Pentagon takes steps to fire civilian employees ‘swiftly and convict’

One day before the federal government shutdown this month, a senior Pentagon official signed a memo that could make it easier for the Defense Department to fire employees.

In a September 30 memo titled “Dismissing employees with unacceptable performanceAnthony Tata, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, outlined new guidelines that directed supervisors and human resources staff to “act with speed and conviction” to facilitate the separation of underperforming employees from the Department of Defense.

“Supervisors will work with Human Resources to issue a written notice of proposed removal detailing the employee’s identified performance deficiencies and continued failures to meet quality standards, deadlines, or productivity goals,” the memo says.

The Washington Post Reported for the first time The memo.

The new policy essentially speeds up the time needed to fire an employee.

The memo says Human Resources will be allocated 10 calendar days, in coordination with legal counsel, to notify the supervisor of documentation supporting the removal, and the employee will be allowed seven calendar days to respond to the notice of termination, “or consistent with the collective bargaining agreements.”

The “decision making official” will be charged with reviewing the notice and the employee’s response and providing a written decision within 30 calendar days of notice of the proposed termination.

The memorandum also holds managers at all levels responsible for addressing poor employee performance.

In response to a request for comment, a Pentagon official told NBC News: “The Secretary of War’s September 30 memos took effect when he signed them.”

“The ministry is in the process of adapting to the new directives outlined in Under Secretary of War Tata’s memorandum dated September 30 and we do not have anything specific to share at this time,” the official added.

Top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees did not immediately provide comments Tuesday night.

Shootings have continued at the Pentagon since Pete Hegseth became Secretary of Defense under President Donald Trump. It terminated several senior leaders with ties to the Biden administration or those not seen as aligned with the Trump administration, including Gen. C. Q. Brown, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Adm. Lisa Francetti, the former chief of Naval Operations.

NBC News reported last month that according to two defense officials, Hegseth directed staff to identify any military personnel who mocked or showed support for the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The Trump administration has generally sought to significantly reduce the government workforce, effectively dismantling some agencies and imposing so-called cuts in several departments. However, efforts to further reduce headcount through widespread layoffs during the government shutdown have run into legal barriers. A federal judge in Oregon on Tuesday blocked the administration from implementing mass layoffs until the government reopens.

Hegseth, who has pledged to reduce the number of Army officers by up to 20%, spoke about the personnel changes in a speech to hundreds of generals in Quantico, Virginia, in late September.

“In many ways, this speech is about repairing decades of decay, some obvious, some hidden, or as the president said, we are clearing away the wreckage, we are clearing up distractions, and we are clearing the way for leaders to become leaders,” Hegseth said.

He added: “More leadership changes will be made, I am sure, not because we want to, but because we must. Again, this is life and death. The sooner we get the right people, the sooner we can develop the right policies. People are politics.”