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Government

Pentagon exodus extends 'concerning,' 'baffling' trend of acting officials in key roles

2019-12-23

[The Hill] The Pentagon has seen an exodus of top officials this month, prompting concerns from lawmakers and experts alike as the Defense Department struggles to fill roles ahead of a contentious election year that will leave little room for staffing critical jobs.
I got my Federal employee annual bonus and I'm outta here.
Within seven days the department experienced the departure of five civilian policymakers, continuing a bleeding of staff the Trump administration has been having trouble keeping up with.

Though the Senate on Thursday night confirmed three Department of Defense (DOD) nominees - Lisa Hershman to be chief management officer, Dana Deasy to be chief information officer and Robert Sander to be Navy general counsel ‐ the administration has to overcome a limited bench of talent and a slowed down confirmation process in the Senate in refilling roles that have been recently vacated, staffed on an acting basis or empty for months.

The sheer number of open positions and roles filled on an acting basis, is "definitely concerning," said Alice Hunt Friend a former defense official now an expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

While the Pentagon bureaucracy is large enough to keep the lights on, officials holding roles in an acting capacity "often do not have the resources to make really critical decisions when changes need to be made or when the bureaucracy needs to respond to the outside world," she told The Hill.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) told The Hill that he was "baffled" by length of time numerous officials have been in an acting role.

Posted by:Besoeker

#7 ^ Best way to maximize governance, with with minimal government. And get good work out of civil servants.

Posted by: Dron66046 2019-12-23 18:29

#6 The easiest way to downsize the bureaucracy is to not fill empty positions, but just let others cover the responsibilities. Over at the state department they were complaining about exactly the same thing back in mid-2017— entire areas in the Washington, DC offices where not a single desk was filled.

Consider it a slow-motion interview, guys — if you demonstrate ability, they might make the promotion permanent.

Posted by: trailing wife 2019-12-23 18:15

#5 a former defense official now an expert

So she wasn't an expert when she worked at DoD? That much I believe.

Posted by: Matt 2019-12-23 13:00

#4 And yet, the Russians and Chinese have still not attacked.

Giving Biden a chance?

Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2019-12-23 12:14

#3 ...its just crappy laws and regulations that say a person of a certain SGS position has to sign off on paperwork that will be the problem.

Posted by: Procopius2k 2019-12-23 11:52

#2 Focusing on judges, who are permanent appointees, over bureaucrats who will be out with the next administration. If our officers are competent, this won't hurt readiness.

Posted by: Rob Crawford 2019-12-23 08:32

#1 officials holding roles in an acting capacity "often do not have the resources to make really critical decisions when changes need to be made or when the bureaucracy needs to respond to the outside world," she told The Hill.

And yet, the Russians and Chinese have still not attacked. What can we possibly determine from all of this 'Five Sided Nut' turmoil and confusion? To whom can we write? Who must we call? Oh wait....

Posted by: Besoeker 2019-12-23 02:32

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