JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Brig. Gen. Bob LaBrutta, 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio commander, hosted three town hall meetings at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, JBSA-Randolph and JBSA-Lackland Jan. 21-23.
The meetings were designed to open communication channels among military members, families and JBSA senior leaders as well as give the JBSA community the opportunity to have their questions answered in a face-to-face environment.
Some of the topics that were discussed included personnel and budget cuts, 502nd ABW fiscal year 2014 - approved service reductions, the opportunities provided in lieu of the reductions, safety and security, and the removal of TriCare offices from the medical facilities across JBSA.
During the meetings, LaBrutta explained how sequestration affected the 502nd ABW and JBSA installation support functions through budget and manpower reductions. He then addressed how budget cuts and personnel cuts will be necessary for the next two years.
He also said that the Air Force chief of staff's strategy is to take any dollars saved by the new budget and put it toward readiness and modernization.
"The budget for the 502nd ABW and JBSA is at about a 10 to 15 percent reduction," LaBrutta said. "That's an $18 to $20 million decrease in what I have to execute our mission across JBSA.
"So, we have to prioritize," he said. "We have a lot of programs, and what we're trying to do is harvest all the programs and pick the best ... become more efficient so that we can be more effective for you."
After reductions in the civil engineer, communications and logistics squadrons' budgets, LaBrutta said he is now at a risk level that he cannot go past for operational proficiency. He said he is now looking at the force support and quality of life areas.
LaBrutta also said that right now, the Air Force has about 328,000 active duty service members and will decrease by 25,000.
"So for the next 18 to 24 months, 25,000 Airmen will depart from Air Force military service," he said.
LaBrutta also mentioned that all other services are working similar financial issues.
LaBrutta said that following discussions with mission partners, while taking financial constraints into account, some facilities across JBSA will close.
"We are closing the five JBSA libraries," LaBrutta said. "I love the libraries, but I can no longer put money in these functions. It cost me $1.3 million last year to run those libraries. We've got libraries that are either right off the post or base, or three to five miles away at the other locations. These libraries have the capabilities to provide support."
Although the closures of the libraries are not going to happen immediately, as the process is lengthy, the closing process has begun.
All JBSA non-appropriated funded business activities, such as the golf courses and arts and crafts shops, will no longer receive funding.
"Small business activities are going to have to survive on their own," he said. "If we don't have customers coming in saying 'I want this,' then those functions are going to be eliminated because we aren't able to carry them."
LaBrutta said the closure of the JBSA-Randolph dining facility has also been approved.
"The current utilization rate is 16 percent and the cost per plate is $24," LaBrutta said. "Since we have such a low number of people using the dining facility at Randolph, we're shutting it down. The other locations will remain open, as they are used often."
When it comes to quality of life, custodial funds will be standardized to "basic" across JBSA, grounds maintenance across JBSA will be reduced further, cable service packages across JBSA will be reduced to "basic" and clubs will begin charging to use their rooms, he said.
LaBrutta added, further reductions are projected to occur in fiscal year 2015 and beyond; pursuing a number of initiatives will provide flexibility to realign resources to core mission requirements and better posture JBSA for the future.
LaBrutta's final topic was on safety and security of the JBSA locations.
"We've got to take care of ourselves from a safety and security standpoint," LaBrutta said.
Matt Barido, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston Security Forces director, spoke about the new security measures and entry control points at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, which are scheduled to be fully implemented by April 30. He also took note of any complaints or information about the security of the locations.
Toward the end of the meeting, Army Col. Kyle Campbell, Brooke Army Medical Center commander, spoke about the TRICARE physical offices at the clinics being shut down and beneficiaries' alternatives.