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Show April! 3, 1995 CmMsiinidlei?'s Call Editor's note: Instead of carrying ACTION LINES this week, what follows is the third in a series of questions that were brought up at Maj. Gen. Pat Condon's Commander's Call March 14. For brevity and ease of readership, they are put in the same format as the ACTION LINE column and some are combined because the question andb'or answer were the same. our mission Improve can we continue to improve the QHow when we are forced to use systems that do not meet requirements, such as the Defense Civilian Pay and Depot Maintenance Management Systems? JrJ Systems such as DCPS and DMMIS gives us the standardization and the capability we need to take us into the future. DCPS will provide standardization of payroll systems and will save Defense and Finance Accounting Service manpower. DMMIS will provide a single source to input data from shop floor through final financial reporting. It is a standard cost system which will allow the base to meet the Defense Contracting Audit Agency requirements to bid on contract workload. While there may be a reluctance to use a new system because it is unfamiliar, the more the system is used, the greater understanding the operator will have of its functions and benefits. Also, a new system may have problems, but by identifying those problems, action can be taken to improve it. O's product directorates. The number of reductions was determined by Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command and was not directly related to workload. Future of ICBM workload What's the future of the ICBM workload, including the Peacekeeper and Minuteman? Q The article, "Hill not on closure list," JT printed in the March 2 Hilltop Times, addresses the question about the future of the ICBM workload. Brig. Gen. Frank Moore, program executive officer for bombers, missile and trainers at the Pentagon, anticipates the ICBM workload being around through the year 2020. In addition, we have program management direction through 2020. Peacekeeper deactivation is currently scheduled to begin in fiscal 2000. Early outs and incentives incentive be offered an QWill year through fiscal 1999? Can early-o- ut anything be done about employees who are eligible to retire but are waiting until an incentive is offered because they want the extra money? J4 There is no way to forecast when or if there will be future early retirements or in--; centives offered. If Hill faces future RIFs, transfers of functions, reorganizations or similar and separation incenactions; an tive will be requested. - Voluntary Early Retirement and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments are two distinctly separate authorities. When a voluntary early retirement is offered, it does not guarantee that a separation incentive will be offered. The Office of Personnel Management authorizes early retirements when there will be a major reduction in force, major reorganization, or major transfer of functions and a significant number of employees will be separated or subject to an immediate reduction in the rate of basic pay. The purpose of an early retirement is to allow eligible employees to retire early, thus creating vacancies that can be filled by employees who would otherwise be separated or s downgraded. The authority to offer Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment will expire on Sept, 30, 1999. VSIP is a management tool to meet downsizing goals and is not a guaranteed right of an employee. If an incentive is offered, it must be paid early in the fiscal year so salary savings would pay for the incentive. The incentive window must be closed at least 30 days prior to issuing RIF notices. . early-retireme- nt for fitness Money Since fitness and early morning exercise Q sessions are popular at Hill and Air Force Materiel Command, why doesn't the base spend some money to improve the facilities, equipment and staff at the base gym? I Last year more than $380,000 was spent to upgrade facilities. This year the Hill Fitness Center received much less facility money, but has requested additional funds to purchase replacement equipment. Fitness centers are important to the base, and will continue to be upgraded as funding allows. r Deletion of training the continual realignments T QWith with reductions in force, how do you justify deleting the training functions such as the facility managed by Financial Management Directorate in Bldg. 1231? J The responsibility for logistics, financial and quality training has been centralized in the Industrial and Logistics Training Division, formerly the Technical and Industrial Skills Division. The new Logistics and Quality Training Branch, located in Dldg. 1231. has been tasked to revitalize logistics and financial training. For a list of available courses, contact your organization's training monitor or call the new f training branch at Ext. No phones in Bldg. 100 light of the need to be available for Qln customers, especially on down days, why haven't we had phones in Bldg. 100, Room 149 since December? Our customers can't contact us at all. J Future of Civil Engineering is the future of the 75th Civil QWhat Squadron? To what extent total of 250 phones and just over 100 AHl lines are now in the process of being installed in Bldg. 100. The job will be completed this week. The upgrade of Bldg. 100 has been ongoing since early last year. As long as we have a wartime mobility commitment, there will be a civil engineering group or squadron. Contractors will continue to support the base in functions where it is not possible, or uneconomical, to maintain employees. of Management the management of the will it be contracted out? yt f full-tim- e slots for Manpower is the 75th Civil Engineering CE QWhy losing to much manpower when the CE workload is not being reduced? I The entire Department of Defense is in a JT downsizing mode. Reductions at Hill had to be made in support functions as well as the A QWilltransferred F-- F-- 4 aircraft to San Antonio Air Logistics Center, Kelly AFB, Texas? If it transfers, will Hill employees be asked to relocate to Kelly or will they be offered other jobs at Hill? J A There is no intention to transfer the F-- 4 to We have the responsibility and SA-AL- commitment to support the F-- 4 program through its life cycle and to support foreign military sales beyond 2010. Because of downsizing, there will be some reductions in the workforce, but normal attrition should take care of the personnel authorizations that are lost. A's & Too much to handle is the Technology and Industrial Software EngineerQWhy Directorate when ing Division being told to cut positions their customers have more funded workload than the division can handle with the current number of employees? fk The process for determining the number of project engineers assigned to TIS is driven the customers' forecast of funded workload by during the fiscal year. Funded workload must be forecasted early to be included in the operating cost based budget planning process. After careful analysis of this information. TIS made cuts because the workload forecast did not support the number of personnel currently on hand. jr Incentives for engineers be done in order to QWill anything engineers keep from going to MICRON? Jt Currently, engineers are paid special salary rates as an incentive to stay with the government, but there are no legal means to prevent or discourage an individual from leaving federal employment to accept a job in the private sector. r Educate management the last Software Capability Maturity Qln appraisal, we were rated at lev- el two, while troops were educated at level three. Management pulled our rating down, primarily due to their lack of understanding of the process as it is currently defined. Now the Technology and Industrial Support Directorate, branches TISH and TISF, are being reorganized. It would make more sense to educate management rather than redefining the process. After the last Software Capability Maturi-- r ty Model appraisal in March, the Software Engineering Division (TIS) was rated at level three. yi Base vision statement QWhat is the vision, not mission, for the base, the Technology and Industrial Support Directorate and the Software Engineering Division? I feel we need a vision statement to guide us into the future, to motivate us and provide empowerment. The U.S. Air Force has one, why not us? A All of the Air Force commands, including Air Force Materiel Command, work to fulfill the Air Force vision. Neither the command nor Hill has its own vision statement. TI has a strategic plan with specific targets for each division. Overall, providing a superior level of software support to fighter and attack aircraft customers in both operational flight programs and automatic test equipment areas, and achiev- r ing software engineering Capability Maturity Model Level certification, are the targets for TIS. Lose system appraisal are we going to do away with QWhen 4 3 Hilltop Times biased? system it's unfair and I In the immediate future the performance JT appraisal system will be administered under the current directives. The performance and promotion appraisal system is based on public law. The law mandates the connection of tenure and performance. Currently, the Air Force is examining the possibility of revising the appraisal system for Air Force employees and has proposed significant changes to the current system. These changes are being considered by the Office of Personnel Management. If adopted. OPM will petition the legislature to modify or change current law to accommodate those changes. |