The Department of Defense announced new policy and procedures Thursday that will prioritize performance over other considerations for future reduction in force decisions determining which civilian employees should be retained. Previously, RIF decisions prioritized tenure, then veteran’s preference, length of service, and performance. The new policy, which was mandated by the Fiscal 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, establishes a retention register that will rank employees based on current performance review first, then tenure, followed by an average of all performance reviews, veteran’s preference, and finally DOD Service Computation Date, according to a DOD release.
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.