Dozens of civilian jobs to be cut at Joint Base Eustis

The Army announced Thursday it will trim 8,700 civilian positions by next September, with reductions occurring at three commands, including one at Joint Base Eustis.

Col. Chris Kubik, a spokesman for the Army's Training and Doctrine Command at Joint Base Eustis, said a total of 86 positions would likely be trimmed at the Newport News campus. Managers hope to reach that target without resorting to layoffs, he said.

The command, known as TRADOC, moved in September to Joint Base Eustis from Fort Monroe, which the Army vacated as part of a round of base closures and realignments. About 1,900 civilian employees work at the command, which oversees the recruitment and training of soldiers, analyzes future threats and applies lessons learned to Army policy.

The cuts are being made to comply with decreased Pentagon funding, as reflected in the president's budget for fiscal year 2012.

"We feel like this is not the end of personnel cuts in the Army," Kubik said. "Everybody across the U.S. is feeling this, and the Army is sharing the burden."

The other two Army commands that will bear the brunt of the personnel reductions are Installation Management Command, based in San Antonio, Texas, and Army Material Command, headquartered in Alabama.

Kate Wiltrout, (757) 446-2629, kate.wiltrout@pilotonline.com