The Air Force Tuesday announced thousands of civilian and military job cuts and personnel realignments at facilities across the country.
The largest downsizing will be at Kelly Air Force base in Texas and McClellan Air Force base in California, as the two facilities close down. Kelly will lose 4,662 military personnel and 7,713 civilians through 2001. McClellan will cut 1,494 military and 3,596 civilian personnel during the same period.
Other bases will benefit from Kelly's and McClellan's losses. Private companies and Air Force depots in other states are competing for work performed at the closing bases, and will pick up some of the personnel being cut. For example, Robins Air Force Base in Georgia is slated to grow by 614 military and 2,479 civilian positions. Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania, Ohio's Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma and Hill Air Force Base in Utah will also pull in work from Kelly and McClellan. Some jobs at Kelly will stay in Texas, transferring to Lackland Air Force Base, which will add 3,778 military and 2,070 civilian jobs through 2001.
The realignments come as the Air Force pushes competition, privatization and outsourcing for many of its support functions, and as the service continues to cut its force of active-duty personnel.
An Air Force headquarters spokesman said the service has not calculated the savings from the force structure changes.
Additional cuts and transfers include:
- California's Onizuka Air Station will lose 257 military personnel from the 750th Space Group, which will deactivate in 2000.
- Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska will cut 623 military and six civilian personnel.
- The 1st Fighter Wing at Virginia's Langley Air Force Base will add 131 military and three civilian jobs, while Langley's headquarters and support personnel will be reduced by 188 service members and 32 civilians.
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