Hundreds of thousands of Defense Department civilian employees who have had to take a weekly unpaid day off from work since July 8 are getting some relief, as the total number of furlough days has been reduced from 11 to six. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Tuesday that a combination of congressional funding and Pentagon “budget management efforts” allowed the reduction. Hagel said the military services were aggressively holding down costs, and the Defense Department was able to shift savings to meet its highest priority needs. But the defense secretary warned that despite the improved situation, “this is a military whose readiness remains seriously degraded as we head toward the budgetary uncertainties of the coming fiscal year.” The reduction in the number of furlough days means most employees will have met their furlough requirements by August 17. All employees who are not exempt from furloughs must meet the six-day requirement before the end of the fiscal year.
