37 overseas commissaries will stay open during furloughs

More than half of overseas commissaries won’t have to close for furlough days, according to Defense Commissary Agency officials.

Defense Department-mandated furloughs are scheduled to start the week of July 8. But because there are enough local national employees at 37 stores in Europe and the Pacific, those 37 stores will stay open on their regular operating schedules, officials said. DeCA operates 66 commissaries overseas. Local national employees are exempt from the Defense Department furloughs because of international agreements.

Defense officials require furloughs for most other DoD employees because of budget cuts forced by sequestration, between July 8 and Sept. 30. DeCA officials decided it will be necessary to shutter commissaries one day a week to accommodate the furloughs, and they chose Mondays. If stores are normally closed on Mondays, then they will be closed on the next normal operating day.

Commissaries that will remain open on furlough days:

■United Kingdom: Royal Air Force Base Menwith Hill

■Germany: U.S. Army Garrison Bamberg, U.S. Army Garrison Garmisch, Patch Barracks, Sembach Air Base, Spangdahlem Air Base, U.S. Army Garrison Vilseck and Vogelweh Air Base

■Belgium: Chievres Air Base

■Italy: Aviano Air Base, U.S. Army Garrison Livorno, Naval Support Activity Naples, Naval Air Station Sigonella and U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza

■Portugal: Lajes Field, the Azores

■Spain: Naval Station Rota

■Turkey: Ankara Air Base, Incirlik Air Base and Izmir Air Base

■Egypt: Cairo

■Saudi Arabia: Riyadh

■South Korea: K-16 Air Base, U.S. Army Garrison Camp Stanley, U.S. Army Garrison Camp Carroll, Hannam Village Housing Area, Kunsan Air Base, U.S. Army Garrison Camp Humphreys, U.S. Army Garrison Daegu, Naval Base Chinhae and Osan Air Base

■Japan: Camp Foster Marine Corps Base, Okinawa; Camp Courtney Marine Corps Base, Okinawa; U.S. Army Garrison Camp Zama; Kadena Air Base, Okinawa; Misawa Air Base; Sagamihara Housing Area and Yokota Air Base.