B-147814, FEB. 1, 1962

B-147814, FEB. 1, 1962

TO THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE:

IN OUR EXAMINATION OF THE MILITARY TRAVEL VOUCHERS SUBMITTED IN THE JUNE 1959 ACCOUNTS OF THE ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE OFFICER AT ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, OKLAHOMA, WE FOUND A NUMBER OF INSTANCES WHERE (1) MEMBERS WERE ERRONEOUSLY PAID MILEAGE UNDER PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION ORDERS FOR TRAVEL PERFORMED SUBSEQUENT TO THE ISSUANCE OF ORDERS REQUIRING THE PERFORMANCE OF TEMPORARY DUTY AT THEIR FORMER PERMANENT DUTY STATION AND (2) MEMBERS RECEIVED ERRONEOUS PAYMENTS OF PER DIEM ALLOWANCES AND MONETARY ALLOWANCES IN LIEU OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THEIR RETURN TO THE FORMER PERMANENT DUTY STATION AND PER DIEM ALLOWANCES WHILE IN A DUTY STATUS THEREAT. NOTICES OF EXCEPTIONS TOTALING MORE THAN $4,900 WERE ISSUED ACCORDINGLY. THE DETAILS OF THESE ERRONEOUS PAYMENTS ARE STATED BELOW.

SPECIAL ORDERS NO. A-60 DATED JANUARY 26, 1959 (EXHIBIT 1), ISSUED BY HEADQUARTERS, 19TH AIR DIVISION (SAC), CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE, TEXAS, DIRECTED A PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION FOR CERTAIN MEMBERS STATIONED AT CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE TO CLINTON-SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE, OKLAHOMA, SOME OF WHOM WERE REQUIRED TO REPORT NOT LATER THAN FEBRUARY 15, 1959. THE ORDERS AUTHORIZED SEVEN DAYS' DELAY EN ROUTE CHARGEABLE AS LEAVE, AND ONE DAY TRAVEL TIME FOR TRAVEL IF PERFORMED BY PRIVATELY OWNED CONVEYANCE.

SPECIAL ORDERS NO. A-16 DATED FEBRUARY 10, 1959 (EXHIBIT 2), ISSUED BY HEADQUARTERS, 4123D STRATEGIC WING (SAC), CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE, TEXAS, DIRECTED 28 OF THE MEMBERS WHOSE NAMES APPEARED IN SPECIAL ORDERS NO. A- 60, TO PROCEED FROM CLINTON-SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE ON OR ABOUT FEBRUARY 15, 1959, TO CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE FOR APPROXIMATELY 11 DAYS' TEMPORARY DUTY FOR THE PURPOSE OF "ALERT DUTY AND SUPPORT OF WING EWO.' (EMERGENCY WAR ORDER)

ITINERARIES ATTACHED TO TRAVEL VOUCHERS SHOW THAT MOST OF THE MEMBERS NAMED IN SPECIAL ORDERS NO. A-16 WERE LOCATED AT CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE ON FEBRUARY 10, 1959, THE DATE THIS ORDER WAS PUBLISHED, AND THAT SEVERAL OTHERS HAD DEPARTED CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE ON OR BEFORE FEBRUARY 10, 1959, IN A LEAVE STATUS. TRAVEL WAS COMPLETED TO CLINTON-SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE, THE NEW DUTY STATION, BY FEBRUARY 14, 1959. THESE MEMBERS RETURNED TO CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE UNDER AUTHORITY OF THE TEMPORARY DUTY ORDERS DATED FEBRUARY 10, 1959, DURING THE PERIOD FEBRUARY 13 TO 16, 1959.

THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER GROUPS THAT PERFORMED TRAVEL UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER OTHER ORDERS.

IN THOSE INSTANCES WHERE MEMBERS WERE EITHER AT CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE OR WERE IN A LEAVE STATUS WHEN SPECIAL ORDERS NO. A-16 WAS ISSUED, NOTICES OF EXCEPTION TOTALING MORE THAN $4,900 WERE STATED AGAINST THE MILEAGE PAYMENTS FOR TRAVEL TO CLINTON-SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE, MONETARY ALLOWANCE PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TRANSPORTATION FOR RETURN TO CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE, AND PAYMENTS OF PER DIEM ALLOWANCES WHILE AT CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE. THIS ACTION WAS BASED ON THE PROVISIONS OF PARAGRAPH 3050-1 JOINT TRAVEL REGULATIONS, PROMULGATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 303 (A) OF THE CAREER COMPENSATION ACT OF 1949, WHICH PROVIDES THAT MEMBERS ARE ENTITLED TO TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION ALLOWANCES ONLY WHILE ACTUALLY IN A "TRAVEL STATUS," AND THAT THEY SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE IN A TRAVEL STATUS WHILE PERFORMING TRAVEL AWAY FROM THEIR PERMANENT DUTY STATION, UPON PUBLIC BUSINESS, PURSUANT TO COMPETENT TRAVEL ORDERS. SEE ALSO PARAGRAPH 4201-4, JOINT TRAVEL REGULATIONS, WHICH PROVIDES THAT PER DIEM ALLOWANCES ARE NOT PAYABLE FOR ANY PERIOD PRIOR TO DEPARTURE FROM THE LIMITS OF THE PERMANENT DUTY STATION OR FOR ANY TRAVEL OR TEMPORARY DUTY PERFORMED WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE PERMANENT DUTY STATION.

