OSHKOSH, Wis., April 14 (UPI) -- Oshkosh Defense is shedding 760 employees beginning in June amid decreased government spending and the winding down of the war in Afghanistan.

The reduction in workforce is taking place at its Oshkosh operations, the company said, and will mainly affect temporary employees and the positions of retiring employees.


In June, 700 hourly positions will start to be eliminated, while about 60 salaried positions will begin the reduction process in July.

“We need to reshape our workforce with U.S. defense spending down as a result of tight government budgets and a return to peacetime operations,” said John Uris, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president of Oshkosh Defense.

“We have gone to great lengths to minimize and delay the impact of the reduced spending on our Defense workforce. We explored and implemented a range of alternatives from not filling open positions to bringing in outside contracted work as promised in earlier discussions with the UAW, which represents our production employees, as well as continuing to pursue relevant international opportunities.”

The company will reach out to state and county organizations and local employers to help those losing their positions.

“We stand very committed to our customer, as well as our employees, and will be diligent in our actions to be aligned with the current defense business environment,” Uris said. “We will continue to employ a strong workforce ready to fulfill all contractual requirements and new potential opportunities, such as the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program.”