Defense Dept. Acquisition Workforce Will Grow Contractors fill more than one-third of acquisition-related jobs in the Defense Department, according to the Government Accountability Office. Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to hire federal workers to take over most of those positions as part of his drive to reduce DOD’s dependence on contractors. In addition to its reliance on contractors, “DOD lacks complete information on the skill sets of its in-house personnel,” GAO said. “DOD also lacks information on the acquisition workforce it needs to meet its mission.” The report was presented April 28 to the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Secretary Gates plans to convert 11,000 contractor positions to in-house work and hire an additional 9,000 acquisition personnel over the next five years. Shay Assad, director of defense procurement, said hiring has already begun. “This is an unprecedented acquisition workforce growth initiative,” he told the subcommittee. “This will create a better balance between our government workforce and contractor support personnel and ensure that critical and inherently governmental functions are performed by government employees.” But GAO said striking a balance may be difficult because DOD has never established what the right balance should be and lacks information about the capabilities of its own workers. The department is currently conducting a competency assessment of its personnel. Subcommittee Chairman Vic Snyder, D-AR, said Congress bears some of the blame for the shortage of qualified acquisition workers because lawmakers ordered cuts in the Defense Department’s budget and payroll after the end of the Cold War. Since 2001, Assad said, DOD contract spending nearly tripled while the acquisition workforce grew hardly at all. Most program managers surveyed by GAO said they turned to contractors because of a shortage of in-house personnel and headcount ceilings that limited their ability to hire. In 66 program offices surveyed by GAO, contractors filled 37% of the acquisition-related jobs. The figure ranged from 22% contractors in Army offices to 49% at the Missile Defense Agency.