USAF Stop Loss in the works

[Yahtzee]

I have a copy of a scanned document (a TIFF file) which states:

"The Air Force has proposed, and I support implementation, of Stop Loss authority to ensure units remain adequately manned." The message is signed & approved by Donald S. C. Chu, Undersecretary of Def P&R.

This document has a stamp on it which says "SECDEF Has Seen 26 Feb 03"

Has anyone else seen or heard of this Air Force Stop Loss Proposal?

If anyone has a scanner that has OCR send me a PM and I'll e-mail the file to you if interested. If we can get the file scanned, someone else should be able to post the message on this site.

Yahtz

 

[CCDiscoB]

Get your HHG scheduled, quick!

 

[Purple Haze]

More text from the letter:

SUBJECT: Proposed Air Force Stop Loss Implementation

* The Air Force estimates 21,000 members of their total force will be impacted through December 1, 2003. The plan targets the most stressed specialties --31 officer specialties (38% of officer force) and 40 enlisted specialties (27% of enlisted force).

* Humanitarian concerns are provided for. Those exempted include persons with involuntary/hardship discharges, mandatory retirements/separations, discharge by reason of conscientious objector status, members who have shipped/scheduled to ship household goods, members on terminal leave, and members who were previously stop lossed and have since established a retirement or separation date.

 

[HOUMAN]

Hey purple,
Where did you get the info?? Could you please PM a fellow Altoosian the rest of the info. Thanks.

Neo

 

[Apache54]

Army StopLoss MSG

Hey all - I seem to be a minority round this board but if any army guy hasnt heard yet, we got one. The message specifies units assigned to CENTCOM or those that have deployment orders DEPORDS to go to CENTCOM. Of course the actual units are classified and the concerned personnel are already gone and probably can't read too much of this.

I'm might go out on a limb and say that all of us will be stop-lossed - curse my mouth. I'm stuck at the flight school but volunteered to go (to a flying slot).

The link below is the army message from the donkey's mouth... You AF, Navy, Marine (although I thought all Marines were already stoplossed) will at least see what uncle sugar has to say about stop loss in the army - Heck, its all DoD speak - your message will probably sound pretty similar.

Good luck and those guys from Hill Street Blues (old school, I know) said it right - "Let's be careful out there" and "Let's do it to them before they do it to us!"

http://perscomnd04.army.mil/milpermsgs.nsf

 

[Yahtzee]

Stop Loss Memo Link

Here's the link.

ShawnC is the man that made it happen. Thanks much!

http://www.lazyeights.net/stoploss.pdf

If anyone wants a copy of the Tiff file, send me a PM with your e-mail address.

NOTE: If you want a copy of the file, you must include your e-mail addresss in your PM to me as I'm not "Ms Cleo" and can't read your mind.

I've received several requests for the file with no e-mail address. I will note that many of the culprits are friends of mine.

Yahtz:

 

[HoursHore]

Why is the Air Force always so quick with this? The The FTS I am at is way over manned, due to all the Furloughed guys that came back after 9/11.
Hope fully it thins the herd when FedEx starts interviewing again.
Just kidding, It sucks to have your future F*cked with.

 

[Zulu]

Why is the Air Force always so quick with this?

When I was stuck in Stop Loss about this time last year, I was told that whenever a certain number of Guardsmen/Reservists are activated that the AF must institute Stop Loss -- I've never been able to find the reg or law that dictates this, so it's all hearsay.
I really feel for the guys who had plans that are now on hold -- I sat and watched 48 seniority numbers tick away while the swivel chair warriors at Langley sat on my waiver.
But, if misery truly loves company, just look at my avtar -- guess we're all in this together.

Z

 

[Yahtzee]

When I was stuck in Stop Loss about this time last year, I was told that whenever a certain number of Guardsmen/Reservists are activated that the AF must institute Stop Loss -- I've never been able to find the reg or law that dictates this, so it's all hearsay.Z

Zulu,

I doubt anyone will be able to find the reg or show you that law. What the Active Duty Air Force did last time was simple: they used stop loss has a manning tool...regardless of what spokepersons may have said. Do you remember the Randloph AFB spokesperson, Lt Col XX? Talk about doublespeak.

If stop loss was tied to activations, how could some Guard & Reserves units be activated right now while the Active Duty AF isn't stop lossed?

To clarify the situation, my previous commander briefed our squadron in January specifically mentioning Active Duty Stop Loss & Activations of the Guard & Reserves are two separate entities. You can have one without the other. This information may not help, but I'm giving you the truth as I understand it.

May God be with you, your family, and your squadron in the months ahead.

Yahtz

 

[HPaul3]

Zulu,

If stop loss was tied to activations, how could some Guard & Reserves units be activated right now while the Active Duty AF isn't stop lossed?

One way this can happen, Yahtz, is that the AF uses the word "mobilization" with respect to calling some reserve units, like mine, to active duty. Talk about your double-speak. Calling what has happened to my unit a "mobilization" instead of an "activation" does two things: one, it avoids the sticky situation you mentioned above; and two, it gives the DoD the option of letting us be "mobilized" for one full year, then be actually "activated" for another year beyond that. Fun with semantics, huh? I'll pull out my "mobilization" orders for you and we'll pick apart the language someday.

To clarify the situation, my previous commander briefed our squadron in January specifically mentioning Active Duty Stop Loss & Activations of the Guard & Reserves are two separate entities. You can have one without the other. This information may not help, but I'm giving you the truth as I understand it.

