The anonymous complaint contended it would take more than 100 manpower hours to prepare for Col. Wolfenbarger’s visit to the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
“We are wasting hundreds of manpower hours on a non-required/non-value-added trip at the same time we are trying to mitigate the loss of 13 percent of civilian employment hours as a result of pending furloughs” because of sequestration, the complaint said.
The visit was not required by Air Force directive or policy, the complaint added. “It violates the Air Force’s and General Wolfenbarger’s own policy limiting (temporary duty travel) to ‘mission critical’ requirements. It is a waste of local funds and a waste/abuse of precious manpower hours,” the complaint said.
Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Laurel P. Tingley said in an email “the allegations … are being looked into, but until we know more, we won’t know what the next steps would be.”
Tingley said a high-ranking Air Force leader’s spouse plays a “key role” in base visits.
“When a general officer goes to a base, the itinerary is full from start to finish,” she said. “The spouses go along to focus on some of the airmen and family readiness issues.”
Tingley and Fry said the colonel’s travel did not require additional Air Force expense. The Wolfenbargers flew aboard an Air Force C-21 jet aircraft that included a general’s aide and AFMC Command Chief Master Sgt. Michael Warner, according to Fry. The retired colonel was not eligible for travel cost reimbursement, the spokesman said.
Col. Wolfenbarger’s trip was “properly vetted” through legal channels prior to his departure, according to Fry.
“Colonel Wolfenbarger’s awareness of the issues that affect our military families is vital to his role as a 4-star spouse, allowing him to provide advice, guidance and assistance to AFMC leadership,” Fry wrote in an email.
Former AFMC commanders, and other Air Force generals, have been accompanied by spouses on visits to military bases, Fry said. Gen. Wolfenbarger is the first four-star female general in the Air Force. Col. Wolfenbarger has traveled with the general on four trips to Air Force installations or events since she took over the command last June.
“She’s absolutely permitted to take a spouse along under certain rules and those were all followed,” Fry said.
About the Author