Furloughs scheduled to begin at Westover in early July Published May 15, 2013 By 439th AW Public Affairs WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. - -- Furloughs for up to 11 days for civilian employees here are scheduled to begin in early July, the Pentagon announced Tuesday, as part of a Department of Defense-wide budget-cutting due to the sequester. "After required notifications, we will begin the furlough period on July 8 at the rate of one furlough day per week for most personnel," Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said. "We plan to continue these furloughs through the end of the current fiscal year. I have made this decision very reluctantly, because I know that the furloughs will disrupt lives and impact DoD operations. I recognize the significant hardship this places on you and your families." There has been no date set yet for required furlough notification letters to be sent. On March 28, Secretary Hagel announced "delayed and reduced" furloughs for DoD civilian employees. "We've been preparing for this - and though the number is less than the 22 originally planned, 11 days is 11 days too many," said Col. Steven Vautrain, 439th Airlift Wing commander. "We are a strong and resilient wing, and we'll get through this as we continue to perform our mission to the best of our abilities." There are more than 700 civilian workers at the base, which includes about 450 dual-status Air Force air reserve technicians. Westover's Civilian Personnel Office will provide specific furlough implementation guidance as it becomes available.