Not necessarily so, Yahtz. There are provisions in DoD regs that formalize the relationship between activations and stop-loss. But clearly there are ways around those relationships, as we see above.

May God be with you, your family, and your squadron in the months ahead.

Yahtz

Thanks Yahtz, back to you as well.
Cheers from another continent!
HP

 

[Yahtzee]

Proud to serve!

Hpaul,

Thanks for make that clear.

Even with all the doublespeak and loopholes, I have faith we will do our duty as good soliders and support and defend the constitution like we swore to do.

I hope I didn't give the impression I was anti-USAF by all means....I just find it funny how so many folks in the public affairs departments simply can't state the truth (my reference to Lt Col XXX's doublspeak). They seem to spend more time trying to massage the truth, when IMHO, it seems much easier "to tell it like it is". Sure we will most likely gripe and complain about it in the short run, but when it comes to doing your duty, almost every solider I've ever known has been proud to serve.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice to our country! And may God be with you and yours in the coming months ahead as well.

Yahtz

P.S. Congrats on getting to Dallas. Well done!

 

[fredflyer]

Talk about your double-speak. Calling what has happened to my unit a "mobilization" instead of an "activation" does two things: one, it avoids the sticky situation you mentioned above; and two, it gives the DoD the option of letting us be "mobilized" for one full year, then be actually "activated" for another year beyond that. Fun with semantics, huh? I'll pull out my "mobilization" orders for you and we'll pick apart the language someday.

Another loophole it gives them ( I think ) is that legally, you can only be "activated" one time for any contingency, in this case Operation Enduring Freedom. This is just rumor, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I understand, they jumped the gun and activated some unit equiped airlift guys right after 9/11, then de-activated them a year later. Now, they can't touch those guys again (unless they come up with a different contingency name, I hope they don't get any ideas) since that was an "activation", but with "mobilization" they can call you up for 6 months, let you go for a few and call you up again as much as they want.

To clarify the situation, my previous commander briefed our squadron in January specifically mentioning Active Duty Stop Loss & Activations of the Guard & Reserves are two separate entities. You can have one without the other. This information may not help, but I'm giving you the truth as I understand it.

When we got our in-processing briefing, someone stood up and stressed very explicitly that Stop-loss was not in effect. What I think she was saying, without actually saying it, was that if you were an activated/mobilized reservist you could still get out. If this crap keeps up too long, maybe I'll try it out.

 

[HPaul3]

Yahtzee,

Thanks again for the good wishes. In my opinion your post didn't come across as anti-USAF. I hope mine didn't either. Although I still honestly enjoy my former-part-time job, It's not without frustrations, and crewmembers need to vent once in a while anyway!

I thank God for getting me to Dallas just under the wire. Finally some good timing!

Cheers,
HP

PS Read the appendix in "1984" by George Orwell. Lots of good infomation about misinformation and manipulation of language. Amazing book....painfully prescient.

 

[Yahtzee]

In case you haven't seen it by now

Air Force implements Stop-Loss
by Staff Sgt. A.J. Bosker

Air Force Print News

03/14/03 - WASHINGTON -- The assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs has authorized the use of Stop-Loss to retain specific skills needed to meet national security objectives. Effective May 2, 43 officer and 56 enlisted specialties will be affected by Stop-Loss.

"We do not take this action lightly," said Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche. "Stop-Loss is designed to preserve critical skills essential to supporting the global war on terrorism, while ensuring we're prepared to meet other contingencies."

"We've implemented Stop-Loss to ensure we have the necessary skilled personnel to conduct operations," said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper. "We'll use it only as long as necessary to accomplish our mission."

Stop-Loss is being implemented across the active duty, Air Force Ready Reserve and Air National Guard for the affected career fields in the ranks of airman through colonel, according to Maj. Teresa L. Forest, chief of Air Force retirements and separation policy at the Pentagon.

Both the secretary and chief of staff are acutely aware that the Air Force is an all-volunteer force and that this action, while essential to meeting the service's worldwide obligations, is inconsistent with the fundamental principles of voluntary service.

"We take Stop-Loss seriously and are working hard to ensure the lives of our airmen, their families and their civilian employers are not disrupted any longer than is necessary to meet our national commitments," Jumper said.

Therefore, a waiver process will be implemented for those people with unique circumstances.

"We are doing our best to minimize this disruption," Roche said. "And we will look at unique circumstances on a case-by-case basis and do all we can to offer appropriate relief."

"We understand the individual sacrifices that our airmen and their families will be making," Jumper said. "We appreciate their unwavering support and dedication to our nation."

For more information about Stop-Loss, people can contact their local military personnel flight or the Air Force Personnel Center's Stop-Loss Control Center at (210) 565-2374 or DSN 665-2374.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S. Hpaul3...thanks for the affirmation. Hope you're back in Dallas soon.

 

[CCDiscoB]

I wonder if 2 May is a typo. Has anybody heard anything about this? It makes more sense to me to start a Stop Loss in April. The AF won't need a Stop Loss in May, the war will be long over.

 

[DaveGriffin]

Here's the link
http://www.af.mil/news/Mar2003/31403921.shtml

 

[Sensei]

Stop Loss Message

I have the message that came down. Stop loss "officially" goes into effect 2 May 03, though my CC is treating it as if it has already taken place. This will be round 2 for me (long story). If you would like the message send me your e-mail.