10 U.S.C. § 129 (ARMED FORCES)
§ 129. Civilian personnel management
(a) The civilian personnel of the Department of Defense shall be managed each fiscal year solely on the basis of and consistent with (1) the total force management policies and procedures established under section 129a of this title, (2) the workload required to carry out the functions and activities of the department, and (3) the funds made available to the department for such fiscal year. The management of such personnel in any fiscal year shall not be subject to any constraint or limitation in terms of man years, end strength, full-time equivalent positions, or maximum number of employees. The Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments may not be required to make a reduction in the number of full-time equivalent positions in the Department of Defense except in accordance with the requirements of this section and section 129a of this title.
(b) With respect to each budget activity within an appropriation for a fiscal year for operations and maintenance, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that there are employed during that fiscal year employees in the number and with the combination of skills and qualifications that are necessary to carry out the functions within that budget activity as determined under the total force management policies and procedures established under section 129a of this title.
(Added Pub. L. 97–86, title IX, § 904(a), Dec. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 1114, § 140b; renumbered § 129, Pub. L. 99–433, title I, § 101(a)(3), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 994; amended Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title V, § 533, Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3873; Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title III, § 312(b), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1335; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title X, § 1031, Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 428; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title X, § 1074(a)(1), title XVI, § 1603, Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2658, 2735; Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title XI, § 1101, Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1922; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title X, § 1067(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 774; Pub. L. 112–81, div. A, title IX, § 932, Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1543; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XI, § 1101(a), (b)(1), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2443; Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title XI, § 1103, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1596; Pub. L. 117–81, div. A, title XI, § 1102, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 1949; Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title IV, § 422(b)(2), (3), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 850, 851.)
heading: Editorial Notes
heading: Amendments
text: 2025—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 119–60, § 422(b)(3), struck out subsec. (c) which required the Secretary of Defense to submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the management of the civilian workforce of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Defense Agencies and Field Activities and the Secretary of each military department to submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the management of the civilian workforces under the jurisdiction of such Secretary. See section 115a(d) of this title.
Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 119–60, § 422(b)(2), in introductory provisions, substituted “The matter to be included in each discussion under paragraph (1)” for “Each report under paragraph (1) shall contain” and “of each element of the Department of Defense named in such paragraph, is” for “under the jurisdiction of the official submitting the report,” and redesignated par. (2) as section 115a(d)(2) of this title.
2021—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–81, in first sentence, substituted “solely” for “primarily” and, in second sentence, struck out “solely” after “shall not be subject”.
2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–92, § 1103(1), in first sentence, substituted “each fiscal year primarily” for “each fiscal year”, and in second sentence, substituted “The management of such personnel in any fiscal year shall not be subject solely to any” for “Any” and struck out “shall be developed on the basis of those factors and shall be subject to adjustment solely for reasons of changed circumstances” after “number of employees”.
Subsec. (c)(2)(A). Pub. L. 116–92, § 1103(2)(A), inserted “and associated cost” after “projected size”.
Subsec. (c)(2)(B). Pub. L. 116–92, § 1103(2), inserted “and associated cost” after “projected size” in two places and substituted “to reduce the overall costs of the total force of military, civilian, and contract workforces.” for “that have been taken to identify offsetting reductions and avoid unnecessary overall growth in the size of the civilian workforce.”
2016—Pub. L. 114–328, § 1101(b)(1), amended section catchline generally, substituting “Civilian personnel management” for “Prohibition of certain civilian personnel management constraints”.
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1101(a)(1), in first sentence, struck out “solely” before “on the basis”, in second sentence, substituted “Any” for “The management of such personnel in any fiscal year shall not be subject to any” and inserted “shall be developed on the basis of those factors and shall be subject to adjustment solely for reasons of changed circumstances” after “employees”, and in third sentence, substituted “except in accordance with the requirements of this section and section 129a of this title.” for “unless such reduction is necessary due to a reduction in funds available to the Department or is required under a law that is enacted after February 10, 1996, and that refers specifically to this subsection.”
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1101(a)(2), (3), redesignated subsec. (d) as (b) and struck out former subsec. (b) which related to the number of, and the amount of funds available to be paid to, indirectly funded Government employees of the Department of Defense.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1101(a)(2), (4), added subsec. (c) and struck out former subsec. (c) which defined the term “indirectly funded Government employees”.
Subsecs. (d) to (f). Pub. L. 114–328, § 1101(a)(2), (3), redesignated subsec. (d) as (b) and struck out subsecs. (e) and (f) which read as follows:
“(e) Subsections (a), (b), and (c) apply to the Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB) at the installation level.
“(f)(1) Not later than February 1 of each year, the Secretary of each military department and the head of each Defense Agency shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on the management of the civilian workforce under the jurisdiction of that official.
“(2) Each report of an official under paragraph (1) shall contain the following:
“(A) The official’s certification (i) that the civilian workforce under the jurisdiction of the official is not subject to any constraint or limitation in terms of man years, end strength, full-time equivalent positions, or maximum number of employees, and (ii) that, during the 12 months preceding the date on which the report is due, such workforce has not been subject to any such constraint or limitation.
“(B) A description of how the civilian workforce is managed.
“(C) A detailed description of the analytical tools used to determine civilian workforce requirements during the 12-month period referred to in subparagraph (A).”
2011—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 112–81, § 932(1), inserted “the total force management policies and procedures established under section 129a of this title, (2)” after “(1)” and substituted “department, and (3)” for “department and (2)”.
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 112–81, § 932(2), substituted “within that budget activity as determined under the total force management policies and procedures established under section 129a of this title.” for “within that budget activity for which funds are provided for that fiscal year.”
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 112–81, § 932(3), struck out at end “With respect to the MRTFB structure, the term ‘funds made available’ includes both direct appropriated funds and funds provided by MRTFB customers.”
1999—Subsec. (f)(1). Pub. L. 106–65 substituted “and the Committee on Armed Services” for “and the Committee on National Security”.
1997—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 105–85 added subsec. (f).
1996—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1074(a)(1), substituted “February 10, 1996,” for “the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996”.
Pub. L. 104–106, § 1031(1), substituted “constraint or limitation in terms of man years, end strength, full-time equivalent positions, or maximum number of employees. The Secretary of Defense and the Secretaries of the military departments may not be required to make a reduction in the number of full-time equivalent positions in the Department of Defense unless such reduction is necessary due to a reduction in funds available to the Department or is required under a law that is enacted after the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 and that refers specifically to this subsection.” for “man-year constraint or limitation.”
Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 104–106, § 1031(2), substituted “any constraint or limitation in terms of man years, end strength, full-time equivalent positions, or maximum number of employees” for “any end-strength”.
Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1603(1), inserted “, the Major Range and Test Facility Base,” after “industrial-type activities”.
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–106, § 1031(3), added subsec. (d).
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–201, § 1603(2), added subsec. (e).
1991—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–190 substituted “department and (2)” for “department, (2)” and struck out “, and (3) the authorized end strength for the civilian personnel of the department for such fiscal year” at end of first sentence.
1986—Pub. L. 99–661 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsecs. (b) and (c).
Pub. L. 99–433 renumbered section 140b of this title as this section.