Eglin losing AAC, 96th ABW

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The Air Armament Center is being eliminated at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., but the Florida Panhandle base will remain the Air Force's center for aerial weapons development. Maj. Gen. Kenneth Merchant, Air Armament Center commander, told reporters Thursday that 351 positions at Eglin are being eliminated as a result of the restructuring of the Air Force Materiel Command, but most of those positions are already vacant. Only 43 jobs remain in question. The changes are a result of the Air Force's bid to find more efficient ways of doing business. At least 9,000 positions Air Force-wide are being eliminated beginning next October. As part of the streamlining, the Materiel Command is consolidating 12 centers, including AAC, into five. In addition to the stand down of AAC, the 96th Air Base Wing, which serves as the Eglin commander, will be integrated into an expanded 46th Test Wing, which will take over installation management next October. Meanwhile, at nearby Hurlburt Field, home of U.S. Air Force Special Operations, 100 civilian positions in base support career fields are being eliminated. Over half those positions are already vacant. (Source: Tcp, 11/03/11)