Gates: Pentagon to cut thousands of jobs
By Craig Whitlock
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 9, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that the Pentagon will cut thousands of jobs -- including nearly a third of its regular budget for contractors and an entire military command based in Norfolk -- as part of an ongoing effort to streamline its operations and stave off political pressure to slash defense spending in the years ahead.
Gates said he will recommend that President Obama dismantle the U.S. Joint Forces Command, which employs 2,800 military and civilian personnel as well as 3,000 contractors, most of them in southeastern Virginia. He also said he will terminate two other Pentagon agencies, impose a 10 percent cut in intelligence advisory contracts and slim down what he called a "top-heavy hierarchy" by eliminating at least 50 jobs reserved for generals and admirals.
"The culture of endless money that has taken hold must be replaced by a culture of savings and restraint," Gates told a news conference at the Pentagon. "I am determined to change the way this department has done business for a long time."
The announcement sparked immediate protests from Virginia's state lawmakers and its congressional delegation, who said they will fight to overturn Gates's plan, although it was unclear what recourse they might have. Defense officials said the Obama administration could make the cuts without congressional approval.
(More here.)
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 9, 2010
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that the Pentagon will cut thousands of jobs -- including nearly a third of its regular budget for contractors and an entire military command based in Norfolk -- as part of an ongoing effort to streamline its operations and stave off political pressure to slash defense spending in the years ahead.
Gates said he will recommend that President Obama dismantle the U.S. Joint Forces Command, which employs 2,800 military and civilian personnel as well as 3,000 contractors, most of them in southeastern Virginia. He also said he will terminate two other Pentagon agencies, impose a 10 percent cut in intelligence advisory contracts and slim down what he called a "top-heavy hierarchy" by eliminating at least 50 jobs reserved for generals and admirals.
"The culture of endless money that has taken hold must be replaced by a culture of savings and restraint," Gates told a news conference at the Pentagon. "I am determined to change the way this department has done business for a long time."
The announcement sparked immediate protests from Virginia's state lawmakers and its congressional delegation, who said they will fight to overturn Gates's plan, although it was unclear what recourse they might have. Defense officials said the Obama administration could make the cuts without congressional approval.
(More here.)
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