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Defense Cuts May Affect Air Force Museum

A general says automatic defense budget cuts will slow research and technology development and cancel some special night and weekend events at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Ohio.

Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger leads the Air Force Materiel Command from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. She tells the Dayton Daily News the cuts likely will delay aircraft replacement and modernization, halt most flight testing and create a backlog in maintenance operations.

The command employs roughly 80,000 people at nine bases. About three-quarters are civilians who may be forced to take 22 days of unpaid leave.

The command is planning for $1.4 billion in cuts, though the exact amount isn't clear. The reductions are part of $85 billion in government-wide spending cuts that took effect March 1.