Tight budgets prompt Air Force cuts in chief master sergeant billets

[unhappycamper]

Tight budgets prompt Air Force cuts in chief master sergeant billets
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, May 31, 2008

ARLINGTON, Va. – Tight personnel budgets are prompting Air Force officials to reduce the number of chief master sergeants’ billets by 332 positions over the next three fiscal years.

Those positions won’t be eliminated, but earmarked for senior master sergeants instead.

The downgrading will affect only E-9s, which according to Air Force policy can account for just 1 percent of the total enlisted force, according to Chief Master Sgt. Brenda Voegtle, Chief of the Air Force Chief’s Group.

The cuts to the chief master sergeant manning authorizations, which will take place from fiscal years 2009 to 2011, were driven by "fiscal reality," according to Lt. Gen. Richard Y. Newton III, deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services.

Air Force officials spent eight months working through a review of its chief master sergeant grades, Newton said in an Air Force announcement about the downgrade.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55203



uhc comment: The 'tight' budget they are referring to is the $735,700,000,000 military appropriations budget for 2009.