DoD civilian workforce

After a decade of on-and-off pay and hiring freezes and clampdowns on headquarters staff, Congress may be moving in the opposite direction.

The Army is still drafting an implementation plan for the civilian employee side of its new, overarching “People Strategy.” But officials are previewing some of the ideas that may soon become Army-wide policy.

DoD’s civilian workforce would grow modestly under 2020 budget, and up to 15,000 health care positions would be converted to civilian jobs in coming years.

As part of a revived effort to manage contractors, civilians and military personnel as a “total force,” DoD intends to propose a new way to conduct public-private competitions.

Amid “battle for talent” in the military’s maintenance facilities, officials press for a relaxation of restrictions on hiring civilians

The Pentagon says its new approach to civilians is a “significant shift” that will eliminate “arbitrary caps” on how many it employs.

The Pentagon’s inspector general says the Army intentionally misrepresented how much money it would need to pay civilian salaries in order to dodge other headquarters cuts

Pentagon said exemptions to President Donald Trump’s 90-day hiring freeze were not necessarily a resolution for civilian Defense employees, as some agencies are still waiting for guidance on how to implement the provisions.

Commands and agencies throughout the Defense Department have identified the precise civilian jobs they intend to eliminate or restructure under a Pentagon initiative to cut back layers of administration.

Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced sweeping changes to DoD’s personnel system for both military officers and civilian employees, saying it needs more flexibility to control military promotions and to hire qualified civil servants.