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Show HILLTOP TIMES Air Force presents FY 16 budget request By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs W ASHINGTON (AFNS) — The Air Force presented its fiscal year 2016 President's Budget request Feb. 2, following the Defense Department and sister services budget briefings. The Air Force fiscal year 2016 budget request supports the defense strategy and combatant commander requirements. It continues readiness recovery, reduces the short-term capacity risk assumed in the fiscal year 2015 budget while placing significant investments in the nuclear enterprise, space, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and command and control capabilities. This budget strengthens the nation's defense strategy and Air Force unique capabilities that are in high demand by our combatant commanders, said Maj. Gen. Jim Martin, the Air Force director of budget, who presented the service's budget request. "The FY 16 President's Budget is rooted in necessity, what we need today to begin the recovery from three years of reduced budgets, and is based on long-term strategy." Martin said. The Air Force requested a topline budget of $122.2 billion in Air Force controlled funding that continues to protect the KC-46A Pegasus, F-35A Lightning II and the Long Range Strike Bomber, the Air Force's top modernization priorities, and supports a total force end strength of 492,000 person- nel. The service made adjustments from the fiscal year 2015 Presidential Budget request to respond to global changes, adding back the highest priority combatant command requirements. These adjustments include re-phasing the U-2S divestiture and restoring the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System to add more command and control and ISR, and reduce risk to capacity. The Air Force is resubmitting its request to phase LIVING MUSEUM: Airman preserves vintage uniforms out the A-10 Thunderbolt II fleet by 2019, to shift limited funding and manpower to higher priority combatant commander needs, such as ISR and C2, as well as advanced multirole platforms ready for the high end fight. Planned F-15C Eagle divestitures were changed to increase near-term capacity and support the European Reassurance Initiative. While the fiscal 2016 budget request exceeds funding levels laid out in the Budget Control Act by almost $10 billion, Martin Consumer Financial Protection Agency Lt. Col. Kyle Clement stands in front of his vintage U.S. military uniform collection on Jan. 9 at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. Collecting for more than 20 years, Clement's goal is to preserve Airman heritage by piecing together authentic uniforms dating back to 1914. Clement is the 20th Maintenance Group deputy commander. EDITOR'S NOTE: This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AEmil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting that person's Air Force story. By SENIOR AIRMAN JENSEN STIDHAM 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. — Walking through the 20th Maintenance Group building, it would be appropriate to stop and gaze into the office of one senior leader there. Eyes would be greeted with several mannequins wearing different shades of green and blue, each decorated with metals and ribbons. For most of his life, Lt. Col. Kyle Clement, the 20th MXG deputy commander, has been preserving Airman heritage by collecting vintage Army Air Corps and Air Force memorabilia, most notably uniforms and their decorations dating back to 1914. "Everybody collects little things when they are growing up," Clement said. "When I was a teenager, I just happened to collect bits and pieces of Air Force uniforms. It just always caught my eye." Enlisting in the Air Force in 1989 and commissioning in 1994, Clement has pieced his collection together from across the United States. "The majority of it came from thrift stores," Clement said. "As I travel, if I pass an antique store, I'll pull over and check it out. It's amazing what you can find. Most stores don't even know what it is." Though his collection of complete uniforms has grown to more than 15, his passion for collecting is not all about the pieces of fabric. "Every one of these uniforms belonged to an Airman, and I think that is key," Clement said "The history of why these uniforms were worn, who wore them, and how our uniform has SENIOR AIRMAN JENSEN STIDHAM/U.S. Air Force An Airman assigned to the 20th Maintenance Group touches an original aircraft maintenance badge Jan. 9 at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. Lt. Col. Kyle Clement, the 20th Maintenance Group deputy commander, purchased this badge as a teenager, starting his lifelong passion for collecting Airman memorabilia. changed over the years is incredible. The uniforms we wear today are just pieces of the uniforms that used to be worn." Even though he purchased his first vintage uniform as a young captain, his favorite uniform, known as "pinks and greens," the Army Air Corps uniform from WWII, connects him