THE NOTICES OF EXCEPTION WERE RETURNED TO US BY LETTER DATED SEPTEMBER 9, 1960, FROM THE AIR FORCE ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE CENTER (EXHIBIT 3), ASKING THAT THE EXCEPTIONS BE RECONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF INFORMATION CONTAINED IN AN UNDATED LETTER FROM THE COMMANDER, 4123D STRATEGIC WING, CLINTON- SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE, AND ATTACHED ENDORSEMENTS (EXHIBIT 4), AND REQUESTING THEIR REMOVAL. THE COMMANDER OF THE 4123D STRATEGIC WING STATED THAT THE TRAVEL PERFORMED WAS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO THE PERFORMANCE OF THE WING EMERGENCY WAR ORDER MISSION, THAT IT WAS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE AIR FORCE, AND THAT THERE WAS NO INTENT TO CREATE A TRAVEL SITUATION FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF MONETARY GAIN. HE ALSO STATED THAT TEMPORARY DUTY ORDERS, SPECIAL ORDERS NO. A-16, WERE PUBLISHED BY THE COMMANDER OF THE ADVANCE ECHELON OF THE 4123D STRATEGIC WING, AND THAT THESE ORDERS WERE ERRONEOUSLY PUBLISHED PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE CREW PERSONNEL. EACH EXCEPTION RETURNED WAS ALSO SUPPORTED BY A SIGNED CERTIFICATE OF THE MEMBER CONCERNED, STATING THAT HE PERFORMED TRAVEL TO CLINTON-SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE PURSUANT TO SPECIAL ORDERS NO. A-60 AS DIRECTED IN A MOVEMENT SCHEDULE PUBLISHED BY THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, HEADQUARTERS, 4123D STRATEGIC WING, AND THAT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PREARRANGED AND APPROVED OPERATIONS PLAN, HE RETURNED TO CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE IN A TEMPORARY DUTY STATUS PURSUANT TO SPECIAL ORDERS NO. A- 16. EACH MEMBER ALSO CERTIFIED THAT HE WAS ADVISED IN ADVANCE OF THESE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS. A TYPICAL CERTIFICATION IS SHOWN IN EXHIBIT 5.

THE MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS CONCERNED WERE STILL AT CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE, THEIR OLD DUTY STATION, WHEN THE ORDERS OF FEBRUARY 10, 1959, WERE ISSUED SHOWING THAT THEIR SERVICES WERE REQUIRED AT THAT STATION FOR APPROXIMATELY 11 DAYS AFTER FEBRUARY 15TH FOR ALERT DUTY AND SUPPORT OF THE WING EMERGENCY WAR ORDER. SINCE, BY THE ORDERS OF JANUARY 26, 1959, THEY WERE NOT REQUIRED TO REPORT TO THEIR NEW DUTY STATION, CLINTON- SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE, PRIOR TO FEBRUARY 15TH, IT IS APPARENT THAT NO OFFICIAL DUTY WAS REQUIRED OF THESE MEMBERS AT THE NEW DUTY STATION UNTIL AFTER THEY HAD COMPLETED ALL DUTY AT THEIR OLD DUTY STATION. THUS, NO TRAVEL WAS REQUIRED UNTIL IT WAS NECESSARY TO PROCEED FROM CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE TO CLINTON-SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PERFORMING OFFICIAL DUTY.

PARTICULAR ATTENTION IS INVITED TO THE STATEMENT MADE BY THE COMMANDER, 4123D STRATEGIC WING IN THE LAST PARAGRAPH OF HIS UNDATED LETTER TO THE EFFECT THAT THROUGH A MINOR ADMINISTRATIVE OVERSIGHT THE TEMPORARY DUTY ORDER A-16 WAS PUBLISHED PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE CREW PERSONNEL AT CLINTON-SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE. EVEN IF THE ISSUANCE OF SUCH ORDERS HAD BEEN DELAYED UNTIL AFTER THE CREWS FIRST REPORTED TO CLINTON-SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE, THIS WOULD HAVE ONLY SERVED TO GIVE THE PAYMENTS IN QUESTION A SUPERFICIAL PROPRIETY SINCE THE FACTS SHOW THAT CARSWELL AIR FORCE BASE CONTINUED TO BE THE PRIMARY POST OF DUTY UNTIL THE TIME THE CREWS MADE THEIR SECOND TRIP TO CLINTON-SHERMAN AIR FORCE BASE.

IN ADDITION WE BELIEVE THAT THE MANNER IN WHICH THE TRANSFER OF THE WING WAS HANDLED INDICATES A LACK OF ADEQUATE CONSIDERATION HAVING BEEN GIVEN TO THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS INVOLVED.

IT IS REQUESTED, THEREFORE, THAT THE NECESSARY ACTION BE TAKEN TO PREVENT FURTHER ILLEGAL PAYMENTS OF THIS NATURE AND TO EFFECT RECOVERY OF THE ILLEGAL PAYMENTS ALREADY MADE. PLEASE ADVISE US OF THE ACTION TAKEN IN THIS MATTER.