Army To Continue Paring Civilian Work Force

The Army no longer needs as many civilian workers as it did during the height of combat activities in recent years, Secretary John M. McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told members of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee during a March 26 hearing. Even though the Army has trimmed its civilian workforce in recent years by 47,000, more reductions should be expected. Pointing to the historically high ratio between civilian workers and those in uniform, Odierno said, “Bringing that ratio down to a historic norm would save the Defense Department $82.5 billion over the next five years.” McHugh added, “We have a responsibility to balance our military reductions with our civilian reductions and we’re attempting to do that over time. We can hopefully reinvest those savings in military-based programs.”