Meeting of the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force

AGENCY:

Director of Administration and Management, DoD.

ACTION:

Notice of advisory committee meeting.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Defense is publishing this notice to announce that the following Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force (“the Commission”) will take place.

DATES:

Date of Open Meeting, including Hearing and Commission Discussion: Tuesday, October 1, 2013, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Registration will begin at 12:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES:

Bossier Civic Center, Bodcau Room, at 620 Benton Road, Bossier City, LA 71111.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mrs. Marcia Moore, Designated Federal Officer, National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force, 1950 Defense Pentagon, Room 3A874, Washington, DC 20301-1950. Email: dfoafstrucomm@osd.mil. Desk (703) 545-9113. Facsimile (703) 692-5625.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This meeting is being held under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 1972 (5 U.S.C., Appendix, as amended), the Government in the Sunshine Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.150.

Purpose of Meeting: The members of the Commission will hear testimony from individual witnesses and then will discuss the information presented at the hearings.

Agenda: On the morning of October 1, 2013, a subset of members from the Commission will tour units located at the Barksdale Air Force Base.

The hearing and meeting on October 1, 2013 is expected to include testimony from representatives from the state of Louisiana and possibly neighboring states, as well as military leadership from bases and units in the area who have been asked to testify and address the evaluation factors under consideration by the Commission for a U.S. Air Force structure that—(a) Meets current and anticipated requirements of the combatant commands; (b) achieves an appropriate balance between the regular and reserve components of the Air Force, taking advantage of the unique strengths and capabilities of each; (c) ensures that the regular and reserve components of the Air Force have the capacity needed to support current and anticipated homeland defense and disaster assistance missions in the United States; (d) provides for sufficient numbers of regular members of the Air Force to provide a base of trained personnel from which the personnel of the reserve components of the Air Force could be recruited; (e) maintains a peacetime rotation force to support operational tempo goals of 1:2 for regular members of the Air Forces and 1:5 for members of the reserve components of the Air Force; and (f) maximizes and appropriately balances affordability, efficiency, effectiveness, capability, and readiness. Individual Commissioners will also report their activities, information collection, and analyses to the full Commission.

Meeting Accessibility: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended, and 41 CFR 102-3.140 through 102-3.165, and the availability of space, the meeting is open to the public. The building is fully handicap accessible. Several public parking facilities are nearby. Photography and videography is permitted, but must be previously arranged through the Commission's staff. All contact information may be found in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

Written Comments: Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.105(j) and 102-3.140 and section 10(a)(3) of the FACA, the public or interested organizations may submit written comments to the Commission in response to the stated agenda of the open meeting or the Commission's mission. The Designated Federal Officer (DFO) will review all submitted written statements. Written comments should be submitted to Mrs. Marcia Moore, DFO, via facsimile or electronic mail, the preferred modes of submission. Each page of the comment must include the author's name, title or affiliation, address, and daytime phone number. All contact information may be found in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

Oral Comments: In addition to written statements, one hour will be reserved for individuals or interested groups to address the Commission on Tuesday, October 1, 2013. Interested oral commenters must summarize their oral statement in writing and submit with their registration. The Commission's staff will assign time to oral commenters at the meeting, for no more than 5 minutes each. While requests to make an oral presentation to the Commission will be honored on a first come, first served basis, other opportunities for oral comments will be provided at future meetings.

Registration: Individuals who wish to attend the public hearing and meeting on Tuesday, October 1, 2013 are encouraged to register for the event in advance with the Designated Federal Officer, using the electronic mail and facsimile contact information found in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. The communication should include the registrant's full name, title, affiliation or employer, email address, and daytime phone number. If applicable, include written comments and a request to speak during the oral comment session. (Oral comment requests must be accompanied by a summary of your presentation.) Registrations and written comments must be typed.

Background: The National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Pub. L. 112-239). The Department of Defense sponsor for the Commission is the Director of Administration and Management, Office of the Secretary of Defense. The Commission is tasked to submit a report, containing a comprehensive study and recommendations, by February 1, 2014 to the President of the United States and the Congressional defense committees. The report will contain a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of the Commission, together with its recommendations for such legislation and administrative actions it may consider appropriate in light of the results of the study. The comprehensive study of the structure of the U.S. Air Force will determine whether, and how, the structure should be modified to best fulfill current and anticipated mission requirements for the U.S. Air Force in a manner consistent with available resources.