are we now the civil patrol?

[husker]

In my unit we're most concerned about FCU and new member packets - if it only goes to November 18 it's not a big deal but if history repeats itself it could be way longer than that.

Our wing is also counting on training funds to ramp up for the next eval in February.  Not looking forward to trying to drum up
interest with no money over Christmas, so "fingers crossed".

Hence why I asked about unfunded C training on the ground side... I've actually got a strong run at a ground team going and I don't want to lose that because Congress can't stop squabbling.

At least as of today, the all-stop says everybody.  That doesn't stop a unit from going to play in the woods, but they can't get mission credit, at least for now.

I believe a clarification/update on ground only B/C missions is coming soon.

[Ed Bos]

I believe a clarification/update on ground only B/C missions is coming soon.

That's weird, it's almost like GSAR is an after-thought... again...

Was this halt going to interfere with WESS?

[lordmonar]

Happens every year in some form or another.

Oh, it isn't that unusual for some form of slow down to happen in September, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, as agencies try to figure out exactly how much they have left so that they don't overspend.  But this seems a bit more extreme than a normal occurrence.  Cutting out sending materials to new members?  What are we talking about here, maybe a few thousand dollars if that?  Worrying about maintenance costs associated with C missions?

The difference is in the past.....during a CR....the USAF went ahead and funded us on a quartlery basis.  This year they can't....so here we are at the end of October and they still have not released December's money.....know one know if there is going to be any.

The difference this year is how the DoD is responding to the lack of a DAA.  There is a whole slew of things the CoS of the AF said he would have to cut if we don't get a DAA soon.

We are just one of the many pawns in the big DoD politics game.  None of this has to do with poor planning on CAP or even CAP-USAF's part.

[RiverAux]

A corporation this size should have a good chunk of change put away for instances just like this.

Well, as someone that has worked for an agency partially dependent on federal grants I can tell you that you don't go spending money on the assumption that you're going to get it in the future, except perhaps on a VERY limited basis. And just where is CAP going to get this money for a rainy day fund that would need to have millions of dollars in it?  Not from the federal grants -- that is going to have to be spent.  So, we're talking about either members dues or grants from other organizations.  There just isn't a lot of room to play in those areas. 

[Persona non grata]

We are now just the CIVIL......I guess if a person goes missing in our area we will just go rent a plane (pay for it) and fly the local mission as good citizens.

[JeffDG]

Happens every year in some form or another.

Oh, it isn't that unusual for some form of slow down to happen in September, which is the end of the federal fiscal year, as agencies try to figure out exactly how much they have left so that they don't overspend.  But this seems a bit more extreme than a normal occurrence.  Cutting out sending materials to new members?  What are we talking about here, maybe a few thousand dollars if that?  Worrying about maintenance costs associated with C missions?

The reason for the "gutting" is because of a lack of prior planning on the corporations leadership fault.

A corporation this size should have a good chunk of change put away for instances just like this.

And how exactly do we do that, when appropriated funds that are not spent at the end of the FY (4 weeks ago) had to be returned to the US Treasury...kinda makes it difficult to build such a reserve.

[lordmonar]

We are now just the CIVIL......I guess if a person goes missing in our area we will just go rent a plane (pay for it) and fly the local mission as good citizens.

Not reading the message are you?

Only training and non essential missions are canceled.

Get a call from the local police...they can still call the NOC and the USAF can still issue a AFAM for it.

Don't blow this out of porpotion.

[jimmydeanno]

I always enjoy cross thread discussions:

Biggest challenge facing CAP right now, and it has nothing to do with governance (or maybe it does):

Diversifying funding streams, so that we don't have to rely on appropriated funds so drastically.  We've had an unqualified audit for three years now, and it was sold under the premise that it would bring more cash into the organization.  Three years have passed and we're still chasing the government teat.  We're laying off employees, suspending flying, postponing programs, etc because we've done nothing to increase external funding sources.

Where are the grant writers?  Where are the outside investors?  Where are the fundraising programs?  From the outside it appears that CAP's leadership is more than comfortable operating under the status quo of begging Congress for it's money each year.  Right now our primary income streams are federally appropriated funds and membership dues. 

I belong to another organization that charges me $10/year to be a member.  For their expenses, they raise money externally.  A luncheon, for example, gets sponsors to the tune of about $20k every other month (table advertisements).  At the annual banquet they give away hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship monies.  It's just a local chapter.  I can raise money locally for my unit, and do.  But the fact that we're relying on our membership dues for our "corporate expenses" is just plain irresponsible.

[FW]

^Don't get me started....  It's bothers me too :angel:

I'm still getting complaints about almost doubling the amount in our "piggy bank".  No one cares about finding the (still) millions of dollars available to create a sizable endowment for CAP.

Hopefully, in three weeks, everything will be OK.  Maybe, though, the BoG will understand the need to find alternative funding streams and, for the CAP Foundation to ramp up its campaign to build its contributor base.

This, IMO, is a leadership (and governance) issue.

[FlyerJosh]

Here's the scoop I have received from a National Board Member who happened to be the best man at my wedding...

All flying except for AF Assigned A1 and B1 missions is immediately and indefinitely suspended. This includes self-funded flying since that flying is highly subsidized.

When aircraft reach 100 hour inspections, the aircraft will be grounded pending funding. 100 hr/annual inspections are considered major maintenance and are funded through a different pot of money that comes through AF appropriated funds.

Currently, corporate missions for ground training on any B or C mission number is not authorized, per the letter from the Executive Director (See Below). I was told that a way around this is for local wings to issue local mission numbers (ex: 11-VA-1104). It is unlikely that you will receive funding, however you can continue to conduct ground training towards SQTRs.

