Sequestration impact to Travis

  • Published
  • By 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  As guidance from the Department of Defense flows to the base level, senior leaders at Travis Air Force Base continue to work through the mandatory budget cuts resulting from sequestration. The full effect of the $46 billion in cuts DOD must make before Sept. 30 and how Travis is impacted continue to emerge as the base receives more specific direction.

With a civilian furlough looming, limitations placed on temporary duty assignments, and reductions to flying hours, base maintenance and services, Col. Dwight Sones, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander, said the base is focused on supporting Travis Airmen, both civilian and military, while accomplishing the air mobility mission.

"We are in challenging economic times," said Sones. "Things will be complicated, but we have hope that we'll see resolution soon."

In the meantime, Sones said the base is working diligently to mitigate the effects of sequestration as much as possible, but that it will continue to tighten its belt as it has done for the past few months.

With the risk of furlough affecting more than 1,500 civilian employees at Travis, it carries a loss of nearly $12 million in salaries or roughly 20 percent of their income. The furlough would be implemented in late April and would entail the loss of one work day per week per appropriated fund employee.

"It's a difficult burden that will carry a significant impact to Travis families," Sones said. "Our civilian Airmen will be hurt financially and our military members will lose valuable members of the team who provide significant contributions to our mission."

The commander said despite these challenges, the team will work to support the mission and each other.

"We will pull together as the amazing team we are, as we always do," he said. "We will ensure we are providing the support our members need right now and getting the job done that we are entrusted with."

The base has hosted several town halls and commander calls to keep its civilian employees and supervisors informed throughout this process, and will continue to work at the squadron level to provide forums for more focused discussions.

The furlough will impact services on base as well.

Col. Doug Bugado, 60th Mission Support Group commander, said his group is looking very closely at how services provided to the base will need to be trimmed. His team must manage the loss of civilian personnel in key support channels, to include child care facilities and family assistance and community service programs.

"Many of our services are dependent on our civilian employees who would be affected by a furlough," Bugado said. "Our entire team works very hard to support our Travis families, and we will do our very best to stretch our services to the maximum extent possible to reduce the impact to the base, but there will be challenges."

Bugado said patience and understanding would be needed as his team tackles those challenges.

The challenges to the Travis operational mission will be difficult as well. The Air Force must reduce 203,000 flying hours, more than 18 percent, and the base will feel the same substantial impact to operational and training missions.

In a statement released earlier this week by the Air Force, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III said, "While we will protect flying operations in Afghanistan and other contingency areas, nuclear deterrence and initial flight training, roughly two-thirds of our active-duty combat Air Force units will curtail home station training."

The base is still determining how significant that 18-percent reduction will be.

Sones said all of this adds up to not only affect the mission, but individual families and the local community.

"We will all be impacted by the effects of sequestration," he said. "But we will carry on ensuring our mission is accomplished and our Travis family is taken care of."