Army announces civilian reductions

By Army Public AffairsAugust 4, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 4, 2011) " The Army announced today it will reduce the size of its civilian-employee workforce by more than 8,700 people by Sept. 30, 2012.

These cuts are based on Department of Defense resource decisions as reflected in the Fiscal Year 2012 president’s budget, officials said, adding it requires a reduction of Army civilian employees to comply with decreased funding levels.

The Army has identified more than 30 different commands or agencies affected by these reductions, with nearly 80 percent of the cuts taking place within Installation Management Command, Army Materiel Command, Training and Doctrine Command, and headquarters, Department of the Army.

“We are in a very challenging fiscal environment and understand the impact these cuts will have on our civilians and their families,” said Thomas R. Lamont, assistant secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. “Tough choices have to be made, but we’ll make them in a thoughtful and deliberate manner that best supports the Army’s mission.”

Affected commands and agencies will have 30 days to develop plans to accomplish their civilian-workforce reductions, identify organizational and personnel actions to be taken, and develop a timeline for each of the actions and expected reductions.

Commanders will be responsible for shaping their workforce within their allocated budget and may use available options to achieve reduction objectives while mitigating adverse impact on the workforce, officials said. They added that Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, known as VERA, and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment, or VSIP, may be used to reduce the number of personnel to meet mission objectives.

For more information on Army civilian workforce reductions, personnel can contact their local Civilian Personnel Advisory Center or visit the Office of Personnel Management website at

http://www.opm.gov/Reduction_In_Force/employee_resources/index.asp