Senate
Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the Air Force’s
20-percent reduction in its headquarters staff is nothing more than a “shell
game” that goes against a Defense Department directive meant to eliminate
redundancy and save taxpayer dollars. “After touting the speed at which the Air
Force had achieved a 20-percent headquarters reduction, you later conceded that
none of the Air Force civilians that were part of that reduction were actually
removed from the payroll of the Air Force,” wrote McCain in a
March
24 letter addressed to USAF Secretary Deborah Lee James. “In
reality, the Air Force re-designated the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance,
and Reconnaissance Agency as the
25th Air Force subordinate to Air Combat Command. The Air Force also stood up an
Installation and Mission Support Center subordinate headquarters led by a two-star general and attendant support staff," continued the letter. McCain also noted that SASC has not
received a reprogramming request “from the savings generated in the
headquarters budget," and he “strongly" urged USAF to “re-examine” the previous
guidance, noting the committee would “closely” monitor the “issue.”
