Civilians working at Vandenberg Air Force Base received some good news earlier this month when U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced furlough days would be eliminated as of Aug. 11.
The furlough, which began in July, was originally expected to last for 11 weeks.
“The Sequestration induced fiscal year 2013 budget has created a very trying time for all of us, but more so for our dedicated civilian workforce,” 30th Space Wing Vice Commander Col. Brent McArthur said in a press release.
According to base officials, units throughout the base were asked to describe how the furloughs have affected their missions.
“What the units reported back to us varied from employees expressing frustration and attempting to cope with a drop in efficiency, [and] contracts worth millions of dollars being descoped, to reduced range launch availability,” 30th Space Wing Executive Director Ron Cortopassi said in the press release.
However, the Department of Defense still faces major fiscal challenges. According to Hagel, if Congress fails to change the Budget Control Act, the department will be forced to cut an additional $52 billion starting on Oct. 1.
This article appears in Aug 15-22, 2013.