( Flickr photo by Jimmy Emerson)
FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) — Furlough notices are being issued to some 2,400 civilian employees at Fort Riley as the military prepares to make budget adjustments for the remainder of the fiscal year. Army officials said Thursday that the furloughs will begin on or after July 14 and last through September 30, the end of the federal budget year. The furloughs were authorized May 14 by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel as a means to comply with automatic spending cuts that took effect March 1. Colonel William Clark, garrison commander of Fort Riley, says that soldiers and families should expect some delays in services on the northeast Kansas post, but matters relating to life, health and safety will not be affected. Fort Riley is home to nearly 18,000 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division.