Civilian Downsizing:
Unit Readiness Not Adversely Affected, but Future Reductions a Concern
NSIAD-96-143BR: Published: Apr 22, 1996. Publicly Released: Apr 22, 1996.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed civilian downsizing at the Department of Defense (DOD), focusing on: (1) the extent to which the civilian workforce has been downsized and whether the downsizing has affected military readiness and functions; and (2) whether the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the services had comprehensive strategies for managing civilian downsizing.
GAO found that: (1) between fiscal years (FY) 1987 and 1995, DOD reduced its civilian workforce by approximately 25 percent, or 284,000 personnel; (2) by the time DOD finishes current downsizing plans in FY 2001, it will have reduced its civilian workforce by almost 35 percent below 1987 end strength and about 16 percent below 1995 end strength; (3) civilian downsizing has not adversely affected military readiness at the installations GAO visited; (4) Army officials expressed concern that future civlian reductions could adversely affect military readiness if the process was not managed carefully; (5) officials from several services were concerned about the effect of downsizing on civilian workforce morale because of limited career and promotion opportunities, job insecurity, and longer working hours; (6) DOD and the services have various initiatives under way to downsize the civilian workforce and reduce infrastructure costs; and (7) the services have used a variety of approaches to downsize civilians, but the approaches to achieve civilian reductions were not guided by comprehensive, servicewide downsizing strategies.
Dec 15, 2020
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Information on the Spending and Revenue Implications of Potential Debt TargetsGAO-21-211: Published: Dec 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 15, 2020.
Oct 7, 2020
-
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
A Long-Term Plan Is Needed for Fiscal SustainabilityGAO-21-161T: Published: Oct 7, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 7, 2020.
Sep 23, 2020
-
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Effective Use of Fiscal Rules and TargetsGAO-20-561: Published: Sep 23, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2020.
Jan 23, 2020
-
Federal Trust Funds and Other Dedicated Funds:
Fiscal Sustainability Is a Growing Concern for Some Key FundsGAO-20-156: Published: Jan 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 23, 2020.
Dec 19, 2019
-
State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook:
2019 UpdateGAO-20-269SP: Published: Dec 19, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 19, 2019.
Nov 14, 2019
-
Certificated Expenditures:
Executive Office of the President FY 2018 Certificated Expenditures Were Spent for Authorized PurposesGAO-20-139R: Published: Nov 14, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 14, 2019.
Oct 16, 2019
-
Civilian Personnel:
Additional Guidance and Consistent Data Reporting Could Help Improve the Marine Corps' Budget ManagementGAO-20-148: Published: Oct 16, 2019. Publicly Released: Oct 16, 2019.
Jun 26, 2019
-
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Actions Needed to Achieve Long-Term Fiscal SustainabilityGAO-19-611T: Published: Jun 26, 2019. Publicly Released: Jun 26, 2019.
Apr 10, 2019
-
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Action Is Needed to Address the Federal Government's Fiscal FutureGAO-19-314SP: Published: Apr 10, 2019. Publicly Released: Apr 10, 2019.
Mar 27, 2019
-
Fiscal Exposures:
Federal Insurance and Other Activities That Transfer Risk or Losses to the GovernmentGAO-19-353: Published: Mar 27, 2019. Publicly Released: Mar 27, 2019.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Budget and Spending
Explore our other Key Issues here
