DOD lists more positions exempt from civilian hiring freeze

A new memo from the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness lays out categories of positions that are exempt from the Department of Defense’s civilian hiring freeze that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered to further the Trump administration’s DOGE initiatives.

The directive from Jules Hurst III — sent to Pentagon leadership, commanders of the combatant commands, and Defense agency and field activity directors March 18 — is a follow-on to a memo that Hegseth issued last week giving service secretaries and the undersecretary for personnel and readiness authority to exempt certain civilian positions from the freeze.

“The Secretaries of the Military Department and other DoD Component heads must send their proposed hiring freeze exemptions to the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civilian Personnel Policy by the close of business each Tuesday. Proposed exemptions should include justifications and should prioritize civilian positions directly linked to building readiness and providing essential services,” Hurst wrote in the new memo.

Positions exempted from the freeze include a variety of roles related to “immigration enforcement, national security, public safety, recruiting, and readiness, or positions which support such functions.”

They also include positions that “directly support the President of the United States” such as at the White House Military Liaison Office; positions requiring presidential appointment or Senate confirmation, non-career positions in the Senior Executive Service or non-career positions in Schedule A or C of the Excepted Service; positions required to be filled by Dual Status Military Technicians; positions required to be filled as directed by a court, arbitrator, or administrative tribunal; career ladder promotions; positions for employees paid from “nonappropriated funds (NAF) in NAF instrumentalities” under the jurisdiction of the DOD; and positions required to be filled by law as determined by the DOD general counsel or the general counsel of a military department.

Also exempted are foreign national employees in countries with labor cost-sharing arrangements or as necessary to comply with host nation agreements; in-progress permanent change of station (PCS) moves for which the DOD component initiated PCS orders and/or shipment of household goods prior to Feb. 28 “from a less critical position to a more critical position.”

Other categories of workers on the exemption list include civilian mariner positions; positions at depots, shipyards, arsenals, and maintenance facilities; positions at the United States Military Entrance Processing Command; positions at military medical treatment facilities that perform patient care or are essential to hospital operations; child and youth programs staff; instructors or facility support staff at DOD schools or child care centers; and installation positions “that support and are essential for fire, life, and safety.”

“The Secretaries of the Military Department and other DoD Component heads are requested to report hiring actions related to these positions along with their proposed exemptions,” Hurst wrote.

“The Department of Defense remains committed to the President’s workforce optimization initiatives and sustaining the world’s most lethal fighting force,” he added.

The Pentagon aims to reduce its civilian workforce by 5-8% — or upwards of 50,000 employees — facilitated by the hiring pause.