Army offering 33 buyouts for civilian employees

The Army Materiel Command will offer $25,000 buyouts to more than 30 civilian employees at its headquarters, after a memorandum from Army Secretary John McHugh requested cuts for 1,223 positions, a spokesman said Friday.

The move is part of the Army's plan, announced in early August, to cut more than 8,700 civilian positions by September 2012.

The Army Materiel Command and three other units had to absorb 80 percent of the cuts. AMC also will be accepting early retirement applications and using reassignments and hiring freezes to meet the required personnel cuts.

"To the maximum extent practicable, AMC will rely on voluntary departures to achieve the personnel reductions," Boyd Collins, AMC spokesman said.

The command expects to go further than required by eliminating 1,660 positions. "The cuts will be balanced equitably, with the end goal of mission accomplishment always in mind," Collins said. "Decisions will be made on capability assessments, not as a 'salami slice' that arbitrarily cuts from each subordinate command." Federal Times first reported the buyouts on Wednesday.

AMC is not alone in offering buyouts. Many federal agencies have offered them already, or are considering the option.