At the hearing, Chu identified the Defense Leadership and
Management Program as the premier DoD program to develop senior
civilian leaders and a key component of the department’s
succession management strategy.
The program is designed to give the next generation of civilian
executives critical skills to provide strong leadership through
a comprehensive program of professional military education,
formal graduate education, and courses in national security
strategy and leadership, he said.
Chu told the subcommittee that 350 participants have met program
goals to date and that about 200 more each year are projected to
complete their development programs.
DoD is currently reviewing program curriculum to ensure alignment
with a department-wide competency-based leadership development
model and best practices in private and public sector executive
development, Chu said.
He also praised DoD’s Pipeline Reemployment Program, saying it has
enabled 211 partially recovered employees with job related injuries
and illnesses to return to work, helping to avoid about $171
million in associated costs.
