Too Many Civilians? Pentagon Officials and House Lawmaker Disagree – By Travis Tritten (Military.com) / Oct 26 2021
The number of civilian workers compared to military service members is the highest in the history of the Pentagon, and that’s unsustainable, according to Rep. Ken Calvert of California, the top Republican on a key defense panel.
But the Pentagon begs to differ. Top personnel officials rebutted Calvert during testimony at a House hearing Tuesday and defended the department’s 790,000 civilians as key to the defense of the country.
Calvert, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel, said the Pentagon should reduce the number of civilians by automating a raft of jobs and responsibilities, similar to what’s happened in private manufacturing and shipping across the country.
“I don’t see how we can afford to maintain the current civilian workforce into the future if we’re forced to balance those costs with procurement and research efforts, which are absolutely necessary,” he said.
