KRGV.com

FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) A senior Fort Riley commander says steps are being taken to mitigate cuts in federal defense spending, ranging from changing training schedules to letting some contracted employees go early.

Brig. Gen. Donald MacWillie held a briefing Friday at 1st Infantry Division headquarters in northeast Kansas, where the cuts could result in furloughs for some 2,700 civilian employees. The furloughs could start in April and run through September, resulting in a 20 percent pay cut.

The general says Friday's discussion was his effort to inform the public and surrounding communities about the cuts and not part of a coordinated Army effort.

Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, is holding a news conference Friday, and President Barack Obama has visited bases recently to ask Congress to act and avoid the cuts.