Defense Force Management:
Challenges Facing DOD as It Continues to Downsize Its Civilian Work Force
NSIAD-93-123: Published: Feb 12, 1993. Publicly Released: Mar 16, 1993.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
GAO provided information on the Department of Defense's (DOD) reduction of its civilian workforce.
GAO found that: (1) DOD had reduced its civilian workforce by 127,000 positions, which represented half of its targeted reductions; (2) sizeable reductions were still required to meet workforce goals, and most reductions would come from the Army and Navy civilian workforces; (3) DOD lacks clear guidelines and a defined ratio for civilian-to-military workforce reductions; (4) the military personnel system is attempting to maintain a balance between accessions and losses to control workforce composition and avoid skill imbalances, promotion and career stagnation, and losing a high percentage of senior personnel; (5) unlike the civilian personnel system, the military can define periods of obligatory service, control service continuation, predetermine the length of service without promotion, establish special retirement boards to select certain numbers of personnel for retirement, and operate outside of under Office of Management and Budget reduction-in-force requirements; (6) because the civilian personnel system is decentralized and relies on restricted hiring and attrition to meet reduction goals, personnel stagnation and skill imbalances have occurred and there is an increased need for involuntary separations; (7) new legislation will provide incentives and transition assistance for DOD civilian personnel to facilitate reductions; and (8) DOD needs a clear strategy for reducing the civilian workforce to avoid the adverse effects of downsizing and minimize skill imbalances.
Feb 26, 2021
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Defense Transportation:
DOD Can Better Leverage Existing Contested Mobility Studies and Improve TrainingGAO-21-125: Published: Feb 26, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 26, 2021.
Feb 25, 2021
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Military Service Uniforms:
DOD Could Better Identify and Address Out-of-Pocket Cost InequitiesGAO-21-120: Published: Feb 25, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 25, 2021.
Feb 24, 2021
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Defense Budget:
Opportunities Exist to Improve DOD's Management of Defense SpendingGAO-21-415T: Published: Feb 24, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 24, 2021.
Feb 22, 2021
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Service Acquisitions:
DOD's Report to Congress Identifies Steps Taken to Improve Management, But Does Not Address Some Key Planning IssuesGAO-21-267R: Published: Feb 22, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 22, 2021.
Jan 21, 2021
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Close Air Support:
Actions Needed to Enhance Friendly Force Tracking Capabilities and Fully Evaluate TrainingGAO-21-99: Published: Jan 21, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 21, 2021.
Jan 19, 2021
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GPS Modernization:
DOD Continuing to Develop New Jam-Resistant Capability, But Widespread Use Remains Years AwayGAO-21-145: Published: Jan 19, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 19, 2021.
Jan 14, 2021
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Columbia Class Submarine:
Delivery Hinges on Timely and Quality Materials from an Atrophied Supplier BaseGAO-21-257: Published: Jan 14, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 14, 2021. -
Department of Defense:
Actions Needed to Improve Accounting of Intradepartmental TransactionsGAO-21-84: Published: Jan 14, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 14, 2021.
Jan 12, 2021
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DOD Critical Technologies:
Plans for Communicating, Assessing, and Overseeing Protection Efforts Should Be CompletedGAO-21-158: Published: Jan 12, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 12, 2021.
Dec 10, 2020
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Climate Resilience:
DOD Coordinates with Communities, but Needs to Assess the Performance of Related Grant ProgramsGAO-21-46: Published: Dec 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 10, 2020.
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