net reduction of 264 full- and part-time positions, according to the Air Force.
Although the Air Force would add 62 full-time Guard positions in 2013, it would also eliminate 232 part-time Guard positions as well as 94 full-time technician and civilian employees.
Fort Smith would see its overall manpower shrink from 1,203 to 939, a 22 percent reduction.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
At Little Rock Air Force Base, the budget proposal calls for an increase in active duty airmen of 370 – bringing the total to 5,584.
The budget proposal would cut 11 active-duty civilian employees at Little Rock. And, it would add five part-time reservists, cut two part-time Guard members and add 10 full-time technician and civilian positions.
The potential job losses for Little Rock further solidified opposition to the proposal from the Arkansas delegation.
“The delegation is totally justified in telling the Defense Department they’ve got it wrong, and we’re going to do what we can to fix it,” said Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark. “We all recognize the budget for defense is in decline, but that’s when you keep the best of the best and the 188th fits that description.”
“We are concerned about how the decision to eliminate the A-10 mission from the 188th was reached. By almost all metrics this is the most cost effective A-10 air base and I will be working with the delegation to continue telling the story of why the 188th is a good fit for an A-10 mission,” said Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark.
J.R. Davis, a spokesman for Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, said the Air Force proposal is not necessarily the last word on the 188th.
“At this time they are just that – proposals. He’s looking forward to being a part of the ongoing conversation, and you can trust that no one will fight harder for the city of Fort Smith than he will,” Davis said.
The delegation has sent letters to top officials at the Department of Defense questioning the proposal to remove the A-10 mission from the 188th Fighter Wing.
The Air Force is looking to cut 9,900 positions across its active duty, guard and reserve forces. The Air National Guard would lose 5,100 of that total.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz has defended the proposal before several Congressional committees over the past two weeks.”In this economy we had to make difficult choices to align with the new strategic guidance and with the cuts required by the Budget Control Act over the next 10 years,” Schwartz said.
The Air Force determined the best course of action is to reduce the size of the total force to keep it at high levels of readiness, he said.”We will become smaller in order to preserve a high-quality and ready force, one that will continue to modernize and grow more capable in the future,” Schwartz said.
At a hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Little Rock, raised concerns about the A-10 decision with Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt, director of the Air National Guard.
“It looks like decisions were made at 30,000 feet and pushed down on the force structure. It doesn’t seem there was a lot of individual analysis of Fort Smith or other locations,” Griffin said.
Griffin also asked Wyatt if the Air Force was considering an alternative budget proposal submitted last week by the Council of Governors.
The Council is made up of 10 governors appointed by the president to smooth state and federal military activities. Wyatt said that the proposal, which includes contrasting manpower adjustments, is under review by the Air Force. A decision is likely to come within a week to 10 days, he said.