Hundreds of Guard Employees Forced To Take Time Off

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - U.S. Department of Defense sequestration budget cuts will force hundreds of Minnesota National Guard technicians to take unpaid time off.

Guard spokesman Jon Lovald says about 1,100 technicians are being notified Wednesday that they must take one unpaid day off each week for 11 weeks. The furloughs are to begin July 15 and stretch through September. The technicians support more than 10,000 soldiers in the Minnesota Army National Guard and the Minnesota Air National Guard.

Lovald says that while the Minnesota National Guard must follow the Department of Defense's furlough policy, the soldiers and airmen remain ready for a state or federal emergency.