General Dynamics Reduces Workforce

General Dynamics in Woodbridge will lay off 112 employees on July 1 as a result of the U.S. Marine Corps' decision to not purchase 575 amphibious fighting vehicles from the company.

The Marine Corps has been seeking out a complete replacement for the amphibious fighting vehicle for two decades. At special ceremony at the Worth Avenue facility on Sept. 10, 2003, the Marines renamed the vehicle the Expedition Fighting Vehicle, that General Dynamics first prototyped for them in 2001.

But Congress in late 2010 started pressuring military leaders on defense costs, forcing some controversial budget cuts.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced in January that he was cancelling the Expedition Fighting Vehicle (EFV) program that included nearly $14 billion for new amphibious fighting vehicles, although it is unclear how much of that would have gone to General Dynamics. The Marines plan to contract with General Dynamics on a different, less expensive program.

Marie Remboulis, of General Dynamics in Michigan, said about one-third of the workforce at the Woodbridge plant will be laid off. The employees found out Tuesday and she said they have a 60-day term left. General Dynamics this year has already made about 1,200 layoffs at its other plants in the country but this is the first time at the Woodbridge plant.

"In the wake of the canceling of this program, we had to begin the process of reducing the size of our workforce in Virginia," Remboulis said. "Our priority is to efficiently complete the remaining (EFVs) and prepare for the new Marines program."

Remboulis said the employees at the Woodbridge facility are a proud group that partnered with the Marine Corps on this effort.

To say the least, the amphibious fighting vehicles are not cheap machines to operate or maintain but some military members argued that not improving them would hamper their ability to launch an amphibious assault far enough off shore to protect the fleet.  Gates said in January that the aggressive requirements of the EFVs led to significant technological problems, development delays and cost increases. His fears that the cost of the vehicles would absorb the Marine's entire vehicle budget and most of its total procurement budget for several years in the future were enough to kill the program.

"As with several other high end programs cancelled in recent years, the mounting cost of acquiring this specialized capability must be judged against other priorities and needs," Gates said in January. "Let me be clear.  This decision does not call into question the Marine’s amphibious assault mission.  We will budget the funds necessary to develop a more affordable and sustainable amphibious tractor to provide the Marines a ship-to-shore capability into the future."

Remboulis said she did not want to speculate if additional layoffs in Woodbridge would be announced later.