Town hall set for Monday

By lori.egan@thebayonet.comFebruary 21, 2013

Town hall
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BENNING, Ga. (Feb. 20, 2013) -- Fort Benning officials will host a town hall meeting at 1:30 p.m. for TRADOC civilian employees Feb. 25 in McGinnis-Wickam Hall's Marshall Auditorium.

The purpose is to share the information Fort Benning has regarding the potential sequestration and to stop rumors, said Gary A. Jones, Maneuver Center of Excellence Public Affairs officer.

There are a lot of "what-if" scenarios floating around, Jones said. The Maneuver Center's work force needs to know, regardless of the fiscal uncertainty, the mission remains -- to provide trained, agile, adaptive and ready Soldiers and leaders for an Army at war.

"We are in a challenging fiscal environment," Jones said. "Tough choices are being made in a deliberate and thoughtful manner to best support our future Army and our Fort Benning mission.

"We are working with other installations and agencies to find ways to increase efficiencies while reducing mission costs.

"Leaders are reviewing programs and functions for workload restructuring, there is a hiring freeze and excess temporary civilian employees will be released this month," Jones said. "This isn't new information. But as we approach the March 1 deadline, the rumors become a morale issue. The chain of command will keep our Soldiers, civilians and Families informed at every step of the way during this period of budget uncertainty.

"As we work this process, please check the Fort Benning website, www.benning.army.mil, for official word before listening to any rumors."