During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) questioned Sean D. O’Keefe, nominee to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, about civil service reform.
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00:00Senator Cotton.
00:02Morning, gentlemen. Mr. Obudal, the Army has begun to modernize the organic industrial base,
00:07but it's still not fully using arsenal and ammunition plants.
00:11Arsenals, such as the one in Pine Bluff, are struggling for modernization funds and additional work.
00:16This underutilization is particularly damaging during a munition shortage that could impact our ability to face adversaries like China.
00:23Do you believe the Army should utilize the resources it already owns to maximize production for critical munitions?
00:31Senator, thank you for the question and the attention to this,
00:34because I believe that our almost two dozen plants, arsenals, depots are our strategic depth to be able to sustain combat and large-scale combat operations.
00:45So, yes, I share your concern for the health of the organic industrial base in the Army.
00:53Part of former Secretary Wormuth's solution to the recruiting crisis that she helped create
00:58was to cut 3,000 billets from Army Special Operations Forces,
01:03a decision that both the SOCOM and the PACOM commanders advised against.
01:08Last year's National Defense Authorization Act prohibits the Special Operations Forces cuts
01:14until the Army Secretary completes an additional assessment.
01:18Would you agree to taking a closer look at reversing these cuts?
01:23Yes, Senator. I would commit to continuing that evaluation as the Army is doing right now, I believe.
01:29Okay. The caisson platoon at Arlington National Cemetery was out of operation for much of the Biden administration,
01:39which was astonishing to me since it's just horses pulling wagons, something human beings have been doing since the dawn of time.
01:45Secretary Driscoll and General George have done a good job of getting the caisson platoon back to limited operations.
01:55I'm very keen to see it get back to full operational capacity to make sure that our soldiers and their families
02:01promptly receive the honors they deserve at Arlington National Cemetery.
02:05Can you commit to working with the Secretary, General George, and this committee to get the caisson platoon back up
02:11to full operational capacity as soon as possible?
02:15Yes, Senator. I believe it to be a critical part of Arlington National Cemetery,
02:18and I understand that there have already been big strides made in professionalizing this program.
02:24I would commit to continuing to monitor that and advance it.
02:27Thank you. Mr. O'Keefe, welcome to you as well.
02:31Civil service reform is a clear priority for the administration.
02:34I think it's one that's long overdue.
02:36While the Department of Defense has many dedicated civil servants,
02:39it also has a lot of outdated bureaucratic processes and inflexible performance management systems
02:44that have too often not rewarded excellence and promoted mediocrity.
02:50In late January, the administration issued guidance for all agencies to conduct a 210-day review
02:56of which positions could be reclassified as schedule career policy positions
03:01to give the President and the Secretary more ability to manage the civilian workforce.
03:09What are your thoughts about this review and the possible implementation
03:13and what it could help bring to the Department?
03:16Senator, I do think it's overdue to take a look at the authorities that apply
03:21to the national security and defense civilian workforce.
03:24I think this is a useful exercise.
03:28And, of course, the civilians will continue to be a critical component of the DOD workforce,
03:34and they have been for many years now.
03:39If confirmed, I look forward to participating in that review.
03:43I don't know the details of that exact effort,
03:47but I do think civil service reform for national security workers is critically important.
03:52The Department has a variety of authorities that the Congress has already provided
03:56that, in my judgment, are being underutilized.
03:58I mentioned cyber-accepted service earlier.
04:01There are many others.
04:03Direct hire authority has been provided many times over the last decade,
04:08and yet it still takes almost three months to hire somebody.
04:11So I think some of these delays and challenges are somewhat self-imposed.
04:18If confirmed, I look forward to figuring out where the Department is making things harder
04:22for itself than it should be.
04:25The Congress enacts these authorities for a reason,
04:27that they be used effectively.
04:29And if confirmed, that's sort of one of my goals,
04:32as I mentioned in my opening statement,
04:34is taking advantage of the many authorities that the Congress has provided,
04:40as well as implementing the directives of the President in this area.
04:44Thank you both.
04:47Senator.