Fedweek

DoD would be instructed to put employees’ performance above other factors such as longevity in RIFs, under the annual DoD authorization bill up for voting in the House Armed Services Committee this week. The “chairman’s mark,” a starting document for voting on the bill, criticizes the Pentagon for not making reductions its civilian federal workforce—as well as in its contractor workforce–equivalent to the reductions in military personnel. Under the language, where significant reductions in the military are occurring, similar reductions in civilian personnel would be required, with the first recourse to be use of attrition and buyout and early retirement incentives. DoD would be required to “consider performance most significantly among other factors when exercising existing authority for workforce restructuring within the Department.” In addition, positions abolished could not be refilled for six years, with few exceptions.