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.
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American
