Ideas to Save Money the Air Force Has Rejected
The Air Force Times has an article about ideas airman submitted that helped save money. Of more interest were the ideas submitted to save real money that the AF rejected:
FIVE COMMONLY REJECTED
These ideas are commonly submitted and have been, and will continue to be, rejected, Yepsen said.The five most common:
1. Overseas housing allowance
Modify the overseas housing allowance system to allow the government to recoup the housing allowance not utilized by the member. This idea can’t be implemented because overseas housing allowance is governed by policy external to the Air Force.2. Temporary duty air travel
Allow members to book travel at fares lower than the government contracted rate. This idea can’t be implemented because temporary duty air travel is governed by policy external to the Air Force.3. Commissary privileges
Open the commissary to civilians and contractors who work on base. This idea can’t be implemented because commissary privileges are governed by policy external to the Air Force.4. Terminate Tops in Blue
The cost of the Tops in Blue program is 80 percent covered by nonappropriated funds, with a significant portion coming from commercial sponsorship dollars. After each Tops in Blue show, base and wing commanders provide feedback; these surveys indicate that 96 percent of commanders feel that Tops in Blue is an excellent value to their Airmen and to the Air Force. Additionally, MAJCOM commanders in 2011 overwhelmingly expressed the need for Tops in Blue. Based on this feedback, the service believes the program brings outstanding value and is an excellent tool for morale-building, community relations and recruiting.5. Stop fallout money
Modify end of year spending habits to limit wasteful spending. The end of year closeout process is a deliberate process that carefully executes prioritized Air Force needs.
Number 1 has been discussed here quite a bit at the ROK Drop and the best way to implement this would be to have the servicemember and military split whatever the difference in cost savings is. For number 5 this is a colossal waste of money every year throughout the government I never see ending. Anyone else have some money saving ideas that the military should consider?
Well see? The first three aren’t their fault! Their hands a completely tied. After all, no military organization has the manpower to produce and rewrite more regulations and policies! Silly goose.
But seriously, the Tops in Blue amount to almost an iota of nothing. At least we get something for the deceitfully overpriced AAFES gas.
Number 5 is a killer and number 3 and 2 should be no-brainers.
1, 2, and 3 are all thanks to BS back-alley deals the government has made to appease the locals, these old rules need to be revised. Whatever the localized loss it’s going to be outweighed by the overall gain.
Is 5 referring to that stupid mentality of “If we don’t use all of the money allotted to us this year we won’t get the same amount next year.”? Horrible horrible practice.
What the h3ll is Tops in Blue?
“What the h3ll is Tops in Blue?”
A sale at Victoria’s Secret with matching panties.
Smokes, Tops in Blue is the Air Force equivalent of the Army Soldier Show
“What the h3ll is the Soldier Show?”
Camo night at the gay bar.
Smokes yes the end of the fiscal year waste of money is what number 5 is referring to. That is why things like new office chairs suddenly appear to replace office chairs purchased two years ago so the unit does not have to go through the pain of returning budgeted money. Multiply this issue by the size of the entire government and this is where real cost savings could be made.
“Anyone else have some money saving ideas that the military should consider?”
Get rid of all Colonels and Generals.
(only after my husband retires of course)
I have a friend who submitted an idea to save the USAF 50 million dollars. Can’t remember the specifics, it had something to do with tankers (the flying kind). I’m not sure if they implimented it or not, but at the time 50 million dollars was about the cost of a half of one day in Iraq. Or, I guess, about half of a F35 (the real pink elephant in the room).
“I have a friend who submitted an idea to save the USAF 50 million dollars. Can’t remember the specific”
I heard about that, Liz. It had something to do with collecting 25 million jars and putting 200 pennies in each one.
LOL! 🙂
He did explain it a bit, I just can’t remember exactly.
It had to do with the boom operator (we have, or had, boom operators…unlike some other countries that don’t require them). There were training exercises that required tankers and up to three boom operators…one training, another overseeing another for I can’t remember what.
There are also cost sharing agreements between the forces (tankers can be utilized to carry cargo in a lot of cases where they use superfluous airlift, and so forth).
Just to add: He mentioned that they were using some airlift aircraft redundantly, when the tanker could have been used alone for the amount of cargo required, and so forth. So…no more boom operators, and utilized airlift more effectively.
I doubt they liked his idea because they sent him on a remote to Africa not long after, and he didn’t get promoted. He was a really smart guy, clever (engineer), I went to school with him. But he always had bad luck. Luck so bad I have to wonder if he was a pedaphile in his former life.
“Luck so bad I have to wonder if he was a pedaphile in his former life.”
He loved education?
I always suspected those creepy bookworms would get theirs in the next life.
peda = teach (as in pedagogy)
pedo = child (as in pedophile)
(actually, this is not exactly true… as the peda in pedagogy actually comes from pedo in a roundabout way… but it was more fun than simply pointing out you have your perverts all mixed up.)
Pedantic pedagogy!
I spotted my error after I posted. This is why I need an edit feature.
(please don’t tell me I need to think harder or check what I wrote before posting…ruins my grove. I mean groove)
A pedantic pedophile picked a peck of prepubescent peckers?