The Department of Defense partnered with the Office of Personnel Management to recruit hundreds of software engineers for voluntary assignments following a nearly 11% decline of its workforce.
In a joint statement, the Defense Department said the War Force campaign aims to attract “exceptional software engineers to support the nation’s most critical national security missions.”
Emil Michael, the Defense Department’s chief technology officer, described the effort as “a call to action for patriotic forward-deployed engineers.”
He explained that the new hires will support the Defense Department’s AI Acceleration Strategy and “enterprise” projects “to ensure American military technological dominance for generations to come.”
Despite the long-term goals, the job posting for Forward Deployed Engineer says the position will “not to exceed more than two years.”
According to the job posting, those hired as Forward Deployed Engineers will start at the GS-14 pay grade, with salaries beginning at $125,776 annually.
The campaign comes as the Defense Department has experienced a significant decline in its civilian workforce.
According to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office, the department’s workforce dropped from 778,188 employees in December 2024 to 695,248 in January 2026.
Overall, the GAO found the federal government lost 377,722 employees during that period, most of whom left voluntarily.
GAO data also shows the Defense Department lost 24,366 technical employees by the end of fiscal 2025, followed by another 2,787 during the first quarter of fiscal 2026.
Although OPM has a broad definition for the technical occupational group, the Defense Department reportedly lost some 7,600 employees who worked in IT.
In March 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo outlining plans to rebuild the department to meet the military’s current and future demands. He said the plan aimed to eliminate redundant and bureaucratic steps through automation and technological solutions.
“The net effect will be a reduction in the number of civilian full-time equivalent positions and increased resources in the areas where we need them most,” Hegseth wrote.
The War Force campaign is part of a broader federal initiative known as US Tech Force, a fellowship program designed to help agencies implement artificial intelligence tools and modernize their technical infrastructure.
Through the program, the federal government has also partnered with private-sector companies to build a pipeline of candidates interested in temporary government service. The initiative aims to hire more than 1,000 people across the federal government.
Applications for the Forward Deployed Engineer positions close at midnight on July 17. The Defense Department expects to begin interviewing candidates later that month and into August.
Daniel Terrill is a contributor to Military Times. He’s been reporting on military issues, the gun industry, and the outdoors for nearly two decades. Although writing is his passion, he’s been a Marine, police officer, and, perhaps the most dangerous job of his career, a substitute teacher.
