Air Force officials announce FY14 Civilian Workforce Shaping: No FY14 Civilian Reductions Planned for AEDC

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Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. --  The Air Force will reduce the size of its civilian workforce by about 900 positions in addition to maintaining approximately 7,000 vacancies across the force to meet the demands of a constrained fiscal year 2014 budget, officials announced.

However, Arnold Engineering Development Complex leadership was informed this week that none of the FY14 planned civilian reductions will occur at AEDC.

The Air Force will implement civilian workforce shaping initiatives, along with continued targeted hiring to comply with mandatory funding targets and to rebalance the civilian workforce to meet skill demands for fiscal year 2014 and beyond.

"The Defense Department used administrative furloughs to meet civilian pay budget demands in the compressed time frame between sequestration and the end of FY13. We will meet a similar budgetary challenge in FY14 through a reduced workforce," said Brig. Gen. Gina Grosso, director of force management policy for the Air Force. The general added that Force's strategy to meet civilian pay budget targets does not include a furlough.

To reduce the number of employees assigned against previously and newly abolished positions, the Air Force plans to maximize the use of Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) and Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay (VSIP) to entice employees who are eligible to leave federal service to do so voluntarily.

These programs offer early retirement for employees who are considering life outside of federal service and up to $25,000 for employees whose voluntary separation would save another employee from being involuntarily separated.

"Over the last couple of years the Air Force has gone through significant civilian pay budget challenges. By implementing voluntary programs now we hope to mitigate future involuntary losses to the civilian workforce," Grosso said.

Because AEDC is not affected by the planned FY14 civilian reductions, the Complex will  not seek authorization for VERA\VSIP at this time.

For information about civilian employment, reduction in force and other personnel issues, visit the myPers website at https://mypers.af.mil.