Wright-Patterson is the largest employer at a single site in the state of Ohio, with some 38,000 civilian and military employees.
In all, federal defense work supports about 103,200 total Dayton-area jobs, generating $8.3 billion in earnings and offering a $11.6 billion regional economic impact, according to the Dayton Development Coalition.
Department of Government Efficiency staffers were at the Pentagon Tuesday receiving lists of the military’s probationary employees, U.S. officials told the Associated Press.
According to the AP, military services each had until end of business Tuesday to identify their probationary employees.
The Dayton Daily News has sent questions about the situation to a DOD media representative.
“We’re still awaiting guidance from the OSD (Office of the Secretary of Defense),” Air Force Capt. Kaylee Schanda told a reporter from this outlet.
In a memo reported by the Washington Post and other outlets, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered a budget plan that would reduce defense spending by 8%. What that would mean for the Air Force and Wright-Patterson is unclear.
Some outlets are reporting that lists of workers to be laid off are in the process of being compiled.
Over the past three years, the Defense Department’s budget has increased from $700 billion to $850 billion, the Pentagon noted in November.
Late Thursday, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it had dismissed more than 1,000 employees, amid reports that the administration of President Donald Trump was dismissing thousands of probationary employees across the federal government.
A spokeswoman at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center said she had no information to offer Wednesday.
U.S. Rep. Mike Turner’s staff is in touch with both Wright-Patterson and Defense Department leadership, a spokesman for Turner said Wednesday afternoon. The office has not received confirmation that any Wright-Patt probationary employees have been let go, he added.
Similarly, a statement from the coalition said the organization was in contact with Air Force leaders.
“In keeping with President Trump’s executive order which gives agency heads the authority to exempt positions necessary to meet national security responsibilities, we request that exemptions for critical personnel at Wright-Patterson be granted,” Jeff Hoagland, the coalition’s president and chief executive, said in the statement.
“We will work to connect affected personnel to private employers in their field throughout the region and across the state so these highly skilled professionals can find new opportunities in Ohio,” Hoagland added. “The Dayton region and Ohio have a strong job market for skilled professionals. Our state strives to be a welcoming location for veterans and military families.”
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