To replace aging maintenance workforce, Army seeks extension of direct hiring authority

Federal News Radio: The Army says recent authorities Congress granted the Defense Department to fast-track the hiring of new maintenance employees have gone a long way toward filling its pipeline of younger workers. But those authorities are set to expire in just a few months.

That’s a particular concern because half of the roughly 12,000 civilian employees in the Army’s organic industrial base are over the age of 50 and are nearing retirement eligibility, said Lt. Gen. Aundre Piggee, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for logistics.

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