Lankford, Moore Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter to Department of War on Expanding Hiring at Military Depots

WASHINGTON, DC - US Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT-01) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to the Secretaries of the US Air Force, Army, and Navy highlighting a policy they secured in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which expanded theDepartment of War's ability to utilize "direct hire authority" to fill critical positions at depots, arsenals, shipyards, and industrial facilities.

The letter requests that each secretary submit a written strategy for how they plan to use the expanded definition of 'defense industrial base' for the purposes of direct hire authority. It also requests a written response on how each service has used direct hire authority to manage workforce attrition and recruitment needs for depot-level maintenance and support positions, how many positions have been filled via direct hire authority this year compared to the previous two fiscal years, and how many positions each service plans to fill with direct hire authority in the upcoming fiscal year.

"By expanding direct-hire authority to include all supporting units at installations like Tinker Air Force Base, we are cutting the bureaucratic red tape that has slowed our military readiness," said Lankford. "For too long, narrow interpretations left thousands of critical support roles stuck in an excruciatingly slow hiring process. This change will help us bring veterans and skilled technicians on board faster, strengthen our defense industrial base, and ensure we are fully using the tools available to support our national security."

"Our depots desperately need talent, and a slow bureaucratic hiring process prevents depots from hiring the best of the best. I was proud to work with Senator Lankford last year to secure a critical policy change in the FY26 NDAA, which will make it easier for the Ogden Air Logistics Complex to quickly hire skilled workers," said Moore. "I am especially thrilled that this policy effectively eliminates the 180 Day Rule for most of our civilian positions in Ogden, something I have long advocated to abolish while in Congress."

This amendment enables key depots such as Tinker Air Force Base and Hill Air Force Base to use direct hire authority to quickly hire new staff, manage attrition, recruit for increased workload, and reduce reliance on private contractors. It also helps facilities quickly hire veterans after they depart from the military, rather than forcing them to wait six months to enter civilian employment at the Department of War (colloquially known as the "180 Day Rule"). The military frequently loses valuable and skilled veterans to the private sector, where they can start a new civilian career much faster than on the inside of the fence.

The expanded definition, secured in Sec. 1108, includes a wider array of "supporting unit" jobs staffed at depots, such as program and management analysts, software technicians, facilities mechanics, training instructors, and workers involved in safety and occupational health roles.

Background:

1. After extensive engagement with military facilities, the signers of this letter found that key supportive maintenance and sustainment roles at these installations were not being filled via direct hire authority.
2. Rather, military services were narrowly interpreting the law to only hire engineers doing hands-on repair work on weapons systems through this fast-track system. This left thousands of open positions related to software sustainment, avionics overhaul, spare engine maintenance, commodities groups, and propulsion engineers across the organic industrial base outside the perimeters of direct hire authority, and subject to a slow competitive hiring process.
3. For example, current authority covers approximately 28,000 positions across Tinker, Hill, and Robins Air Force Bases. The expanded authority would cover approximately 8,000 additional positions at these installations.

You can read the full letter HERE.

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