The Defense Department today issued guidance for employees if Congress does not pass a continuing resolution before midnight on Sept. 30, notifying some civilian employees that they will be furloughed. All Active Duty military personnel and civilians deemed necessary will continue to work in normal duty status, but will not be paid until Congress can pass the funds to compensate them for the work, according to the memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work. It will be up to the service Secretaries and the heads of Defense Department components to determine who needs to work on a normal duty status, the memo states. The department will remain focused on the continued war in Afghanistan, operations against ISIS, preparations for oncoming deployments, and other operations necessary during a shutdown, the memo states. However, other activities, including temporary duty travel, will be shut down with limited exceptions. Individual chains of command will reach out to employees with more detail before Oct. 1. The Air Force furloughed thousands of employees during a 2013 shut down, a move officials said had “extreme disruptions” on ongoing missions.
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
