Subsistence allowances (Public Law 351, 81st Congress, as amended) When rations in kind not available 21,174 man-years at $938.05 ($2.57X365 days). $19,862,000 21,444 man-years at $938.05 ($2.57X365 $20, 116, 000 When assigned to duty under emergency conditions where no Government messing facilities are available. Augmentation of commuted rations allowance for meals taken separately (Public Law 253, 84th Cong.) Foreign duty pay (Public Law 351, 81st Cong., sec. 206, and Public Law 458, 83d Cong., sec. 729) Incentive pay (Public Law 351, 81st Cong., sec. 204, as amended by Public Law 20, 84th Cong.) Overseas station per diem allowances (Public Law 351, 81st Cong., sec. 303) 35,791 man-years, at $578..... 3,181 man-years, at $288.90..... $20,687,000 | 35,445 man-years, at $578.. Less station allowances for airmen occupying surplus commodity housing $20,487,000 Estimate, fiscal year 1962.. -$919,000 | 3,689 man-years, at $291.40....... 19,768,000 Housing costs PART I. PURPOSE AND SCOPE -$1,075,000 19, 412 000 Thousands $104, 122 94, 782 69, 907 The funds requested are to provide for housing costs incident to the Wherry, Capehart, and surplus commodity family housing programs. Provision is made for amounts otherwise available as quarters allowances to be paid (1) to the revolving fund for acquisition, rehabilitation, and rental of Wherry Act housing in cases where such housing is assigned as public quarters, (2) as mortgage payments on Capehart housing, (3) to Commodity Credit Corporation in payment for foreign currencies used to construct family housing and (4) to operation and maintenance appropriation to cover maintenance and operation expenses incident to surplus commodity housing. Fund requirements under this project for Wherry and surplus commodity housing cost have been estimated on the basis of the average number of family housing units programed for occupancy by military personnel during fiscal year 1962 and the most recent experience on the average amount of quarters allowance withheld. Computation of fund requirements is as follows: Fund requirements for Capehart housing costs have been estimated on the basis of mortgage payments for housing constructed under the provisions of title IV, Public Law 345, 84th Congress, as amended by title V, Public Law 1020, 84th Congress (Capehart housing). In fiscal year 1962, it is planned that 6,155 new units will be completed and accepted by the Air Force. These new family housing units, plus the 49,920 units programed through fiscal year 1961 brings the total number of Capehart housing units to 56,075 by end of 1962. Computation of fund requirements is as follows: 47,255 average units at $1,065.30 average mortgage payment.. Total..... $50, 339, 000 94, 782,000 53,549 average units at $1,065.30 average Total... $57,047, 000 104, 122, 000 Our first witness will be Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Gent, Jr., Director of Manpower and Organization, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. General Gent, do you have a statement? General GENT. Yes, sir; I have a prepared statement. Mr. ANDREWS. We will be glad to have you read it. GENERAL STATEMENT OF DIRECTOR OF MANPOWER AND ORGANIZATION BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF WITNESS General Gent was born on March 12, 1911, in Oil City, Pa. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1935, and immediately began flying training, obtaining his pilot's rating in October 1936. In 1943, he was assigned to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Air. From February 1944 to March 1945, he commanded the 449th Bombardment Group of the 15th Air Force and later became wing commander of the 28th Bombardment Wing. Upon graduation from the Air War College in July 1949, he was assigned as commander of the 550th Guided Missile Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. In 1951, General Gent attended the National War College. He then served as chief of staff of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and as vice commander of Pacific Air Force. In 1956, he assumed command of the 314th Air Division in Korea. His decorations include the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, and the Korean Order of Military Merit (Taeguk Medal). General GENT. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, in my presentation today, I will discuss the Air Force manpower program for fiscal year 1962 and some of the past and future actions required to accomplish our mission within available manpower resources. MANPOWER PROGRAMS As a point of departure, I have summarized the USAF manpower programs for fiscal year 1961 and fiscal year 1962 in the table you have before you. TABLE 1.-Manpower program fiscal year 1962 This table actually tells only part of the Air Force manpower story. It shows the net change in total authorizations from the fiscal year 1961 position that I discussed with you last year, to the projected fiscal year 1962 program. The problem that does not appear in analyzing the statistics shown in this table is the management problem created by new and unprogramed tasks and the constantly changing workloads and concepts generated by rapid technological advances. These unprogramed requirements necessitate many adjustments, some between jobs and skills on a single installation and others between units and bases Air Force-wide. PROGRAMED REDUCTIONS · The net reduction in our military manpower program shown in the table does not appear to present a difficult problem when compared with the reductions in previous years. Between 1957 and 1959, we reduced 112,000 military and civilian spaces. In 1960, there was a reduction of 25,000 and in 1961 an additional reduction of 35,000. This latter figure is composed of 20,000 military and 15,000 civilians. These large decreases of the past few years have been met through elimination of units and numerous internal actions that produced significant manpower savings. So far, we have been able to accommodate these cuts through reductions in supporting functions and activities and will continue to absorb further reductions in these areas to the maximum extent possible. You will note that we are projecting a reduction of 2,100 military personnel for the fiscal year 1962 budget. This reduction will be accomplished by accelerating the inactivation of one additional medium bomb wing by June 1961. During fiscal year 1962, we have programed a decrease of the officerairman ratio from 15.6 to 15.4 percent. You may recall that I discussed the problem of the officer-airman ratio last year. Up to this time, it has not been feasible to reduce the officer-airman ratio in the Air Force in view of our increased requirements for officers in the professional, scientific, and technological fields. Although we have now programed this officer reduction for fiscal year 1962, there is a possibility that new requirements may prevent us from effecting these changes during this period. We are currently analyzing new manpower requirements, primarily for the Strategic Air Command, the Air Research and Development Command, and the Military Air Transport Service. These additional requirements include approximately 4,000 officers to meet new priority workloads that have developed since our fiscal year 1962 program was established. The Air Force direct hire (01) civilian employment program for fiscal year 1961 is currently 303,752. Under present plans, we would expect to have approximately that many people on board at the end of the fiscal year. In addition, we have requested authority from the Office of the Secretary of Defense to employ an additional 1,500 direct hire civilians required in support of the currently approved airborne alert test and indoctrination training programs. The following actions result in our programed direct hire (01) civilian increase as indicated in table No. 1. First, the 1,500 spaces for Air Materiel Command mentioned above. Second, 500 spaces for an expanded surplus disposal program. Third, 350 spaces converted from indirect hire (07) to direct hire (01) in an adjustment in workloads between commands. Fourth, transfers of approximately 1,450 civilian authorizations to the Army and 500 to the Navy to compensate for transfers of workloads. Fifth, minor adjustments resulting in a net increase of approximately 150 additional spaces. The difference of approximately 600 authorizations in the indirect hire (07) civilians shown in fiscal year 1961 over last year's estimate is due to a change in budgeting procedures wherein services provided by the West Berlin government are now included on a comparative transfer basis. The reduction of approximately 300 civilians in this category in fiscal year 1962 will be achieved through the phaseout of certain oversea units. |