Colorado S prings M ilitary Newspaper Group
Thursday, February 1, 2018
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Vol. 12 No. 5
14th AF CC visits Schriever
PHYSICAL THERAPIST AVAILABLE Did you know a physical therapist is now available at Schriever? See more on page 7.
Base Briefs Spouses are invited to events marked with
THIS WEEK Building 300 auditorium closure
The Building 300 auditorium will not available until March 16 due to equipment installation. To reserve other conference rooms, call multimedia customer service at 567-5090.
Legal Office changes operating hours
The 50th Space Wing Legal Office is closed daily from 11:45 a.m. — 12:45 p.m. If you have a deployment-related issue or need to contact a member of the staff, call 567-5050 for assistance.
Tricare beneficiaries
Tricare beneficiaries: if you had a referral/authorization for service prior to Jan. 1 that dropped off or Health Net (the new Tricare regional contractor) is not seeing, you can visit https://www. mytricare.com/internet/tric/tri/mtc_ wbene.nsf to retrieve your authorization. This website will expire June 30.
U.S. Air Force photos by Dennis Rogers
(Top) Maj. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, commander, 14th Air Force and Deputy Joint Force Space Component, walks and talks during a tour with Col. Jennifer Grant, 50th Space Wing commander, during his visit to Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, Jan. 24, 2018. Grant gave the general a 50th SW mission briefing as well as a tour of the installation’s units and facilities.
Marriage workshop for military couples
Invest in your relationship by attending a healthy marriage workshop and discover the essentials for creating a thriving marriage. The workshop will take place 8:30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Schriever event center. Lunch will be provided for all participants. To register, visit, myrelationshipcenter.org or call 720-488-8888. More Briefs page 4 Sign up for weekly Schriever announcements, news and more. Visit www.schriever.af.mil and click “Public Affairs” under featured links.
Public Affairs
Inside Celebrating 52 years of excellence... 3 Why I wear the uniform...................6 Competition strengthens bonds...... 10
(Left) Maj. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting, commander, 14th Air Force and Deputy Joint Force Space Component, talks with Col. Jennifer Grant, commander, 50th Space Wing, during an orientation visit to Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, Jan. 24, 2018. The general toured base facilities and spoke with Airmen to better familiarize himself with Schriever’s missions.
Furlough to impact Schriever 50th Space Wing Public Affairs SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — The current budget appropriations for the federal government is set to expire Feb. 8. Congress and the President must pass a budget or another short term continuing resolution to fund critical government operations after this date. A shutdown furlough has not been ordered, nor confirmed. Leadership remains optimistic a resolution will be attained and a shutdown averted. However, if that’s not the case leadership wants base members to be prepared. “I am thankful for the continuing resolution,” said Col. Jennifer Grant, commander, 50th Space Wing. “Most importantly, I appreciate your patience during this trying time.” Planning and preparing for continuing resolutions and furloughs can be tricky as
there are many unknowns depending on Congressional direction and guidance, and sometimes many opportunities for it to be averted altogether. If a shutdown occurs, the civilian personnel office will disseminate information to commanders outlining the various steps depending on status Feb. 9. Historically, all military members on active duty and National Guard or reservists in Title 10 status, will report for duty as usual. In addition, all civilian employees will report to duty as normal Feb. 9 to receive specific instructions to initiate an orderly shutdown. The shutdown will also likely impact training, temporary duties and other mission requirements scheduled to occur or continue during the shutdown period. Members should work with their supervisors to make decisions on these items with the available guidance. “These are challenging times. Please
know we will make every effort to provide information as it becomes available,” Grant said. “Don’t hesitate to reach out to your supervisor or leadership throughout this process.” The Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force pushed updates during the weekend through Facebook. “The information doesn’t flow as fast as we’d like, the processes aren’t as smooth as we’d like and there will probably be some confusion as we all work through who and what is expected and how to best carry out the guidance our elected officials handed down,” Chief Master Sgt. Kaleth O. Wright said in a Facebook post Jan. 21. To get the most updated status on the shutdown, employees can also visit the Office of Personal Management Website at https://www.opm.gov. See Furlough page 5