Pentagon Hiring Freeze and Staff Exodus Risk Delaying Critical Defense Programs

The Government Accountability Office has found that a Pentagon hiring freeze and a surge in voluntary staff departures have left many of the U.S. military’s most expensive weapons programs critically short-staffed, threatening delays and eroding years of accumulated civilian expertise.

In an annual review of 48 costliest and most complex U.S. defense programs released Thursday, the watchdog reported that the Department of Defense has been unable to backfill acquisition jobs vacated through a Deferred Resignation Program initiated by President Donald Trump’s administration last year.

More than 48,000 department employees — representing over 6% of the civilian workforce — were approved to leave under the program as of June 2025.

The report states that exits linked to 37 key procurement programs have drained institutional knowledge and jeopardized work on critical vehicles and munitions. Additionally, a hiring freeze enacted last year has hindered more than half of the 48 program offices reviewed by GAO from replacing staff.

One office lost nearly 40% of its core personnel in 2025 and managed to fill only one-third of vacancies. Another program saw 31 employees depart via the resignation initiative, nearly 6% of its workforce.

“One program lost seven civilian positions due to the DRP and has been unable to backfill because of the ongoing hiring freeze,” GAO noted, adding that remaining staff have absorbed the same workload, including working weekends, to prevent delays.

Filling acquisition roles is challenging even under ideal conditions, according to GAO. The report cites a limited pool of specialized candidates, higher private-sector salaries, and a federal hiring process that can take months to complete.

One program had to advertise positions multiple times before securing a qualified applicant, while another reported it takes approximately a year for new hires to become fully productive.

Last year, the Department of Defense pledged to reduce up to 8% of its nonuniformed workforce to align staffing with national security priorities.

“We are confident that we can absorb [DRP] removals without detriment to our ability to continue the mission,” a senior defense official stated in March 2025.

Eight months later, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a broader Acquisition Transformation Strategy designed to rebuild recruitment and retention of skilled acquisition staff over time.

GAO noted that the Department has not yet fully assessed the effects of these workforce changes and will continue monitoring them. The agency has long flagged similar acquisition-workforce issues; while the department has acknowledged its recommendations, it has made little progress in implementing solutions. Military acquisition remains on GAO’s high-risk list for vulnerabilities to waste, fraud, and abuse.