National Guard Facing Furloughs And Other Cuts
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — Across the nation, thanks to Congressional gridlock, the National Guard is preparing for major cuts and furloughs due to the automatic budget cuts contained in the federal sequestration.
Guard members will be furloughed for one day a week starting Monday, so helicopter pilots and mechanics, pay and finance clerks and others who keep the guard operating will have eight hours less each week to do their jobs.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said the furloughs, which will affect nearly 1,000 guardsmen in his state, are his biggest concern for this summer's hurricane season.
It's not clear precisely what effects the unprecedented cuts will have. They could, however, make it more difficult for the guard to fly helicopters to help put out wildfires or rush to the scene of natural disasters in trucks.
The military's furloughs were only supposed to involve civilians, but large numbers of National Guard members who wear Army and Air Force uniforms full-time will experience them as well.
The National Guard added military technicians to the furlough list in May, after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel gave official notice to begin furloughs for civilians.
It's not immediately clear how many uniformed personnel will be affected nationwide.
Some units will be exempt, like the 169th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron responsible for tracking aircraft in the skies above Hawaii. The 199th Fighter Squadron, which protects Hawaii airspace with F-22s, will be somewhat shielded from the effects of the cuts because a large number of active duty airmen work alongside them.
But many others will have to squeeze 40 hours of work into 32 hours, and receive one-fifth less pay.
It could become difficult for mechanics to maintain helicopters and trucks at the same pace, meaning fewer aircraft and vehicles may be available when needed. Guardsmen who plan drills for the part-time soldiers and airmen who train on the weekend might have difficulty getting exercises ready.
Commanders are trying to help guardsmen cope.
They invited financial and stress management counselors to talk to two groups of soldiers and airmen on Oahu, where the majority of Hawaii's full-time guardsmen work and live. The guard is sending a DVD recording of one of the sessions to guardsmen and women on Kauai, Maui and Hawaii islands.
Maj. Gen. Darryll Wong, the adjutant general, advised more than a hundred gathered on Monday that the budget cuts could last into the new fiscal year starting Oct. 1, but it's not known whether furloughs will continue.
