Robert Gates Plans to Slash Thousands of Defense Jobs, Trim Hierarchy
Tom Diemer
Correspondent
Posted:
08/10/10
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he is recommending the dismantling of a major military command center and the slimming down of a "top-heavy hierarchy" of generals and admirals in a move that could wipe out 6,100 jobs in Virginia alone.
Gates wants to do away with the U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., which employs about 2,800 military and civilian personnel as well as 3,300 contractors, the Washington Post reported. In addition, he plans a 10 percent reduction in contract employees over three years, which would exclude those in war zones.
Defense officials told the Post the cuts were a preemptive political strike in reaction to growing sentiment that the government must combat soaring budget deficits in part by making substantial trims in Pentagon spending. "It is important," Gates warned, "that we not repeat the mistakes of the past, where tough economic times or the winding down of a military campaign leads to steep and unwise reductions in defense."
Defense spending could rise to $549 billion next year, not counting the cost of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Gates previously announced plans to save $100 billion over the next five years by cutting overhead and shrinking the Pentagon bureaucracy. The Defense Business Board , an advisory group, has recommended that the Defense Department drop 100,000 civilian jobs and pull back to a workforce of 650,000, its size seven years ago.
The targeted Joint Forces Command in Norfolk was created in 1999 to coordinate training and military doctrine among branches of the Armed Services.
Gates wants to do away with the U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., which employs about 2,800 military and civilian personnel as well as 3,300 contractors, the Washington Post reported. In addition, he plans a 10 percent reduction in contract employees over three years, which would exclude those in war zones.
Defense officials told the Post the cuts were a preemptive political strike in reaction to growing sentiment that the government must combat soaring budget deficits in part by making substantial trims in Pentagon spending. "It is important," Gates warned, "that we not repeat the mistakes of the past, where tough economic times or the winding down of a military campaign leads to steep and unwise reductions in defense."
Defense spending could rise to $549 billion next year, not counting the cost of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Gates previously announced plans to save $100 billion over the next five years by cutting overhead and shrinking the Pentagon bureaucracy. The Defense Business Board , an advisory group, has recommended that the Defense Department drop 100,000 civilian jobs and pull back to a workforce of 650,000, its size seven years ago.
The targeted Joint Forces Command in Norfolk was created in 1999 to coordinate training and military doctrine among branches of the Armed Services.