Highly qualified experts, civilian employees who are also reservists and foreign embassy staff do not qualify for the Defense Department’s deferred resignation program because they are “mission critical,” the Pentagon said. (Robert H. Reid/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Highly qualified experts, civilian employees who are also reservists and foreign embassy staff do not qualify for the Defense Department’s deferred resignation program because they are “mission critical,” the Pentagon said.
The “rare exemptions” were outlined in a memorandum issued Tuesday that detailed the reopening of the Defense Department’s deferred resignation program as the Pentagon works to trim the civilian workforce by about 60,000 people. Also ineligible are non-appropriated fund employees, who are paid by organization-generated revenue rather than taxpayer funds, and reemployed annuitants, who are retirees rehired by the federal government.
The deferred resignation program will be open from April 7 to April 14, allowing employees to enter a paid leave status for several months prior to resigning. Probationary employees who have been in their government position for less than 1-2 years are eligible to participate in the deferred resignation program. The effort aims to maximize the number of voluntary separations from government service before the Pentagon fires staff to achieve its target of a 5%-8% workforce reduction.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a summary memorandum signed Friday that the military is realigning the workforce and looking for ways to automate more positions in an across-the-board restructuring to “supercharge our American warfighters.”
“The net effect will be a reduction in the number of civilian full-time equivalent positions and increased resources in the areas where we need them most,” the summary memo states.
Employees participating in the deferred resignation program will begin administrative leave no earlier than May 1. Eligible employees can elect to take voluntary early retirement without going through the deferred resignation program. Employees approved for either separation path must agree to leave federal service by Sept. 30.
The Pentagon offered deferred resignations in January through a program managed by the government’s Office of Personnel Management, offering participants full pay and benefits through September. OPM made the offer available to most full-time federal employees.
As of March 18, only about 21,000 of DOD’s roughly 900,000 civilian workers had been approved. Applicants for deferred resignations deemed critical to national security and military readiness were denied that opportunity, known as the “Fork-in-the-Road” program. A senior defense official told reporters at the time that the Pentagon worked with the services and appropriate offices to ensure those who were approved to resign could do so “without negatively impacting the department’s lethality and readiness.” The official was not authorized to share how many applicants were denied.
“This wasn’t just a totally open process where any employee could depart,” one senior defense official said. “To ensure the department’s ability to effectively function, it is important to consider things like which roles can be removed without losing effectiveness.”
Jules Hurst, the acting defense undersecretary for personnel readiness, said in Tuesday’s memo that denying a request for deferred resignation or early retirement could be considered but should be rare. Principal staff and department leaders must conduct an analysis to determine which positions should be deemed ineligible.
“They should also consider the loss of that position’s impact on readiness and the performance of mission essential functions,” Hurst said.
