Gates details high-level Defense job cuts

[The Straight Story]

Gates details high-level Defense job cuts

The Defense Department will cut hundreds of officer positions, top civilian executives and contractor jobs by the end of fiscal 2011, according to the Pentagon's chief.

In a just-released March 14 memo, Defense Secretary Robert Gates followed through on an earlier promise and directed Pentagon officials to eliminate the positions of 102 general and flag officers, along with those of 176 civilian senior executives and 33 highly qualified experts. An additional 23 officer jobs will be downgraded.

The guidance also reduces contractor support departmentwide, including 1,000 positions in the Missile Defense Agency during the next two years. Officials estimate a $225 million savings in fiscal 2012 as a result. The TRICARE Management Activity will lose 364 contractor jobs, while the undersecretary for Defense policy will drop 110 positions. The cuts will save $36.4 million and $21.6 million in fiscal 2012, respectively.


http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=47367&dcn=todaysnews

[Lasher]

1. I've seen a lot in the news in the past couple of years about defense cuts.

But overall defense spending keeps going up. I wonder why that is.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=130702#131084