Pentagon laying off 46,000 employees
January 25, 2013 -- Updated 2242 GMT (0642 HKT)
Full time civilian
employees, which number in the hundreds of thousands, also will be
furloughed for one day a week for 22 weeks, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash
Carter said in an interview with wire service reporters.
His comments were confirmed by a Pentagon spokesman.
The moves are part of a
Defense Department effort to reduce spending given the potential for
billions in mandatory cuts beginning as early as this spring should
Congress fail to reach a deal on deficit reduction.
Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta ordered military services to begin implementing cost cutting
measures to mitigate the risk of the cuts to the military budget should
no congressional deal emerge.
Panetta said earlier this
month that he had asked services to begin "prudent" measures, which
included curtailing maintenance for non-critical activities and delaying
hiring.
The measures must be "reversible" and minimize harmful effects on military readiness, Panetta said.
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