Tinker Air Force Base remote employees returning to in-person work

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The directive came straight from President Donald Trump and now the Department of the Air Force has a plan to bring all employees back to work in person. 

Over the weekend, the Department of the Air Force sent out a memo instructing all commanders and directors to cancel all regular and recurring telework and remote work agreements. 

“And direct employees within 50 miles of their official worksite to begin reporting in-person to the office/worksite no later than 7 February 2025,” said the memo. 

This comes after President Trump signed an order demanding all federal employees return to in-person work. 

According to the memo, there could be some exemptions to this directive for reasons like not enough suitable office space or other “compelling needs.” Those exemptions will need federal approval. 

Tinker Air Force Base has more than 26,000 military and civilian employees, making it the largest single-site employer in Oklahoma. 

Melissa Mitchell, a manager at The Shoe Dept. nearby said she thinks this could be a good thing for nearby businesses. 

"I think around here it's sometimes very slow and I would love more people to come in and buy shoes,” said Mitchell. “I'd love to see more people around for all the businesses around here."

Tinker Air Force Base sent News 4 the following statement on Wednesday afternoon.

In compliance with the Presidential Executive Order as well as DoD and DAF guidance, civilian personnel with a currently assigned workspace will return to full-time in-person work no later than Feb. 6, 2025.  For those civilian personnel who do not currently have an assigned workspace due to previous full-time or remote regular/recurring telework agreements, leadership is working to fill 100% of the existing government workspaces on Tinker AFB on February 6th.

We recognize gate traffic will increase and intend to provide additional entry point security personnel to help with the flow of traffic. We will continue to prioritize the safety and security of the base and are taking steps to minimize impact on the local community. Installation leaders have been advised to encourage staggering shift start times to help mitigate any unsafe traffic conditions at the gates and base personnel have been told to anticipate more time to safely get through entry points.

Tinker AFB Air Base Wing Spokesperson