Updated January 12, 2021
Defense Primer: Department of Defense Civilian Employees
Background
military personnel. The majority of defense civilians are in
Congress established the current federal civil service with
the competitive service (82%). Most civil service
the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-454). Its
appointments in DOD are made under Title 5 of the U.S.
primary features are merit-based hiring and merit system
Code. The remaining appointments typically are made for
principles. Federal employment evolved into a civil service
specialized workforces under Title 10 of the U.S. Code,
system in the late 1800s. It replaced a spoils system that
such as cyber, acquisition, and intelligence. Defense
allowed each presidential administration to appoint its
civilians perform federal functions under the supervision of
political supporters as federal employees.
a servicemember or another defense civilian. Defense
Civil Service
civilians may exercise management or supervisory authority
The civil service consists of three categories: competitive
over servicemembers when authorized, but they do not
service, excepted service, and senior executive service
have command or military justice authority over them.
(SES). The competitive service is the primary and largest
Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel
civil service category. The other categories are excluded
The Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System
from it by statute, the President, or the Office of Personnel
(DCIPS) is the human resource system for defense civilians
Management (OPM). The excepted service is the next
who are employed in DOD intelligence positions. Precise
largest category and its selection procedures differ from the
numbers for DCIPS positions are not disclosed, but a DOD
ones used in the competitive service. The smallest category
intelligence official testifying before Congress in 2019
is the SES—less than one percent of the civil service.
stated that there were over 56,000 DCIPS employees.
Selection for the SES is based on an OPM-regulated merit
staffing procedure and qualifications review board (QRB).
The Secretary of Defense establishes all DCIPS positions in
The stated purpose of the QRB is to verify and certify an
the excepted service, to include defense intelligence senior
SES aspirant’s executive core qualifications (ECQs).
level (DISL) and defense intelligence senior executive
service (DISES) positions, also known as intelligence
OPM is responsible for civil service oversight, generally,
community (IC) senior officers. The number of DISES
but the following entities have specific responsibilities:
employees is limited to 594; there is no limit on DISL

positions. Although DISES positions are part of the
Office of Special Counsel (OSC)

excepted service, within DCIPS they are considered
Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB); and

