Immediate Civilian Hiring Freeze for Alignment with National Defense Priorities

On February 28, 2025, Defense Secretary imposed a hiring freeze on Department of Defense civilian positions. This hiring freeze was separate from the government-wide hiring freeze created by the January 20, 2025 Presidential Memorandum. The memo provides that only the Secretary can grant hiring exceptions, and it indicates that the Secretary "will consider exemptions for positions essential to immigration enforcement, national security, and public safety, and positions which support such functions."