A March 4 release from the Pentagon CHamoru standard time that hit mailboxes in Guam early morning with statements attributed to Secretary of Defense Peter B. Hesgeth shared the call to action across DoD. According to a Dec. 20 report by the U.S. Congressional Research Service 3,215 civilian employees work for DoD in Guam.
The release said, “Last week, OPM sent an email to federal civilians asking them to provide approximately five bullets describing what they accomplished during their previous work week. Department of Defense employees received direction to initially pause responding to this request OPM.
“Following a review of Pentagon procedures and consultation with the Office of Personnel Management, I am directing each member of the Department’s civilian workforce to provide five bullets on what they accomplished in their specific jobs last week to their immediate supervisors.
“All DoD civilians will receive an email outlying the next steps to be taken to comply with this initiative. These reports will be consolidated internally within the Department to comply with the OPM directive,” the release said.
The Department of Defense is the largest department in the federal government.
DoD has various vacancies in Guam, and at the Quality of Life Expo hosted by the Moral Welfare and Recreation on Feb. 22 at the University of Guam’s Calvo Field House was promoting them, though those jobs were from “regional non appropriated funds, or funds derived from sources other than Congressional appropriations, primarily from the sale of goods and services to DoD military and civilian personnel.
Naval Facilities Engineering and System Command Marianas held a Job Fair on Feb. 8 and is advertising a list of civilian jobs on-island on employment websites as of March 4, calling for specialized engineering and other skills.
According to Journal files, the University of Guam and NAVFAC Marianas the Naval Facilities announced a partnership in November 2023 to offer paid internships to UOG engineering students.
DoD said in February it expects to cut its civilian employment by between 5% and 8%, beginning with the layoffs of “probationary employees.” That was to be followed by a hiring freeze and an analysis of personnel needs. mbj