AFNIC to cut 99 civilian, military positions

SCOTT AFB -- According to a front page article in the Belleville News Democrat (Belleville, IL) on April 4, 2014, Air Force cost-cutting and reorganization efforts will result in the Air Force Network Integration Center losing 43 percent of its positions at Scott AFB.  That's a total of 99 positions cut by next year.

Col. Amy Arwood, AFNIC's commander, announced the cuts during a commander's call, according to Doug Mehring, president of the Scott AFB bargaining unit of the National Association of Government Employee.

It remains unclear how many people will leave their jobs versus those who will be retrained for other Air Force units.

Jobs affected by the cuts include those in middle-level management, staff, and policy consultation, according to Andy Roake, a spokesman for the Air Force Space Command, at Peterson AFB, CO.

Civilians in affected positions will be eligible for either the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority or the Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay programs.

Involuntary separations, or reduction in force actions, will be used as a last resort. Military members in affected positions will be reassigned across the Air Force.

AFNIC personnel reductions stem from budget constraints, Mr Roake wrote. "This is a tough time for the Air Force where we're having to make tough choices for a smaller future Air Force," he wrote.

The Air Force recently announced plans to cut 22,500 airmen this year, or nearly 8 percent of its total.

Read full article here: http://www.bnd.com/2014/04/04/3145535/air-force-unit-at-scott-to-cut.html

AFNIC traces its roots to 1938 and the organization of the Army Airways Communication System.