Connolly: Contractor cuts in NoVa to be much smaller than previously feared

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) said today that Defense Secretary Robert Gates's proposed cuts to contractor spending will be less dramatic than previously feared, likely amounting to $400 to $430 million a year.

Gates in August announced plans to trim spending on contractors providing support by 10 percent annually for the next three years.

He generated outcries from local officials and industry groups, who worried that the cuts would particularly impact the D.C. region, known as a hub for service contracting. Area companies such as Booz Allen Hamilton, CACI, Science Applications International Corp. and ManTech International are among the largest providing a range of services -- including administrative and information technology help -- to the military.

But without specific information from the Defense Department, these groups were unable to pinpoint how painful the cuts might be.

In a statement, Connolly said he, along with other Northern Virginia members of Congress, learned during a meeting with Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn that the reductions will target the more narrow "service support" field, rather than the entire service contracting budget.

Service support refers to the contractor staff provided in Defense Department offices, who typically write memos and prepare briefings, but would not apply to IT systems contracts and weapon systems support, according to Connolly.