DoD Updates: Staffing Shifts, AI Expansion, and Policy Changes Ahead
Mar 26, 2025•3 min
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Episode description
Welcome to this week's DoD Update. Our top story: President Trump has nominated Michael Dodd, known as "The DoddFather," to be assistant secretary of defense for critical technologies. This key role in the Pentagon's research and engineering directorate oversees the development of next-generation capabilities for the U.S. military.
In other news, the Department of Defense is implementing a civilian hiring freeze as part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the size of the federal government. However, certain positions have been exempted, including teachers, child care workers, and maintenance staff. Acting Undersecretary Jules Hurst stated, "The Department of Defense remains committed to the President's workforce optimization initiatives and sustaining the world's most lethal fighting force."
The Pentagon aims to reduce its civilian workforce by 5-8%, potentially cutting up to 50,000 employees. This comes as the department faces fiscal challenges in 2025, including negotiations over the debt ceiling and the expiration of tax cuts passed under the first Trump administration.
In technology news, the DoD is expanding its infrastructure to meet the processing requirements of advanced AI and high-performance computing. The department is also developing its own advanced AI systems for general-purpose military applications, considering both on-premises and commercial cloud processing solutions.
On the policy front, President Trump signed an executive order titled "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness," which aims to establish high standards for troop readiness, lethality, and cohesion. The order directs the Secretary of Defense to update medical standards for military service and end "invented and identification-based pronoun usage."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the reversal of 2023 name changes to military bases, impacting travel documents for those visiting affected installations. The department is also implementing new guidance on situational telework, emphasizing that it should be used judiciously and not as a substitute for routine in-person work.
Looking ahead, the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Emil Michael, nominated to be the next undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, on Thursday. Additionally, the department faces a potential sequestration if full-year appropriations are not passed for the entire government by April 30.
For more information on these developments and how they may affect you, visit defense.gov or follow the DoD on social media. As always, we encourage public engagement and welcome your feedback on these important issues shaping our national defense.
In other news, the Department of Defense is implementing a civilian hiring freeze as part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the size of the federal government. However, certain positions have been exempted, including teachers, child care workers, and maintenance staff. Acting Undersecretary Jules Hurst stated, "The Department of Defense remains committed to the President's workforce optimization initiatives and sustaining the world's most lethal fighting force."
The Pentagon aims to reduce its civilian workforce by 5-8%, potentially cutting up to 50,000 employees. This comes as the department faces fiscal challenges in 2025, including negotiations over the debt ceiling and the expiration of tax cuts passed under the first Trump administration.
In technology news, the DoD is expanding its infrastructure to meet the processing requirements of advanced AI and high-performance computing. The department is also developing its own advanced AI systems for general-purpose military applications, considering both on-premises and commercial cloud processing solutions.
On the policy front, President Trump signed an executive order titled "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness," which aims to establish high standards for troop readiness, lethality, and cohesion. The order directs the Secretary of Defense to update medical standards for military service and end "invented and identification-based pronoun usage."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the reversal of 2023 name changes to military bases, impacting travel documents for those visiting affected installations. The department is also implementing new guidance on situational telework, emphasizing that it should be used judiciously and not as a substitute for routine in-person work.
Looking ahead, the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Emil Michael, nominated to be the next undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, on Thursday. Additionally, the department faces a potential sequestration if full-year appropriations are not passed for the entire government by April 30.
For more information on these developments and how they may affect you, visit defense.gov or follow the DoD on social media. As always, we encourage public engagement and welcome your feedback on these important issues shaping our national defense.
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