Trump Dealing With Another Shortage
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report is raising concerns that staffing shortages inside the Defense Department could slow work on some of America’s most important military weapons programs.
The annual review examined 48 of the Pentagon’s largest and most expensive acquisition programs and found that many offices are struggling with fewer experienced civilian employees after a hiring freeze and thousands of voluntary departures.
According to the GAO, the workforce reductions have created challenges for defense acquisition teams responsible for developing advanced weapons systems, military vehicles, aircraft, ships, and critical munitions.
The staffing changes stem largely from the Deferred Resignation Program introduced during President Donald Trump’s administration. The initiative allowed eligible civilian employees to voluntarily leave federal service while the department worked to reshape its workforce.
As of June 2025, more than 48,000 civilian employees—over 6% of the Defense Department’s civilian workforce—had been approved to leave through the program, according to the report.
The GAO found that 37 of the Pentagon’s major acquisition programs have already experienced the loss of experienced personnel. More than half of the program offices reviewed reported difficulty replacing those employees because a hiring freeze has limited their ability to recruit new workers.
One acquisition office lost nearly 40% of its core workforce during 2025 and was able to replace only about one-third of those positions. Another office reported losing 31 employees through the resignation program, representing roughly 6% of its workforce.
In one example cited by the watchdog, a defense program lost seven civilian acquisition specialists but has been unable to hire replacements because of the ongoing hiring freeze. Remaining employees have taken on additional responsibilities, including weekend work, to keep critical projects moving forward.
The GAO noted that filling acquisition positions has long been a challenge for the Pentagon. Many of these jobs require highly specialized technical expertise, private industry frequently offers higher salaries, and the federal hiring process can take several months to complete.
Officials told investigators that one position had to be advertised multiple times before a qualified applicant could be found. Another program estimated it takes nearly a year for a new employee to become fully effective after being hired.
The Defense Department has previously announced plans to reduce up to 8% of its civilian workforce as part of a broader effort to better align staffing with national security priorities.
At the time, senior defense officials said they believed the department could absorb the workforce reductions without affecting military readiness or its ability to carry out its mission.
Since then, War Secretary Pete Hegseth has introduced an Acquisition Transformation Strategy designed to strengthen recruitment, improve retention, and rebuild the department’s acquisition workforce over the long term.
While acknowledging those efforts, the GAO said it is still too early to determine the full impact of the staffing changes. The watchdog plans to continue monitoring whether workforce shortages begin affecting weapons development, procurement schedules, costs, and overall program performance.
The report also notes that acquisition management has remained on the GAO’s High-Risk List for years because of ongoing concerns over waste, fraud, abuse, cost overruns, and schedule delays. Although the Defense Department has agreed with many of the agency’s recommendations in previous years, the GAO says progress has been limited.
For taxpayers and military leaders alike, the report highlights the difficult balance between reducing the size of the federal workforce while maintaining the experienced personnel needed to oversee some of the nation’s most complex and costly defense programs.
Disclaimer: The GAO report does not conclude that any specific weapons program has failed or that U.S. national security has been compromised. Instead, it warns that staffing shortages could increase the risk of delays and management challenges if they are not addressed.
