The Air Force has cut its ranks of general officers by more than 5 percent in recent years.
Budget documents show the Air Force budgeting for 289 general officers in fiscal 2016, the same as in fiscal 2014 and two fewer than it had budgeted for in fiscal 2015. That's 16 fewer general officer billets than the 305 that were budgeted for in fiscal 2013.
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said in an editorial board meeting with Air Force Times last May that the service was planning to "scrub" its general officers to reduce their ranks. At the time, the Air Force's proposed 2015 budget showed no plans to reduce generals.
And many airmen — thousands of whom were facing budget-driven force management cuts that could end their careers — said it was unfair for them to bear the brunt of those cuts while leaving generals untouched.
"It's being scrubbed," James said, when asked if it was fair not to cut generals. "Let me just tell you that. We're actively looking at it."
It appears those cuts have taken place.
Air Force spokeswoman Maj. Melissa Milner said in an email that those budgetary numbers include general officers in joint positions that fall under non-Air Force commands, reservists on active duty for more than 180 days, generals in exempted contingency positions, and retiring generals on terminal leave.
When generals in joint positions are excluded, Milner said, the Air Force has cut the number of active-duty generals from 198 to 187 over the past three years — also a more than 5 percent reduction — as part of cuts ordered by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2011.
That year, the Air Force had budgeted for 317 total general officers. That means the Air Force has cut generals overall by nearly 9 percent since Gates' order.
The number of generals in both Air Force and joint positions — excluding generals in those other circumstances — is within the limit of 279 generals allowed by law, Milner said. The Air Force is not planning to shrink its ranks further, she said.
To make these cuts, Milner said, the Air Force simply didn't replace some generals as they retired or otherwise left their positions, and limited promotions. Departing generals were replaced with lower-ranking personnel, or their positions were eliminated entirely. In some cases, she said, colonels are doing jobs that were previously done by one-star generals.
As part of the Gates-ordered reductions, Milner said, six wings and their accompanying general positions were downgraded. Three judge advocate general positions and three Air Force headquarter general positions were also downgraded, she said.
Air Force secretaries and chiefs of staff have decided which general positions to adjust "based on mission and organizational requirements," Milner said.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
