FORT CARSON, Colo. (KOAA) — Due to the Department of Defense's (DoD) deferred resignation programs for civilian employees, two offices on Fort Carson were forced to close on Mondays due to staffing shortages.
The Transition and Retirement Services offices located in the Mountain Post Soldier Center announced they were closing on Mondays as of June 2 due to a staffing shortage, according to a notice on the MyArmyPost app.
MyArmyPost is an app for services garrisons around the world, providing information and updates for installations like Fort Carson.
“At Fort Carson, we are adjusting our hours for the Military Personnel Division Transitions and Retirement Services offices due to staffing shortages stemming from the deferred resignation program,” a Fort Carson official confirmed via email. “We are working to alleviate any impacts our Soldiers may experience during this time, as we evaluate available resources to maximize efficiency and productivity of programs and services for those who live, work and train on our installation.”
According to the Army website, the Transition Assistance Program office helps active duty soldiers and their families transition from military life to the civilian sector.
The DoD offered two separate deferred resignation programs (DRP) this year for the civilian workforce.
The first DRP was initiated by the Office of Personnel Management government-wide in late January. The second was initiated by the DoD itself in early April.
"We never stopped bringing in the new people needed to build a ready, lethal fighting force and help the department achieve its goals," said Tim Dill, performing the duties of the deputy under the Secretary of Defense for personnel and readiness, in a May 16 DoD press release.
"And, hiring continues for our most essential positions. We're just bringing in fewer employees than we have in the past in support of a lean, efficient, disciplined, and — above all — effective DOD," Dill said.
This comes after President Trump’s civilian federal hiring freeze, through an executive order, impacted military installations across the country.
KOAA previously reported the downstream effects of the president’s hiring freeze, with installations such as Fort Carson revealing impacts to its ability to provide military child care to families on its waitlist.
The DoD has said in an April memo that it’s seeking to reduce the civilian workforce by 5% to 8% using either the DRP or voluntary early retirement.
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