HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -
If American forces shoot
it, eat it, communicate with it or ride in it, it gets dispatched through the Army's
Materiel Command at Redstone Arsenal. But even this lifeline is facing cuts.
"Readiness in the future
may be what's impacted. And that's what we're worried about because that means
that the next war fighter, the next contingency, we may not be as ready as we
need to be," said Sue Goodyear with AMC.
The AMC's 70,000 civilian
employees have been told they could face furloughs which would translate to a
20 percent cut in pay.
Administrators said the
army is prioritizing its most essential missions but they're worried about what
a long-term sequester would do.
"There are things
that will fall off down the line, the longer this lasts," Bill Marriott, human
resources director for the AMC, said.
"Is there a point
where we have to worry about shells not getting where you need them or trucks
breaking down? Yes, I think there is. I think we've already reached the point
right now. We're planning that, that may happen," Goodyear added.
Personnel leaders have
been treating this like a military crisis and working with their staffs, trying
to help them prepare for what's coming up and, as much as possible, mitigate
the coming damage.
"We'll offer
financial classes, advice. We don't want people to go out and buy a car. However,
people do have to make their bills," Marriott added.
AMC leaders said the havoc
of sequestration would likely strike well outside Redstone Arsenal's gates, impacting businesses as varied as dry cleaners
or restaurants as affected workers cut back on spending.
Copyright 2013. WAFF. All rights reserved.
The Army's Materiel Command on Redstone Arsenal is preparing for steep cutbacks in lieu of sequestration.
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