New Pentagon Memo Aims to Make It Easier to Fire Civilian Employees

The Pentagon is removing job protections for its civilian employees as the Trump Administration tries to make it easier to remove certain workers. 

Department of Defense (DOD) Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata ordered supervisors and HR leaders “to act with speed and conviction to facilitate the separation from Federal service of employees performing unsuccessfully.”

The order came in a memo that was obtained by the Washington Post. The memo was circulated on September 30, just before the current government shutdown began. 

More Subjectivity in Evaluations

The memo introduces more subjectivity into the employee evaluation process, giving managers greater discretion to discipline or terminate certain workers. 

While managers are still advised to use the Douglas Factors as criteria in federal job evaluations, each factor has additional language that could change the considerations. Under the Douglas Factor that involves an employee’s roles and responsibilities, the memo notes that “every Department of War position supports the mission, so deficiencies in any role can warrant strong action.”

The memo also allows the department to use the deferred resignation program, voluntary separation incentive payments and voluntary early retirement authority to “facilitate efficient employee removals.” 

In addition, employees will have just seven days to respond to a removal request, and a deciding official then has 30 days to issue a final decision. 

Remaking the Workforce 

Critics say it’s another way to make it easier to get rid of employees who don’t align with the Trump Administration's views. 

“If you look at every step they’ve taken within the Department of Defense since January — this is just another piece of political maneuvering that they’re using to enable their abilities to shape the department in the image that they back and to remove people who don’t align with their vision and their political ends, and give them an ability to fire those who don’t work well with them,” Virginia Burger, senior defense policy analyst at Project on Government Oversight, told Federal News Network.

Pentagon leadership believes remaking personnel will streamline the department to the president’s vision. 

“The sooner we have the right people, the sooner we can advance the right policies. Personnel is policy,” said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to hundreds of generals at Marine Corps Base Quantico in September.