Boeing gave layoff notices to employees that are part of its missile defense program on Thursday, March 17. The layoffs affected about 220 of its employees around the country, giving them 60 days notice to find other work.  About 130 of the jobs affected were in Huntsville, Alabama, and 90 were at other locations that Boeing has in the United States.  Boeing currently employs about 3,000 employees in Huntsville alone.

According to Jessica Carlton, a spokeswoman from Boeing, the company is a prime contractor for ground-based missile defense for the Missile Defense Agency, and has been since 2001.  “Part of Boeing’s responsibility as prime contractor for GMD includes managing our business to support (MDA’s) budget and priorities while anticipating future needs and requirements as the program evolves,” said Carlton.

Boeing is planning on doing whatever they can to help their employees that are uniquely skilled stay within the company, according to Carlton.  They may freeze job postings, look at other Boeing programs for opportunities to redeploy employees, as well as looking at employees that are near retirement, which would lessen the need to move around employees.  Boeing employed about 157,000 as of February of 2010.