equivalent to SES positions, and DISES compensation is
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC);
based on the OPM SES federal pay tables.
Just under a third of all federal civil servants are in, or are
represented by, a bargaining unit (union). Managers,
Certain DCIPS features, such as pay-setting and pay-
supervisors, and servicemembers are specifically excluded
retention, diverge from established civil service rules and
from unions, as are certain workforce sectors. The Federal
are available for discretionary implementation by DOD
Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) oversees labor relations
intelligence organizations. DCIPS pay-banding allows
between union members and the federal government.
qualification for a pay level that is supposed to match
performance and responsibilities, without having to satisfy
Civil Service Data
such level’s typical time-in-service requirements. DCIPS
There are two common methods for enumerating civil
rank-in-person permits retention of pay level for any role or
servants: full-time equivalent (FTE) and on-board
position to which one is assigned, regardless of an increase,
personnel (OBP). The executive branch typically uses FTE
or a decrease, in one’s level of responsibility.
in budget documents and OBP in data reports. A FTE unit
Defense Civilian Cyber Personnel
equals one work year (2,080 hours) and an OBP unit equals
The DOD Cyber Excepted Service (CES) is the human
one employee. The FTE method quantifies employment as
resource system for defense civilians who are employed in
the number of hours worked at the end of a fiscal year,
CES-designated cyber positions. The stated purpose of CES
irrespective of the number of employees. The OBP method
is to employ defense civilians who can perform U.S. Cyber
quantifies employment as the number of actual employees
Command responsibilities. CES authority also includes
working on the last day of any quarter in a fiscal year,
pay-banding and rank-in-person provisions.
regardless of their part or full-time status. An OBP count
can be greater than FTE because one or more OBP units
Defense Civilian Personnel Administration
could equal one FTE unit.
The DOD principal staff official with responsibility for
Defense Civilians
defense civilian policy and programs is the Undersecretary
of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)). The
The Department of Defense (DOD) may employ civil
Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security
servants (defense civilians) in the three civil service
(USD(I&S)) is responsible for DCIPS policy and programs,
categories consistent with its yearly appropriation for direct
subject to coordination with the USD(P&R). The Director
hire employees. They fill positions that do not require
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Defense Primer: Department of Defense Civilian Employees
of National Intelligence (DNI) may prescribe IC personnel
are shown in Table 2, and the same information for
policy and programs that apply to DCIPS employees after
selected SES defense civilian OBP is shown in Table 3.
consulting with the USD(I&S) and the Secretary of
Defense. The DOD Chief Information Officer (CIO) is
Table 2. Defense Civilian OBP Demographics
responsible for developing CES policy and providing
Selected Race, Gender, and Ethnicity Data for Sep 2019
recommended CES policy documents for issuance to the
USD(P&R), subject to coordination with the USD(I&S) and
Black/
Asian/
Defense
Hispanic
Under Secretary of Defense for Policy (USD(P)).
African
Pacific
Women
Civilians
/Latino
Amer.
Islander
Defense Civilian FTE Authorizations
The enacted FY2020 and requested FY2021 authorizations
Army
40,329
11,573
9,295
87,103
for defense civilian FTE are shown in Table 1. DOD’s
252,937
16%
5%
4%
34%
FY1980 to FY2020 enacted authorizations for defense
Navy
24,976
19,641
4,708
60,375
civilian FTE are shown in Error! Reference source not
220,715
11%
9%
2%
27%
found..
Air Force
21,140
7,044
6,581
48,611
Table 1. Defense Civilian FTE for FY2020
171,454
12%
4%
4%
28%
(Thousands of Personnel)
Defense
24,347
6,931
3,238
54,628
DOD
FY20 FTE
FY21 FTE
Percent
114,191
21%
6%
3%
48%
Component
Enacted
Requested
Change
Total
110,792
45,189
23,822
250,717
759,297
15%
6%
3%
33%
Defense
221
214
(3%)
Source: Office of Personnel Management, Federal Civilian Workforce
Army
192
198
3%
Statistics (Washington: OPM); Employment Trend for Sep 30, 2019, at
Navy/Marines
219
221
1%
https://www.fedscope.opm.gov/; Diversity Trend for Sep 30, 2019, at
https://www.fedscope.opm.gov/ibmcognos/bi/v1/disp.
Air Force
174
173
(1%)
Notes: OPM publishes DOD OBP federal employment data, but
Source: DOD, Comptrol er, National Defense Budget Estimates for FY
such data does not include IC element DCIPS employees.
2021 (Green Book), April 2020, p. 288 (FTE rounded by source).
Notes: Marine and Space Force FTE are included in Navy and Air
Table 3. SES Career Appointee OBP Demographics
Force, respectively. Parentheses indicate a decrease.
Selected Race, Gender, and Ethnicity Data for Sep 2019
Figure 1. Defense Civilian FTE Authorizations
SES
Black/
Asian/
Hispanic
FY1980 – FY2020
Career
African
Pacific
Women
/Latino
Appoint
Amer.
Islander
Army
21
7
9
58
265
8%
3%
3%
22%
Navy
12
6
11
87
318
4%
2%
3%
27%
Air Force
11
4
10
47
174
6%
2%
6%
27%
Defense
26
14
12
105
351
7%
4%
3%
30%
Total
70
31
42
297
1,108
6%
3%
4%
27%
Source: Office of Personnel Management, Federal Civilian Workforce
Statistics (Washington: OPM); Employment Trend for Sep 30, 2019, at
https://www.fedscope.opm.gov/; Diversity Trend for Sep 30, 2019, at
https://www.fedscope.opm.gov/ibmcognos/bi/v1/disp.
Notes: SES career appointment employees in DOD for FY2019
Source: DOD, Comptrol er, National Defense Budget Estimates for FY
were 0.15% of defense civilians. The government-wide SES
2021 (Green Book), April 2020, pp. 287-288.
percentage for the same period was 0.33%. The statutory DISES limit
of 594 is 1% of the stated number of DCIPS employees in May 2019.
Defense Civilian Diversity and Inclusion
OPM’s DOD OBP federal employment data does not include IC
The DOD diversity and inclusion management program is
element DCIPS DISES employees. SES positions typical y have agency
meant to promote a diverse workforce that reflects the
or departmental level management and policymaking responsibilities.
diversity of the United States. One of the program’s goals is
to support an inclusive culture that enables differences
Alan Ott, Analyst in Defense and Intelligence Personnel
among personnel to improve DOD. The race, gender, and
Policy
ethnicity demographics for selected defense civilian OBP
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Defense Primer: Department of Defense Civilian Employees

IF11510


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