|
Federal News Radio
Carter opens
door to more DoD civilian job cuts
Department of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told Congress Wednesday
that civilian workforce reductions need to be part of the Pentagon's
strategy to deal with tightening budgets.
He said that, although parts of the workforce have grown out of
necessity over the last decade, the Pentagon has not done enough to
reduce overhead in its civilian ranks.
In his first round of Congressional hearings since becoming Defense
secretary in early February, Carter told members that the budget DoD
submitted last month is the bare minimum it needs to execute the
current defense strategy. He vowed that, with or without sequestration,
he would make sure that military members are trained, ready and have
the right equipment.
"But everything else is on the table," he said, "Including parts of our
budget that have long been considered inviolate."
Carter again urged Congress to let DoD follow through with the
cost-saving measures it's proposed, including base closures, the
retirement of weapons systems and compensation changes. But he also
agreed with members who said they were concerned about DoD's level of
spending on federal civilian personnel.
"I think we should go after excess wherever we can find it, and the
civilian workforce has to be something we scrutinize and reduce," he
said.
Bill would cut workforce by 15 percent
Carter said he thinks DoD can make meaningful cutbacks in civilian
personnel spending for several reasons...
Read the rest of the article at Federal News Radio
|
|
|
|
