Army to Cut 17,000 Civilian Employees

The Army on Thursday announced it will lay off 17,000 civilian employees.

The cuts will come alongside a reduction of 40,000 troops that will be complete by the end of fiscal 2018. They “will impact nearly every Army installation, both in the continental United States and overseas,” the service stated.

Army officials said the downsizing is the result of budget constraints. “There were very difficult decisions to make as all of our installations and their communities offer tremendous value to our Army and the nation,” said Lt. Gen. Joseph Anderson, Army deputy chief of staff, G-3/5/7.

If the budget caps under sequestration are not addressed before Sept. 30, when they are scheduled to kick back in, the Army would need to cut an additional 30,000 troops by the end of fiscal 2019.

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