Initiating the Workforce Acceleration & Recapitalization Initiative

On March 28, 2025, Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memorandum launching the agency's systematic civilian workforce reduction and restructure. The memo specifically directed the following: 1) that the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness "immediately open the DOD Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) and offer the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) to all eligible DOD civilian employees" and 2) that all military service secretaries, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and defense agency directors submit "proposed future-state organizational charts" by April 11, 2025. The memo noted that exemptions from the DRP should be "rare" and that the intent was to "maximize participation" to avoid involuntary dismissals. On April 1, DOD released additional guidance on the DRP and on or around April 7, Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg issued follow-up memoranda. The first outlined a more detailed organizational review of civilian positions and the second ordered agency components to reserve funding for an incentive program to retain and reward high-performing civilian employees. These reductions coincided with a separate and ongoing February 28 hiring freeze for civilian employees.