“With Congress and the White House still at loggerheads over the defense budget, Pentagon personnel strategists are proceeding with a more-severe version of an existing plan for cuts to headquarters staff,” according to Defense One .  

“On Aug. 24, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work sent all military departments and services a memo titled ‘Cost Reduction Targets for Major Headquarters,’ ordering preparation for a 25 percent cut in appropriations from 2017-2020 for all major Defense headquarters activities, the Office of the Defense Secretary, the Joint Staff, and the Defense agencies and field activities.”  

“The directive from Work suggests an impatience with indecision by Congress and the White House over the shared goal of reducing headquarters employees… Work’s August memo said he expects that Congress will require a 25 percent cut, but even if ‘Congress fails to act, the department needs the savings that will be achieved through this reduction to fund higher priority requirements in support of the warfighter and to address underfunded strategic needs.'”