GAO Report Highlights Need for a More Efficient Defense Workforce

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) highlighted a recently released report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as further evidence that the Defense Department must take action to improve the efficiency of its workforce. Rep. Calvert has introduced the REDUCE Act, H.R. 340, to require the Defense Department to bring its ratio of civilian-to-uniformed personnel in-line with historical averages.

"The GAO's findings should alarm our defense leaders and all American taxpayers," said Rep. Calvert. "The Defense Department is an incredibly large organization, which is why it is so concerning to read the GAO's findings that at the top levels there are no procedures in place to thoughtfully and comprehensively assess what personnel are necessary to execute their mission. In a time of budgetary constraints, our uniformed personnel will ultimately suffer if we cannot improve the efficiencies in our civilian defense workforce. We must make the smart and prompt decisions necessary to make the appropriate adjustments – no matter how difficult that is – to protect our soldiers, our national security, and taxpayers."

Late last week, the GAO issued a report titled: "DOD Needs to Reassess Personnel Requirements for the Office of Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, and Military Service Secretariats," which found that:

• "DOD headquarters organizations it reviewed do not determine their personnel requirements as part of a systematic requirements-determination process, nor do they have procedures in place to ensure that they periodically reassess these requirements as outlined in DOD and other guidance."

• "None of the headquarters organizations we reviewed have procedures in place to ensure that they periodically reassess their personnel requirements."

• "Without a systematic determination of personnel requirements and periodic reassessment of them, DOD will not be well positioned to proactively identify efficiencies and limit personnel growth within these headquarters organizations."

• "In 2013, the Secretary of Defense set a target to reduce DOD components' headquarters budgets by 20 percent through fiscal year 2019, including costs for contracted services, while striving for a similar reduction to military and civilian personnel. However, DOD has not finalized plans to achieve these reductions. DOD was required to report to Congress by June 2014 on efforts to streamline management headquarters, but needed an extension until late summer 2014 for the report due to staff turnover. As of December 2014, DOD's plan had not been issued."

Earlier this month, Rep. Calvert introduced the Rebalance for an Effective Defense Uniform and Civilian Employees (REDUCE) Act, H.R. 340, which would require the DOD to make civilian workforce reductions in a systematic manner without compromising our ability to maintain a strong national defense over the long term.

The requirements of the REDUCE Act will accomplish the following:

• Reduce our Defense civilian workforce by 15% by FY 2022. This percentage was recommended by the Defense Business Board, a trusted, authoritative, and independent source of expertise.

• The Department of Defense civilian workforce would remain at or below this established cap of a 15% reduction for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2026.

• The Department of Defense civilian Senior Executive Service career appointee workforce will be reduced to 1,000 by 2022 and remain at or below 1,000 employees for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2026.

• Provide the Secretary of Defense the authority to use voluntary separation incentive payments and voluntary early retirement payments in order to achieve the required reductions in personnel.

• Provide the Secretary of Defense the authority to assign greater weight to job performance versus tenure in a Reduction in Force then the Secretary currently has.

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