DOD's Management of Civilian Personnel Ceilings
Gao ID: FPCD-81-66 August 18, 1981A review was made to determine how the Department of Defense (DOD) used its authority to exceed its civilian personnel ceilings and how personnel ceilings affected mobilization.
DOD has been given congressional authorization to exceed its annual ceiling for civilian personnel by no more than .5 percent of the total authorized end-strength if it is in the national interest to do so. However, this authority has only been used once since it was first given in 1975. Since Congress allowed DOD this additional flexibility to handle unforeseen events not covered in the budget process, the use of this authority by GAO was consistent with the intent of the DOD Authorization Act.