(Editor’s Note: The following is a message from Lt. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, AFSC Commander at Tinker Air Force Base)

"I’m coming to you with news on furloughs - news that does not come lightly or without great personal impact to our workforce. The Department of Defense has announced that they will furlough most non-deployed civilians for up to 11 days. The furlough period is scheduled to begin July 8, with one furlough day per week for most personnel. These furloughs will continue until the end of the current fiscal year.

I know we were hoping for better news, and I encourage you to reach out to your co-workers to be good Wingmen. We are continuing to work with the community, banks, businesses and institutions to minimize the financial burdens caused by the loss in pay. 

Most importantly, I can’t end this note without everyone knowing how proud I am of what we’re doing to meet the warfighter’s needs. Keep up the good work.

Keep ‘em flying...it’s what we do!"