ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A standing-room only crowd of several hundred community members was given a candid briefing Wednesday on how sequestration will impact Robins Air Force Base.

The event at Houston Lake Stadium Cinemas in Warner Robins included discussions about the overall Department of Defense fiscal picture, how the current budget uncertainty will impact military readiness, and the potential of civilian furloughs - to include the effect they'd have on the Middle Georgia economy.

The members were briefed by leaders from more than a dozen organizations on Robins, including Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, the Defense Logistics Agency, the 78th Air Base Wing, the 116th and 461st Air Control wings, the 689th Combat Communications Wing, and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center operating locations here. A base representative also spoke about small business and contracting matters.

Col. Kevin Clotfelter, 116th commander, said sequestration will, over time, cause "...some degraded operations and adverse impacts to its (his wing's) flying missions, maintenance and mission support." Col. Dean Worley, 461st commander, echoed Clotfelter's comments, explaining that if the full effects of sequestration come to pass, including a furlough of civilian employees, "Our ability to train will be degraded," adding, "This will directly impact our ability to send multiple forces downrange."

Nearly 15,000 civilian employees across the base are subject to furlough of up to 22 days between April and September, said Col. Mitch Butikofer, installation commander. This would have a nearly $150 million financial impact within a 50-mile radius of the base, he said.

Inside the gates, a furlough would cause a number of changes, from delays in awarding contracts as a result of reduced availability of small business and contract specialists to increased wait times for base access, the leaders said.

Brig. Gen. Cedric George, Complex commander, said if his largely civilian workforce is furloughed for 22 days, that's "860,000 hours' worth of production" that won't happen. The Complex is already wrestling with the fact that, because of sequestration, 28 fewer (149 instead of 177) aircraft may be sent here for service, he said.

"What this means is that about a million hours' worth of workload would not come to this depot," he said.

Despite what may lie ahead, Col. Mitchel Butikofer, installation commander, expressed gratitude to the community for its ongoing support to Robins.

"You have (our) commitment that we will be as up front and transparent with you as we possibly can as we go through this," he said.

"Our request from you," he said, "is you continue with the support that you've provided the last 70 years."