Air Force, Navy looking at 'stop-loss'
programs to retain needed personnel
By Sandra Jontz, Washington
bureau
WASHINGTON — Some servicemembers in the U.S. Air Force and Navy who thought they
were leaving the military might have to wait a little longer.
Both services either have applied or are considering "stop-loss" programs
after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Sept. 19 authorized the program’s use.
It means services can retain members beyond their date of separation or retirement
because of the administration’s call for war against terrorism.
The Air Force was the first to enact the order, knowing full well extra airmen would be
needed, said Lt. Col. Jan Middleton, chief of promotions, evaluations and separation
policy.
"We were the lead in homeland defense [following the Sept. 11 attacks], and we
knew that we had to get right into it immediately, more so than the other services,"
Middleton said. "We knew up front we were going to need the augmentation."
Analysts were still working numbers Tuesday, and the Air Force does not know how many
airmen will be affected by the 30-day policy that went into effect servicewide on
Saturday. After a month, leaders will review the policy and determine which critical areas
will need the extra servicemembers, Middleton said.
"For the average airman, this means anyone who had plans to retire or separate are
not going to be doing so right now," Middleton said.
Capt. Wendy Bentley, stationed at the 48th Fighter Wing’s Equal Opportunity office
at RAF Lakenheath, England, is one of the people in Europe whose plans might be affected.
Bentley, who has served in the Air Force for almost 11 years, is scheduled to leave the
service in March. and then join the Air Force Reserve.
"My plan was to continue with my career, albeit on a more limited basis," she
said.
Her husband, Dave, is a British national and an officer in the Royal Air Force.
He’s stationed three hours away. Capt. Bentley is due to give birth in April.
She might have the option of leaving the force with a pregnancy separation, but said
that’s not the way she would prefer to go out. She and her husband had planned for
one of them to spend a few years with their infant child.
"I’m the first to step up and fight for my country and do what’s
right," she said. But "the thought of turning over a newborn baby after six
weeks is not something that we ever thought we’d have to do."
Master Sgt. Kevin Brown, the superintendent of personnel support at U.S. Air Forces
Europe headquarters in Ramstein, Germany, said there are several exceptions to the policy,
including personal hardship, those who have already shipped goods to the States and airmen
already on terminal leave. Additionally, waivers might be granted beyond that on a
case-by-case basis.
By Friday, individual bases around Europe should have a good idea of who is affected,
and each individual will be notified.
In the meantime, airmen with questions should contact the military personnel flight at
their respective bases.
Officials said it is always possible that the order will become more targeted. In such
a case, the service would retain airmen in specific fields and let others leave.
Those exempt from the policy include anyone leaving the Air Force because of
disabilities or hardships or who, as of Saturday, had orders to leave the service on or
before Oct. 1, Middleton said. Airmen serving an overseas unaccompanied tour less than 15
months and who will retire or separate upon tour completion, also are exempt.
The Navy has a plan in the works that, if approved by Secretary Gordon England, would
affect roughly 10,500 sailors, a spokesman said.
The stop-loss program would affect sailors in 11 critical areas, such as medical, force
protection and special warfare, said Cmdr. Denny Moynihan, declining to be more specific.
The decision will be made "soon," Moynihan said. Navy personnel have
completed the plan and recommendations and just are awaiting Gordon’s decision.
The Army has no immediate plans to implement stop-loss, and the Marine Corps has not
decided.
Following the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, President Bush signed an order to
call up 50,000 reservists to active duty status for "homeland defense," which
allows the Pentagon to redirect active duty servicemembers to fight the war on terrorism.
According to the Pentagon, stop-loss was last used during Operation Allied Force in
Kosovo, and in 1990, then-President George Bush delegated stop-loss authority for
operation Desert Shield in the Persian Gulf.
Stars and Stripes reporter Kent Harris contributed to this story.
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