Gates: No more cuts to Air Force personnel

Gates: No more cuts to Air Force personnel
By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jun 10, 2008 7:50:57 EDT

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. — Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the end to the Air Force’s personnel cuts during a speech to airmen here Monday, one of three stops on an overnight trip he is making to three Air Force bases.

Gates is seeking to reassure airmen after he asked for and received the resignations of Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and Secretary Michael Wynne June 5, and to explain his reasons for doing so.

“While most public attention on the costs of war and the strain on our forces has been focused on the Army, the reality is that our airmen and women — and those in the other services — are under strain as well,” Gates told the Langley airmen. “In fact, you have been forward-deployed and at war for 17 years — since the first Gulf War. Your families have also borne this burden, and the Air Force has its own fallen heroes — often struck down while serving on the ground alongside soldiers and Marines.

“We know this and are working to ease the burden. For example, I intend immediately to stop further reductions in Air Force personnel.

The announcement ends the drawdown just three months before the service aimed to begin cutting another 12,000 airmen, bringing the active-duty force to 316,600 airmen by the end of 2009.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/06/airforce_drawdown_ends_060908w/

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