Army installations in Kentucky and elsewhere began receiving furlough notices this week.
Under across-the-board spending cuts in the federal budget, civilian Defense Department employees must be furloughed 11 days between July and September. At Fort Campbell, that affects about 4,000 workers in support roles such as schools and the commissary.
Fort Campbell Public Affairs Director Bob Jenkins says the post is keeping disruptions to a minimal.
“In my office for instance, Fridays and Mondays are going to be furlough days,” he says. “The rest of the days people will work. And we have a partial staff on Friday and a partial staff on Monday. So we won’t close the office down, but there will be a reduced number of people working, and that’s what a lot of folks are doing.”
In addition to 30,000 soldiers, Fort Campbell serves a population of 150,000 that depends on the installation's services and programs. Meanwhile, Fort Knox will hold a meeting with employees on Monday to discuss the effect of furloughs there.