The U.S. Air Force announced the budget plan for fiscal year 2015 that would eliminate 39 Wisconsin Air National Guard positions beginning in October 2014.

If approved by Congress, the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center in Camp Douglas, Wis., would eliminate nine full-time positions and 14 drill-status Guard positions under the proposed restructuring plan, while the Milwaukee-based 128th Air Refueling Wing would lose 16 drill-status Guard positions. The total number of Wisconsin Air National Guardsmen would be reduced to 2,261 as a result of this action.

The positions would be eliminated from a variety of career fields.

“Cuts are never easy, especially when they hit a particular unit hard as will be the case at Volk Field,” said Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, the adjutant general of Wisconsin. “But the Wisconsin Air National Guard will remain ready to accomplish its mission safely and effectively while continuing to serve the people of Wisconsin and the nation.

“Today, I met with the leadership of the Air National Guard, and we are working to mitigate the impact on Airmen and their families,” he said.

Dunbar hopes to implement the proposed reductions from the Air Force through attrition to lessen the impact on currently serving members of the Wisconsin Air National Guard.

“I appreciate the efforts of the Air Force leadership as they make difficult choices in the face of this challenging fiscal environment,” Dunbar said. “We understand that the Air Force must spread these cuts across the force in order to maintain our critical capabilities and mission requirements.”

The personnel cuts are a result of the President’s Defense Budget for Fiscal Year 2015, which was announced March 4. The Air Force expects to reduce its number of personnel by approximately 20,000 Airmen in 2015. Approximately 400 positions within the Air National Guard would be eliminated across the country in 2015 due to a proposed reduction in the Guard’s overall end strength.