Defense bill mandates huge cuts in DoD HQ workforces: The Defense Department would be required to cut its headquarters budget and personnel by 20 percent over the next few years, under legislation to be voted on in the House this week.
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2016 would require DoD to save $10 billion over five years and complete all of the cuts needed by the end of fiscal year 2019. The Defense Department also needs to come up with a comprehensive plan for how it would implement the cuts by March 31, 2016.
The Defense Department had previously said it could save $10 billion by cutting its headquarters workforce by 20 percent, but its most recent estimate showed only about $5.3 billion in possible savings.
And while its earlier estimates were based on the Defense Department voluntarily cutting its staff as part of a management efficiency and cost-cutting initiative, the NDAA would codify the cuts and the new time frame into law, requiring the agency to follow through on them.
