Human Capital: Strategic Approach Should Guide DOD Civilian Workforce Management Page: 12 of 24
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Human Capital: Strategic Approach Should Guide DOD Civilian Workforce Management
In 1996, based on a request from the Chairman of the Military Readiness
Subcommittee, we examined civilian downsizing across DOD to assess
whether it had affected readiness and functions at military installations,
and whether the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the services had
comprehensive strategies for managing civilian downsizing. Air Force,
Marine Corps, and Navy officials said that civilian downsizing was not a
cause for concern with regard to readiness, although some officials noted
some limited adverse effects in some nonmission-critical areas.9 Army
officials, however, painted a mixed picture of the impact of downsizing,
indicating that it had to be carefully managed to minimize the effects on
unit readiness. Army officials told us that civilian downsizing had not
adversely affected military readiness and units' abilities to train at the
installations we visited, despite some indications that soldiers had at times
been assigned to civilian functions that were understaffed. These officials
told us that they had prioritized staffing for functions that were critical to
maintaining combat capabilities. Army officials indicated at that time that
downsizing had had a more detrimental impact on functions such as public
works and repair and maintenance of Army installations. We encountered
similar views in a more recent review of the Army Materiel Command.0
Command officials, who expressed concern that greater adverse effects
loom on the horizon, had difficulty quantifying the magnitude of likely
effects.
Apart from these readiness issues, Air Force, Army, and Navy installation
officials expressed concerns about the effects of civilian downsizing on the
morale o f the civilian wo rkforce. Officials cited limited career and
promotion opportunities, job insecurity, and longer working hours as
examples of factors adversely affecting workforce morale.
With regard to comprehensive strategies for managing downsizing, our
1996 report noted that the services were employing common strategies for
implementing and mitigating the effects of civilian personnel reductions.
Among those strategies were an emphasis on consolidating and
streamlining functions, use of improved business practices, and
contracting out certain functions. However, we found that the services did
not have a long-term road map to guide decisions about preparing the
civilian workforce to meet future mission requirements.
9 Civilian Downsizing: Unit Readiness Not Adversely Affected, but Future Reductions a Concern
(GAO/NSIAD-96-143BR, Apr. 22, 1996).
10 Quadrennial Defense Review: Status of Efforts to Implement Personnel Reductions in the Army
Material Command (GAO/NSIAD-99-123, Mar. 31, 1999).GAO/T-GGD/NSIAD-00-120
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United States. General Accounting Office. Human Capital: Strategic Approach Should Guide DOD Civilian Workforce Management, text, March 9, 2000; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc290287/m1/12/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.