Several DoD-Specific Proposals Approved

Several other provisions of the Defense Department measure apply only to DoD but are of wide interest not only because the agency is the government’s largest employer but because it often is a trend-setter for personnel policies to be applied to other agencies. The measure allows DoD to create a pilot program of paying retraining expenses for employees losing their jobs in a reduction in force so that they qualify for private sector employment. It also allows DoD to pay buyouts to 2,000 employee in the current fiscal year and to 6,000 in fiscal 2003 for restructuring the work force to address imbalances of skills mixes. That provision does not restrict DoD’s ability to continue offering buyouts in reduction in force situations, the most common use of buyouts. The measure also authorizes a review in 2005 of further potential base closings and realignments.