Here's the letter:



Subject: NEC Sets Priorities for Use of Federal Funds Under Currently Limited Federal Budget
Importance: High

Sent on behalf of Mr. Don Rowland



Members of the National Board,

During a telephone meeting on 26 October, the NEC set priorities for use of limited Federal funds during the current continuing budget resolution.  Their prioritization decision will allow CAP to continue to support critical Air Force assigned search and rescue, disaster relief and air defense intercept missions.  These actions were taken as a result of the reduced funding authorization CAP, the Air Force and other Department of Defense (DoD) agencies are currently experiencing while operating under limited budget authority.  This will more than likely continue until Congress and the President approve the final FY12 DoD Appropriations Bill.  CAP leaders are unsure if Congress will pass the DoD budget by the 18 November Continuing Resolution (CR) deadline or if they will extend the CR like they did several times last year.  The major difference this year is that DoD (because of the Federal government budget uncertainty) is funding CAP on a monthly basis instead of quarterly and that has significantly reduced CAP's budget authority.  In order to ensure limited Federal funding is available for "real world" Air Force directed missions, the following events/items will be paused until DoD is able to significantly increase CAP's FY12 budget authority.

Events/Items Paused
·         All Air Force training and evaluation missions both air and ground

·         All cadet orientation flights

·         All Counterdrug missions

·         All aircraft maintenance movement "A9" flights

·         All aircraft major maintenance.  In most cases the aircraft will be grounded if major maintenance is required.  Minor maintenance will continue.  Any minor maintenance that exceeds $500 must be approved in advance by NHQ/LG.

·         All "B" and "C" missions except 1st AF directed "real world" "B" missions (Note: Federal funds are used to offset major maintenance expenses on Corporate missions so "C" missions have to be curtailed as well.)

·         Sending uniforms to new cadets

·         Sending materials to new members

·         All Federally funded travel (example: IG team travel)

·         No overtime or funded travel for CAP employees including Wing Administrators

·         All vehicle maintenance will be postponed, with the exception of emergency repairs, until funds are restored.  Any emergency maintenance that exceeds $250 must be approved in advance by NHQ/LG.


We understand the inconvenience and concern this will cause some of our members, but it is prudent that CAP take these actions in order to ensure that we are able to support all "real world" Air Force directed missions.  Thank you for your understanding and support.  If you have any questions, please contact John Salvador at (334) 953-7748 ext. 235, cell (334) 538-2697, or email jsalvador@capnhq.gov.

Very Respectfully,

Don Rowland

[Spaceman3750]

It's bugging me a bit that ILWG has yet to send out any information on this through official channels to the general membership. I know I'm just a lowly squadron staffer but it would be nice to hear things from my chain of command and not CAPTalk.

[PWK-GT]

It's bugging me a bit that ILWG has yet to send out any information on this through official channels to the general membership. I know I'm just a lowly squadron staffer but it would be nice to hear things from my chain of command and not CAPTalk.

My Group CC told me that there were a number of calls today to the Group echelons, and that this was supposed to work in the 'trickle-down' manner. Having been made aware, I was then cleared to notify my people.

But, I too was first tipped off about this here...and apparently a number of others in ILWG were already making noise upstairs when I contacted the Group CC.

[FlyerJosh]

It's bugging me a bit that ILWG has yet to send out any information on this through official channels to the general membership. I know I'm just a lowly squadron staffer but it would be nice to hear things from my chain of command and not CAPTalk.

Agreed. I heard the news through three other wings.

I have yet to hear anything about this from any member of ILWG or any sort of email. Seems important enough to do a wing wide email, IMHO.

[Eclipse]

It's bugging me a bit that ILWG has yet to send out any information on this through official channels to the general membership. I know I'm just a lowly squadron staffer but it would be nice to hear things from my chain of command and not CAPTalk.

Agreed. I heard the news through three other wings.

I have yet to hear anything about this from any member of ILWG or any sort of email. Seems important enough to do a wing wide email, IMHO.

You'll should see something tomorrow.  Commanders were notified through their chains this afternoon, but the ramifications of this are still being worked out, and there's not much to say right now beyond what is posted in WMIRS.

[CAP4117]

Thanks Eclipse, that's good to know. Has something like this ever happened before? 

[NCRblues]

Thanks Eclipse, that's good to know. Has something like this ever happened before?

Im not eclipse, but ill answer anyway.

No, not to this scale.

[Eclipse]

Thanks Eclipse, that's good to know. Has something like this ever happened before?

(For the record I was only referring to my wing regarding what should be coming out today.)

We have similar funding issues every year around this time, and it's been worse the last 3-4, but they are generally administrative in nature,
and wings were allowed to spend money "in anticipation of funds" as long as they had money in their respective banks, so the only people
who were really aware of it were the ones at Wing and Region who had to turn over piggy banks to keep things going. 

The difference this time is the "all-stop" on C-symbol stuff that would be not be USAF or corporate funded.

[CAP4117]

How much AF funding goes into the cadet program? Will things like winter encampments and NCSAs be affected? 

[Eclipse]

How much AF funding goes into the cadet program? Will things like winter encampments and NCSAs be affected?

Very little beyond the FCU, the activities themselves are not likely to be impacted, however if reservists and SD's aren't available,
you may not be able to run encampments, and most encampments have flight components as major parts of the activity, so there
would be issues there.

[RiverAux]

Since NHQ has posted a news release on this issue on the web site: http://www.capvolunteernow.com/todays_features.cfm/cap_continuing_air_forceassigned_missions_despite_federal_budget_uncertainty?show=news&newsID=11957 this situation is something that they wish publicized, perhaps to generate some public support to push Congress to do something. 

Have any PAOs at the wing or squadron level been putting out press releases on this issue based on the NHQ release?