By KRWG News
Albuquerque, New Mexico – ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRWG) Kirtland Air Force Base is slated to lose 82 positions after the U.S. Air Force announced it would cut around 9,000 positions nationwide.
The cuts announced Wednesday means many of the Albuquerque base's open positions will not be filled. Tom Berardinelli, director of staff of the 377th Air Base Wing, says the rest of the cuts will come from "voluntary force management measures" in order to prevent layoffs.
Kirtland has been under a hiring freeze in recent months.
The announcement comes as the U.S. Air Force seeks to control costs and restructure its civilian force.
Officials say some Air Force management and overhead functions needed streamlining.
Under the restructuring, Air Force Materiel Command's nuclear support mission will continue to be led by the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. KRWG