WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, led his colleagues in a hearing examining challenges and opportunities in the defense civilian workforce.

In his opening remarks, Senator Wicker noted the problems with both employment protections and speedy hiring authorities, leading to suboptimal performance in much of the defense workforce.

“Unfortunately, the laws and regulations governing the Department of Defense workforce are anything but simple and efficient. Hiring takes too long, even when the Congress provides accelerated ‘direct hiring authority,’” Senator Wicker said. “Pay is often inadequate; especially in trade professions such as welders and electricians who maintain the Navy’s nuclear-powered submarines and carriers…The status quo is unacceptable, and the evidence is everywhere we look.”

Senator Wicker also discussed the need for reform in workforce hiring and personnel practices, suggesting the National Defense Authorization Act might be a vehicle for change.

“The unique mission of the Department of Defense demands that Congress provide it exceptional authorities to allow the Department to build the civilian workforce needed to support our warfighters. The system that governs every other Federal agency is inadequate for our national defense workforce,” Senator Wicker said. “Numerous bipartisan commissions and our military’s senior leaders agree. I hope we can use this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to provide legislative tools needed to achieve the basic principles of an effective civilian workforce.”

Read the Senator’s opening statement as delivered below. Watch it here.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The Department of Defense employs more than 700,000 civilians who ensure that our military personnel are capable of performing their mission. Their mission is to deter and win wars to protect our national security.

For this reason, the Armed Services Committee takes a special interest in ensuring the Department of Defense has every tool necessary to build a civilian workforce that is capable, innovative, and dedicated to keeping our country safe.

The basic principles of building an effective workforce are simple. The Department of Defense needs to be able to hire the best people quickly and pay them what they are worth. But, if an employee does not meet expectations, the Department needs to be able to dismiss that employee and find someone better.

Unfortunately, the laws and regulations governing the Department of Defense workforce are anything but simple and efficient. Hiring takes too long, even when the Congress provides accelerated “direct hiring authority.” Pay is often inadequate; especially in trade professions such as welders and electricians who maintain the Navy’s nuclear-powered submarines and carriers.

The Department also does not pay competitive salaries for jobs that require extensive formal education. And everyone knows how hard it is to terminate an underperforming employee. Those who have spent any length of time in the Pentagon have a story of an underperforming colleague who was shuffled around to various offices to get them out of the way. Similarly, most also know a truly exceptional performer who left the Department of Defense in search of better rewards for their hard work.

The status quo is unacceptable, and the evidence is everywhere we look. Our public shipyards struggle to attract skilled trade workers. The Navy is hemorrhaging the civilian mariners whose work ensures the delivery of critical supplies around the world to the rest of the fleet. We cannot hire or retain enough doctors and nurses to staff our military hospitals. Cyber professionals leave the Department of Defense in droves to join other government agencies or the private sector.

I could go on.

The unique mission of the Department of Defense demands that Congress provide it exceptional authorities to allow the Department to build the civilian workforce needed to support our warfighters. The system that governs every other Federal agency is inadequate for our national defense workforce. Numerous bipartisan commissions and our military’s senior leaders agree.

I hope we can use this year’s National Defense Authorization Act to provide legislative tools needed to achieve the basic principles of an effective civilian workforce.

I would ask the witnesses to help us better understand the weaknesses of the Department’s current human resource system. But more importantly, I hope the witnesses can tell us what we can do to make the Department of Defense a more competitive employer.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.