U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 

1 

69–012 2007

110th Congress, 1st Session – – – – – – – – – – – – – House Document 110–79 

POTENTIAL FURLOUGHS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT 

OF DEFENSE 

COMMUNICATION 

FROM

THE DEPUTY SECRETARY, 

THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

TRANSMITTING

THE DEPARTMENT’S REPORT ON POTENTIAL FURLOUGHS WITHIN 

THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, THE MARINE CORPS, AND 

THE COMBATANT COMMANDS, PURSUANT TO 10 U.S.C. 1597(e) 

DECEMBER 11, 2007.—Referred jointly to the Committees on Armed 

Services and Appropriations, and ordered to be printed 


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DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, 

Washington, DC, December 7, 2007. 

Hon. NANCY PELOSI, 

Speaker, House of Representatives, 

The Capitol, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MADAM SPEAKER: 10 U.S.C. 1597(e) provides that the Department of Defense ‘‘. . . may not implement any involuntary reduction or furlough of civilian positions . . . until the expiration of 

the 45-day period beginning on the date on which the Secretary 

submits to Congress a report setting forth the reasons why such reduction or furloughs are required . . .’’. In accordance with this 

statutory requirement, I am providing a report on potential furloughs within the Department of the Army, the Marine Corps, and 

the Combatant Commands. 

As you are aware, the FY 08 DoD Appropriations Act did not provide funds to the Department for the Global War on Terror 

(GWOT). In my November 8, 2007 letter to the Senate and House 

Appropriations Committee leadership, I emphasized that without 

this critical funding, the Department would have no choice but to 

deplete key appropriations accounts in order to sustain essential 

military operations around the world. 

Without GWOT funding, only operations and maintenance 

(O&M) funds in the base budget are available to cover war-related 

costs. O&M funds also cover salary costs for a large number of 

Army and Marine Corps civilian employees. 

The Army and Marine Corps currently estimate that the fiscal 

demand on O&M funds to cover both normal operating and GWOT 

costs will result in depletion of the Army’s O&M funds by about 

mid-February and the Marine Corps O&M funds by about midMarch 2008. As a result, Army civilian employees, who are paid 

from Army O&M accounts and Marine Corps civilian employees, 

paid from Marine Corps O&M accounts, will at those times be subject to furlough. Affected employees are located throughout the 

United States and overseas. 

The furlough will negatively affect our ability to execute base operations and training activities. More importantly, it will affect the 

critical support our civilian employees provide to our warfighters—

support which is key to our current operations in both Afghanistan 

and Iraq. 

Accordingly, the Department will issue potential furlough information to about 100,000 affected civilian employees next week. 

Specific furlough notices will be issued in mid-January. The Department will also be notifying appropriate labor organizations. 


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While these actions will be detrimental to the nation, there are 

no other viable alternatives without additional Congressional funding. Your support in providing these needed funds would be greatly 

appreciated. 

GORDON ENGLAND. 

Æ 


bajohnson on PROD1PC69 with REPORTS