Civilianizing Certain Air Force Positions Could Result in Economies and Better Use of Military Personnel
PLRD-82-75
Published: Aug 11, 1982. Publicly Released: Aug 11, 1982.
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Highlights
GAO discussed how the Air Force could reduce costs at Strategic Air Command (SAC) missile bases by using civilians in certain military positions and by reducing or eliminating certain military construction projects.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Air Force | The Secretary of the Air Force should reassess the determinations made on the individual military positions identified at Grand Forks, AFB, McConnell AFB, and Whiteman AFB and similiar positions at the remaining six SAC missile bases and determine how many, if any, of these positions should be civilianized. GAO also recommends that the Air Force request approval of additional positions, if they are necessary, and submit to the approving authority the detailed analyses justifying the change. |
The Air Force claims that conversion of spaces from the military to civilians takes place as a result of: (1) the Air Force military-civilian mix process, an exercise it repeats each year to determine overages and shortages of skills; and (2) spaces tracked in its manpower system. However, civilian constraints have caused the Air Force to defer or reverse some conversions.
|
| Department of the Air Force | The Secretary of the Air Force should defer military construction projects at McConnell AFB and other SAC missile bases until it is determined whether reduced military authorizations due to civilianization will lessen the need for the project. |
The Air Force does not believe that military construction projects at McConnell AFB will be affected by the proposed military reductions.
|
| Department of the Air Force | The Secretary of the Air Force should use, when possible and if additional civilianization occurs, the replaced military personnel to counter military critical skill shortages in other areas. If additional civilianization is justified, the annual savings may offset any military personnel retraining expenses, if required. |
The Air Force says that the recommended civilianization would aggravate existing or create new military wartime skill shortfalls. Since the probability of deployment is very high for skills with shortfalls, the Air Force cannot concur with conversions of the magnitude recommended.
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Air Force personnelCivilian employeesCost effectiveness analysisJob classificationMilitary facility constructionMilitary forcesMilitary personnelMissile basesMobilization