The U.S. Army has authorized a third round of the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), allowing Army commands to extend offers to civilian employees identified as surplus or occupying positions that could be reassigned to surplus personnel, a U.S. Army spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk.
The DRP, first implemented by the Office of Personnel Management on Jan. 28, 2025, provides most full-time federal employees – including nearly 900,000 in the Department of Defense (DOD) – with the option to voluntarily resign with full pay and benefits through Sept. 30, 2025.
“The Army authorized an additional round of the DRP for Army commands to offer to employees in surplus positions that have been eliminated,” said Christopher Surridge, U.S. Army spokesperson. “This round is for commands that still need to downsize and reshape their workforce to mitigate the need for reductions or adjustments in force.”
As of August 2025, approximately 15,000 Army civilian employees have been approved to participate in the program. The Army’s review and approval process for DRP requests remains ongoing.
“This round of the Army DRP is limited in scope and only for commands to offer employees in surplus positions that have been eliminated,” Surridge added. “Commands will identify their workforce shaping needs and may request to implement the Army DRP with an application window.”
He noted that application periods, which are set by each command, must not exceed seven calendar days and must be completed by Sept. 5.
All Army Commands, Army Service Component Commands, and Direct Reporting Units are authorized to request, execute, and administer the Army DRP offer.
The DRP is part of a broader initiative by the DOD to streamline its civilian workforce in support of President Trump’s Federal workforce reduction goals. The department is targeting a 5-8% cut in its civilian workforce – equating to between 50,000 and 70,000 positions – under the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency workforce optimization plan.