Future of Employment Cloudy at Wright Patterson Air Force Base

Many employees at Wright Patterson Air Force base are unsure of their job security as an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 jobs could be eliminated starting in January 2013. These cuts would be the product of budget sequestration, which is an issue that has received much attention in the Dayton area. Budget sequestration is an automatic budget cut issued by congress. The Sequestration Transparency Act, signed by President Obama in August, will enact an across-the-board $55 million cut in 2013, and will accumulate to an overall $500 billion spending reduction over the next decade. Though these cuts will lessen the nation’s overall spending, they will serve as a major blow to the Dayton area and to the 27,000 employed at WPAFB (the largest single site employer in Ohio). When and how the cuts will take place is still unclear. “The Defense industry is completely in ‘unknown territory’ going into the upcoming fiscal years,” said an anonymous WPAFB employee, “most fiscal years are planned and funded in advance, so whatever happens may not be felt immediately in any particular sector.  In other words, nobody really knows right now – probably not even the decision-makers in Washington DC. “ Many meetings and forums have been held in the area to discuss the matter, and many are looking to the upcoming elections for a solution to the issue but unless Congress or the White House decides to amend the cuts, the Dayton area will experience a bumpy and erratic 2013.