ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- Today, the Department of Defense specified that exemptions for the DoD-wide hiring freeze may be provided only for mission-critical positions that contribute to our warfighting readiness. The Secretary of Defense delegated authority to the Secretaries of the Military Departments, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)), to exempt their respective civilian positions from the hiring freeze. He also delegated authority to the USD(P&R) to exempt positions in the other DoD Components. This authority may not be further delegated.
The Secretaries of the Military Department and other DoD Component heads must send their proposed hiring freeze exemptions to the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civilian Personnel Policy by the close of business each Tuesday. Proposed exemptions should include justifications and should prioritize civilian positions directly linked to building readiness and providing essential services.
The full memorandum is available here.
