Air Force: Charleston air base to lose 19 slots

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The Air Force is cutting 19 positions at Joint Base Charleston as it reduces its major headquarters by about 3,400 jobs in a bid to save $1.6 billion.

The State of Columbia reported Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1oYlGZC ) that the exact positions weren’t identified but the cuts will occur over the next five years.

Joint Base Charleston houses the 628th Air Base Wing, which is the primary C-17 transport unit along the East Coast. It also includes a number of other units and Navy personnel.

Mary Graham of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce told the paper the cuts could have been worse.

Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia is supposed to lose 742 positions while the headquarters of the Air Force in the Pentagon is cutting 734 slots.

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Information from: The State, http://www.thestate.com