Air Force plans to rehire after cutting below ‘established requirements’ – Maryland Matters

Air Force plans to rehire after cutting below ‘established requirements’  Maryland Matters

The Air Force and Space Force plan to rehire for thousands of civilian jobs in critical national security fields after acknowledging that they cut staff below “established requirements” in 2026. More than 4,300 jobs could come back next year after being cut in ‘comprehensive data-hygiene and manpower-validation efforts,’ Air Force says An aerial view of the Pentagon, May 15, 2023. (Photo by Staff Sgt. John Wright/U.S. Air Force) The Department of the Air Force is looking to add back the equivalent of more than 4,300 full-time civilian jobs across 30 specialties in the active-duty Air Force and Space Force and the Air National Guard, at a cost of $291 million, according to a Federal News Network analysis of the department’s fiscal 2027 funding request.

Budget documents repeatedly note that roles were eliminated for fiscal 2026 as part of “comprehensive data-hygiene and manpower-validation efforts, resulting in a correction where FY2026 staffing levels were set below the … established requirements.” Now officials want to bring back positions that run the gamut from homeland defense and flight training to recruiting and facilities maintenance, budget documents show. Base support would see the biggest bump by far, adding more than 1,600 full-time equivalent positions at a cost of $92 million. The broad category spans fire, law enforcement and emergency services; maintenance and logistics; support to