Lockheed Martin To Lay Off More Than 150 (Virginia)

Cutbacks in defense war and space program spending were the reason for this layoff notice. Here is the Virginian-Pilot with the details:

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has notified the state that it plans to lay off more than 150 workers in Hampton Roads next month.

About 92 of the layoffs, affecting workers in Norfolk and Suffolk, are related to the closing of U.S. Joint Forces Command, or JFCOM, according to Lockheed. They are scheduled to take effect April 6.

Sixty-five layoffs are planned because of the loss of a contract at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton. They will take effect April 30.

"As a result of the disestablishment of the U.S. Joint Forces Command, as announced by the Department of Defense in 2010, Lockheed Martin's current contract work is nearing its end date," John O'Sullivan, a Lockheed spokesman, wrote in an email. "Our primary goal is to retain our employees and assist in finding them work on other contracts."

Notices of Lockheed's pending layoffs are posted on a state website in compliance with federal law.

Welcome back, my friends, to the brave new world of austerity...


Bonus: ...and the show that never ends