U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Anthony Downs and Staff Sgt. Derek Bolton, staff weather officers assigned to one of the Air Force’s Combat Weather Squadrons, return to an Alaska National Guard helicopter during training on Aug. 25, 2023 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. (Photo by Senior Airman Patrick Sullivan/U.S. AIr Force)
The federal government is reversing course on pending changes to the Alaska Air National Guard after staff and the state’s congressional delegation warned that the modifications could decimate the force .
On Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, acting director of the Air National Guard, sent a letter to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, stating that the “Fulltime Leveling” program will not be applied in Alaska.
The program was intended to standardize pay and benefits across the country, but members of the Alaska Air National Guard said it would result in cuts to their paycheck, and many said they were likely to quit if the changes took place.
Pirak said the program “did not fully consider” the requirements of Alaska Air National Guard duties and that the envisioned changes were “incompatible” with the Guard’s work.