Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
Vol. 5, No. 18
Patriot Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!
Friday, May 9, 2014
U.S. Air Force photo / Airman 1st Class Clayton Cupit
Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James is greeted by Tech. Sgt. Jonathan Cagle May 7, 2014, at the 628th Medical Group on Joint Base Charleston, S.C. Cagle is a biomedical engineering technician with the 628th MDG. James is the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force and was appointed to the position Dec, 20, 2013. She is responsible for the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, including organizing, training, equipping and providing for the welfare of its more than 690,000 active-duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen and their families.
SECAF gets firsthand look at JB Charleston mission By Staff Sgt. William A. O’Brien Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
Taking care of people, balancing the readiness of today with the readiness of tomorrow, and making every dollar count are the three top priorities of Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James. “These three priorities underscore all the work I have ahead of me over the next three years,” said James. James shared her vision during a visit to Joint Base Charleston, May 7, 2014, where she and her spouse, Frank Beatty, received a firsthand look at the unique capabilities, key initiatives and attributes that make JB Charleston one of the nation’s premier joint bases. “Taking care of people is everything to me. In every job I’ve had over the last 30 years in the business of defense, I have become convinced that it always comes down to people. You need to make sure you have the right people in the right jobs and you take care of them appropriately and fairly.” With additional fiscal constraints on the horizon, James said fiscal responsibility is even more important than it has ever been.
“Money is precious and budgets are declining. As they say, flat is the new up. We’re not going to see ‘up’ budgets in the foreseeable future. My crystal ball says at least the next 10-12 years we’ll be lucky to be flat, and we may continue to go down some. So we need to make every dollar count.” James said with the decreasing budget and the decline in readiness,she and Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air Force Chief of Staff, have proposed allocating more money to programs to keep Airmen and equipment ready, operational and fully trained. “The readiness of today has slipped and has been slipping for the past 15-20 years overall. One of the key judgments we made in the budget, which is now before the Congress, is that we need to pump up that readiness funding, so we put quite a bit of money into readiness,” said James. “To be able to restore flying hours for example, to increase the money we’re putting into maintenance and spare parts and other types of investments to help the equipment of today remain ready and help restore other sorts of training that have taken a hit.” James is the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force and is responsible for the affairs of the Department of the Air Force, includ-
ing organizing, training, equipping and providing for the welfare of its more than 690,000 active duty, Guard, Reserve and civilian Airmen and their families. The SecAF's day began with a brief about Joint Base Charleston and its various mission sets, including the C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift mission.Afterwards, James and Beatty spent much of the day speaking with Airmen in their respective work centers as they toured the joint base, asking questions not just about their particular missions, but also focusing on quality of life issues affecting Airmen and their families. Some of the units visited were the 628th Medical Group, the Airman and Family Readiness Center and the Child Development Center. James also toured a C-17 Globemaster III, where she received briefings from pilots, loadmasters, “Port Dawgs,” aeromedical units and 1st Combat Camera Squadron Airmen. After a lunch with enlisted Airmen and Sailors at the base dining facility, James and Beatty visited the base dorms, where junior ranking enlisted members live when they first arrive in the Air Force. See SECAF visits, Page 8
315th faces potential manpower cuts if the FY15 Presidential Budget is approved From 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
INSIDE
Approximately 171 manpower authorizations may be cut from across the 315th Airlift Wing starting later this year, if Congress includes the reductions when it passes the National Defense Authorization Act. These numbers, released to 315 AW leadership May 2, 2014, reflect an effort to plan for proposed budget impacts, as the U.S. draws down from the longest conflict in its history. The manpower figures follow an announcement made in March that Joint Base Charleston would convert eight C-17s from primary assigned aircraft to back-up inventory status. These changes come as part of an Air Force-wide, post-war rebalance of forces. These reductions would be implemented only if the budget is passed by Congress, which is currently under review. "Although the number of C-17s physically located at the installation would not change, how our aircraft are utilized and funded would be re-categorized to align with current wartime requirements," said Col. Scott Sauter, 315th Airlift Wing commander. "The changes in aircraft status would ultimately drive the
FINITO
Col. Harper takes ‘fini flight’
Page 3
proposed reductions, which are projected to impact the 315th Operations Group and 315th Maintenance Group specifically," he said. Personnel losses include 31 air reserve technicians and 140 traditional reserve authorizations. The 31 air reserve technicians are reservists and full-time civilian civil service employees. Of those, about 18 percent of the lost authorizations are officers and 82 percent are enlisted positions. "Leadership understands the considerable amount of stress this places on the men and women of the 315th Airlift Wing. Each individual provides incredible value, expertise and dedication to the Wing and our warfighting capability. You can rest assured, I am committed, along with our command, to ensuring the maximum number of men and women can continue to serve," said Sauter. "No matter what changes the wing might face in the coming years, it will be incumbent on us as leaders to look at all available options for our Airmen. Despite these potential challenges, our global mobility mission will continue," said Sauter. If approved by Congress, most of the proposed force structure changes will occur in 2015 and 2016.
SKILL-A-THON Testing medical readiness
Page 5
PICNIC
Air Base serves up food and fun
Page 7
For questions or concerns regarding these announcements, ARTs should consult with the military personnel flight and civilian personnel offices on base, while traditional reservists should work through the military personnel flight.
U.S. Air Force Reserve photo / Michael Duke
A member of the 315th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron marshals a C-17 Globemaster III as it lands at Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
WEEKEND WEATHER UPDATE for Joint Base Charleston, SC Isolated T-Storms
Partly Cloudy
Friday, May 9
(10% precip)
High 88º Low 71º
Saturday, May 10
(30% precip)
High 81º Low 69º
See Joint Base Charleston on Facebook! - Follow Discussions, Connect With Your Base! CYAN-AOOO
MAGENTA-OAOO
YELLOW-OOAO
BLACK 01/29/08
Isolated T-Storms
Sunday, May 11
(30% precip)
High 87º Low 67º