During the last AF band draw down, good people were actually forced out. This had not happened in previous draw dawns. We saved a drummer by cross training him to a keyboard vacancy. If he had not been skilled on keys, he would have been forced out before reaching retirement. He was a hard worker and an exceptional team player, with little potential to promote to a higher grade where the focus is more on leadership traits. He has since retired.
The philosophy and policy in the Air Force has also shifted towards retaining only the best. Keep in mind best is subjective. They used to give a small amount of cumulative promotion points for Time in Service and Time in Grade (this places a small nominal value on seniority and experience). I believe both of these are gone. Also they have given more power to leaders to influence who gets promoted, meaning your performance and accomplishments carry less weight and office politics carry more. In conjunction with these changes, performance reports have become much less detailed.
On the face, many of these changes seem sensible. But I think they are likely to have a negative impact on the culture over time. In my experience, having only the "best" doesn't always work as effectively as you might think, especially if it degrades esprit de corps and team work.
