USAF TO KEEP PILOTS, OTHERS WAR THREAT RETAINS TROOPS ON ACTIVE DUTY.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE - Saying their skills are needed to fight terrorism and for other possible military action, the Air Force will retain airmen and officers in certain specialties, including test pilots, from leaving the service when their enlistments are up.

The ``stop-loss'' order, issued Friday and effective May 2, will keep personnel in 43 job specialties for officers and 56 for enlisted personnel on duty beyond the date their enlistments expire.

``We do not take this action lightly,'' Secretary of the Air Force James G. Roche said in a statement announcing the order. ``Stop-loss is designed to preserve critical skills essential to supporting the global war on terrorism, while ensuring we're prepared to meet other contingencies.''

Edwards Air Force Base officials said they were just informed of the ``stop-loss'' order - similar to others issued since the war in Kosovo in the 1990s - and believe that only 10 Edwards personnel will be affected. The order has no expiration date, however, so it could affect more in the future.

Throughout the Air Force, the order affects 21,000 personnel. Edwards job categories covered by the order include test pilots and test navigators, security forces, civil engineers, aerospace medicine specialists and flight surgeons.

Other job categories included in the order are bomber, fighter, transport, tanker, reconnaissance and helicopter pilots; combat rescue and pararescue personnel; and code specialists in Middle Eastern, Asian and Polynesian languages.

Many of Edwards' security force personnel have already been deployed to bases overseas since tensions increased with Iraq.

The stop-loss order is being implemented across active duty, the Air Force Ready Reserve and the Air National Guard for affected career fields in the ranks of airman through colonel, the Air Force said.

A waiver process will be available for those with unique circumstances.

``We are doing our best to minimize this disruption,'' Roche said. ``And we will look at unique circumstances on a case-by-case basis and do all we can to offer appropriate relief.''

Under federal law, the president can ``suspend any provision of law relating to promotions, retirements and separations during any period when members of any reserve component are on active duty under involuntary mobilization authorities.''

A stop-loss order was issued shortly after the Sept. 11. 2001, terrorist attacks, initially just for a few weeks, but it was later extended. Most of the career fields covered by that order were released in June.

That stop-loss order affected about 250 Edwards airmen.

Before the Sept. 11 attacks, stop-loss orders were last used during Operation Allied Force, the air war over Kosovo.