With the new policy in place, managers are expected to rigorously assess the performance of their teams and take decisive action where necessary. This change is likely to have wide-reaching implications, not only for the morale and job security of civilian employees but also for the overall operational effectiveness of the Pentagon.

The Pentagon has pulled key protections for its civilian personnel, directing managers to move with “speed and conviction” to fire underperforming workers, according to a memo issued one day before the U.S. government shut down.

© AP Photo

“Supervisors and human resources (HR) professionals are directed to act with speed and conviction to facilitate the separation from Federal service of employees performing unsuccessfully,” states a Sept. 30 memo signed by the Pentagon’s top personnel policy officer, Under Secretary of Defense Anthony Tata.

It also warns that managers will be held accountable if they don’t address “poor employee performance.”

The new guidelines, which became public Tuesday, have sparked fears that they could be used to push out anyone at the Pentagon who doesn’t agree with or toe the line on the Trump administration’s programs.

It’s unclear how many employees may have been fired since the memo took effect. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

Nearly half of the Defense civilian workforce — about 334,900 employees — have been furloughed for the shutdown, according to the department’s contingency plan released last month.

The Trump administration has attempted to fire thousands of furloughed employees while the government is closed — part of the president’s bid to greatly reduce the federal workforce in his second term — but the move has been blocked by a California federal court that found such cuts were likely illegal.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been on the warpath to ousting those seen as standing in the way of President Trump’s agenda, which includes bringing a “warrior ethos” back to the U.S. military.

The memo now makes it easier for managers to fire Defense civilian personnel, with office heads told to cite criteria used in federal job evaluations known as Douglas Factors. 

The factors allow managers “flexibility to address performance issues swiftly and effectively,” according to Tata.

“This approach empowers supervisors to act decisively when performance undermines [Defense Department] objectives, reinforcing a culture of excellence,” the memo states, adding later that every position supports the mission, “so deficiencies in any role can warrant strong action.”

Read the full report at thehill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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