U.S. Department of Defense - Fiscal Year Human Capital Operations Plan

Key Chapter Title List

1. Message from the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Civilian Personnel Policy
2. Overview and Background Purpose
3. Strategic Alignment of Human Capital Goals and Strategies
4. Strengthening the DoD's Ability to Acquire and Shape a Resilient, Highly Skilled Workforce
5. Enhancing the DoD's Ability to Develop, Manage, and Retain Top Talent
6. Advancing the DoD Human Capital Management Plan
7. Alignment of the DoD Human Capital Operating Plan with Strategic Guidance Documents
8. FY 2022-2023 Human Capital Operating Plan and Results
9. FY 2024-2025 Human Capital Operating Plan Metrics
10. Acronyms/Glossary of Terms
11. References and Basis

Document Introduction

This plan is an updated version of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2026 Human Capital Operating Plan (HCOP), focusing on specific action plans and metric adjustments for FY 2024-2025. The background stems from the evolving global security environment and unprecedented national challenges. The DoD needs to optimize human capital management to ensure its civilian workforce can support its core mission of deterring war and safeguarding national security.

The plan is structured around three core human capital goals: First, strengthening talent acquisition and shaping capabilities, focusing on the supply side of the labor market by expanding external opportunities and transforming recruitment models to attract resilient, highly skilled talent. Second, enhancing talent development, management, and retention levels, focusing on the demand side of the workforce by building professional capabilities, expanding development opportunities, and fostering a retention culture. Third, advancing the modernization of human capital management plans, relying on technology enablement and process optimization to build an efficient and integrated human capital management system.

The plan's development is based on the implementation results and lessons learned from FY 2022-2023, integrating top-level guidance such as the DoD Strategic Management Plan and the Under Secretary of Defense's Talent Management Initiative. It also complies with federal regulatory requirements such as the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 and the Federal Personnel Management Regulations. Each strategy and initiative has clear milestones, responsible entities, and quantitative metrics, forming a complete implementation chain of "Goal-Strategy-Initiative-Metric."

In terms of specific content, the plan covers multiple key initiatives, including the pilot expansion of the Defense Civilian Training Corps, increased employment opportunities for military spouses, optimization of recruitment process timelines, cybersecurity talent credentialing, and expansion of human capital data analysis. By integrating digital tools such as cloud technology and artificial intelligence, it promotes process reengineering across the entire talent management lifecycle. It also emphasizes the integration of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) to ensure the diversity and adaptability of the civilian workforce.

This plan not only provides a clear roadmap for the DoD's human capital management in FY 2024-2025 but also serves as an important reference for understanding how the U.S. defense system supports the National Security Strategy through talent strategy. Its implementation will directly impact the effectiveness of the DoD civilian workforce and the efficiency of achieving defense missions.