John Pendleton, Government Accountability Office

The Pentagon says it's time to trim down the size and the cost of its headquarters staff around the world. The Government Accountability Office says the size of the...

The Pentagon says it’s time to trim down the size and the cost of its headquarters staff around the world. The Government Accountability Office says the size of the overall workforce at the Pentagon’s combatant commands doubled over the past decade. Overall spending to support the command headquarters grew by almost $1 billion, too. John Pendleton is director of defense capabilities and management of the GAO. He explained DoD’s reduction plan and recommended ways to shrink the workforce on In Depth with Francis Rose.

Copyright © 2025 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Graphic By: Derace Lauderdale/FNN

    Trump revives executive order aiming to strip some federal employees of civil service protections

    Read more
    Getty Images/Anna MoneymakerDonald Trump signs an executive order

    Trump reverses Biden-era order allowing transgender people to serve

    Read more