SAVING MONEY | On the chopping block

Some of the ways the Air Force is cutting costs:
Base workers no longer need to have base-issued decals on their vehicles; the requirement is being dropped, a move that will save up to 14,000 per base annually. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Air Force began checking the IDs of all occupants of vehicles entering bases and decided that the stickers were unnecessary.
At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, civilian overtime at the base wing will be cut by 20 percent. The number of telephone lines will be reduced. No new outdoor recreation equipment will be purchased. The number of ceremonies and special events photographed by base photographers has been reduced for a savings of 220,000 a year. Magazine subscriptions at the base library have been cut in half for savings of 7,000. No new books will be purchased.
At Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Ga., aircraft mechanics had to routinely replace equipment that controls the wing flaps of C-5 cargo planes because it would be damaged during efforts to remove the bearings. Workers devised a machining process that surgically removes the bearings without damaging the equipment for a savings of more than 1 million so far.
Source: U.S. Air Force