to an earlier time in his life. In 1994, Clement graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, wearing a similar uniform to the pinks and greens, and says the uniform reminds him of his college years and the opportunity that lead to his commission. Since his years after college, Clement has spent time reading his library of books to ensure all of his uniforms, ribbons, medals and hats are displayed in an accurate way. "Lt. Col. Clement's collection is bril- liant," said 2nd Lt. Cameron Schmitt, the 20th MXG executive officer. "His love for history is incredible and it is such a great opportunity to work with someone who is willing to give a quick history lesson at a moment's notice." Not only does Clement have a passion for collecting Air Force uniforms, but what he wants even more is to become a Reserve Officer Training Corps teacher after he retires from service. "My intent is for these uniforms to never come home with me," Clement said. "I plan to have them in my classroom one day and then donate them to the school; that way, they can continue to be appreciated." Displayed in a living museum from World War I to present day, Clement's passion for uniforms has built a lifelong journey rooted in Air Force history. S February 5, 2015 9 said it is a necessity to recover readiness. "We are grateful for the modest, short-term budget relief that Congress provided for fiscal years 2014 and 2015," Martin said. "It was a start to the long process of readiness recovery, but a return to Budget Control Act funding levels will risk our readiness today and our readiness 10 years from now We need support of our FY 16 budget request to continue readiness recovery and invest in capabilities we will need in the future." Are unpaid debts a military career-killer? By HOLLY PETRAEUS SENIOR AIRMAN JENSEN STIDHAM/U.S. Air Force H i lltop Military personnel who have trouble handling their personal finances can very quickly find their duty status, potential promotions and even military careers in jeopardy. And, over time, the lingering burden of debt can add stress to personal relationships and damage their credit profile. But does that debt have to be a career killer? Service members, veterans and military families have submitted more than 11,000 debt collection complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Agency since we began accepting them in July 2013 — our fastest-growing category of complaints. Among other things, we've received reports that some debt collectors are threatening service members by claiming they will report the unpaid debt to their commanding officer, have the service member busted in rank or even have that person's security clearance revoked if he/she doesn't pay up. The threat of losing a clearance is a hot-button item for service members — and some debt collectors have been known to use that threat as leverage to get a service member to pay. Do they really have the power to get your clearance revoked? Practically speaking, debt collectors aren't able to contact your security manager about your debts, nor do they have the authority to influence the manager's decisions about your security clearance. However, failing to pay your debts on time can result in negative information being reported to the credit reporting bureaus. And that negative information on your credit report may cause your security clearance to be pulled when it's up for review. If you find that your finances have put your security clearance in jeopardy, you should do your best to show that your financial problems resulted from circumstances beyond your control (not a pattern of irresponsible behavior) and that you acted as responsibly as you could under the circumstances. This may include showing that you're currently living within your means, that you're making a goodfaith effort to resolve your unpaid debts, and that you're disputing debts that aren't yours. When a financial problem arises, you should speak with your installation's Personal Financial Manager and/or Judge Advocate General office to get free, expert advice and assistance. Be sure to keep documentation of all your commitments, efforts to resolve delinquencies, and any disputes about debts — it could be helpful to you later. If you do receive notice that your security clearance eligibility is being denied or revoked, Department of Defense regulations give you the right to a hearing before an Administrative Judge of the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals. This hearing is your opportunity for a faceto-face meeting with an official, independent of your chain of command, to explain your situation and the steps you've taken to address the issues identified in a written Statement of Reasons. According to DOD, DOHA hearings are designed to be user-friendly. If you don't have an attorney, you can represent yourself or bring a non-attorney representative to assist you. DOHA hearings allow you to present any statements or documents that are relevant to your situation. In other words, the DOHA See DEBT I Page 10 |