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The Defense Department will be losing hundreds — if not thousands — of experienced, talented and security-cleared employees over the course of the next 16 months, if yesterday’s BRAC job fair was any indication.

About 500 enlisted employees, DoD civilians and contract workers showed up at the Crystal Gateway Marriott to find alternatives to moving to out-of-state bases or commuting to traffic-clogged exurbs. The moves are mandated by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closing Act, which will result in the closing of dozens of government offices and the loss of about 17,000 jobs in Arlington by next September.

The job fair attendees shared two common traits: they all like their current job and they all want to stay here.

“I might move with it because I like my job, but my family and my support system are here,” said one Army employee whose job is moving to Texas. “If I can find something and stay here, that’s what i’m going to do.”

“We have so many meetings at the Pentagon… I don’t understand why we’re moving to San Antonio,” she continued. “To me that does not make a lot of sense.”

Several other attendees said they would not move under any circumstances.

“I wouldn’t dream of going outside this area to seek employment,” said a military human resources employee whose job is moving to Fort Knox, Ky. She said 90 percent of her office was planning to stay in D.C. instead of moving to an area where “there’s nothing around but the base.”

“Not a chance,” responded one man — a manager in an office that deals with missile defense systems — when asked if he would consider moving with his job to Huntsville, Ala. (which is having a hard time accommodating new BRAC workers). He said he has lived in the area for 24 years and will learn new job skills if necessary.

The man added that his office will be losing at least 75 percent of its staff to the move.

“It’s detrimental to the department,” he said. “I’ve built a good team over the years, and it’s going to a situation where people don’t have nearly the experience we have.”

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