Certain civilian Defense Department employees will not fall under the hiring freeze imposed recently by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The directive has been tweaked to include exemptions “directly linked to building readiness and providing essential services,” according to a Pentagon memo signed by Jules W. Hurst III, who is acting as the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness.
“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,” according to the memo. “Proposed exemptions should include justifications and should prioritize civilian positions directly linked to building readiness and providing essential services.”
Exempt from the freeze include those who: work directly for the President and the White House in its military liaison office; require presidential appointment or Senate confirmation; non-careerists in the Senior Executive Service; and non-career positions in Schedule A or C of Excepted Service.
Some of the other positions affect those who:
• Hold jobs related to immigration enforcement, public safety, national security, recruiting, readiness and related positions; • Are returning from overseas assignment; • Exercising protections under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, or who are returning to duty after an absence related to the act; • Hold jobs that need to be filled by dual status military technicians; • Hold jobs that were or are ordered filled by a court, arbitrator or administrative tribunal; • Hold jobs that are required by law to be filled, as determined by the general counsel of the Defense Department or each individual service; • Are subject to career ladder promotions; • Hold jobs that are paid through non-appropriated funds under DoD jurisdiction; • Are foreign nationals who hold jobs in foreign countries under cost-sharing arrangements or as required by agreements with host nations; • Are in the process of permanent change of station (PCS) moves; • Are civilian mariners or who work at depots, shipyards, arsenals and maintenance facilities; • Who work for the Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPS); • Who work for child and youth programs, or as instructors and care providers at DoD schools or childcare centers;
• Those who work in positions relating to “fire, life. and safety.”
The latest memo follows on from a civilian hiring freeze at DoD put in place in February. In that memo Hegseth wrote, “A vacant position may not be converted to performance through contracted services to circumvent the hiring freeze, and DoD Component heads will review contract actions to ensure that contracts are not being used for this purpose,” adding that he would “hold DoD Component heads accountable for decisions on such actions.”
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