Lawmakers Push to Expand Hiring at Military Depots

Bipartisan letter urges military to utilize new direct hire authority for critical support roles.

Apr. 18, 2026 at 6:23pm

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A dimly lit, cinematic painting of a lone military depot worker in a maintenance bay, the scene bathed in warm, diagonal sunlight and deep shadows, conceptually representing the effort to improve hiring and staffing at these critical facilities.The bipartisan push to expand hiring at military depots aims to strengthen the defense industrial base by streamlining the recruitment of skilled workers and veterans.Oklahoma City Today

Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) and Senator James Lankford (R-OK) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to the Secretaries of the Air Force, Army, and Navy requesting strategies for how they plan to use expanded direct hire authority to fill critical positions at military depots, arsenals, shipyards, and industrial facilities.

Why it matters

The new policy, secured in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, aims to help military facilities like Hill Air Force Base and Tinker Air Force Base quickly hire new staff, manage attrition, recruit for increased workload, and reduce reliance on private contractors. It also enables the military to hire veterans immediately after they depart service, rather than forcing them to wait six months under the '180 Day Rule'.

The details

The letter requests written responses on how each service has used direct hire authority to manage workforce needs for depot-level maintenance and support positions, how many positions have been filled via direct hire authority this year compared to the previous two fiscal years, and how many positions each service plans to fill with direct hire authority in the upcoming fiscal year. The expanded definition of 'defense industrial base' for direct hire authority now includes a wider array of supporting unit jobs such as program and management analysts, software technicians, facilities mechanics, training instructors, and workers in safety and occupational health roles.

  • The FY26 National Defense Authorization Act expanded the Department's ability to utilize 'direct hire authority' in 2026.
  • The letter was sent to the Secretaries of the Air Force, Army, and Navy on April 18, 2026.

The players

Blake Moore

A Republican Congressman from Utah who co-led the bipartisan letter.

James Lankford

A Republican Senator from Oklahoma who co-led the bipartisan letter.

Eric Sorensen

A Democratic Congressman from Illinois who co-signed the letter.

Michael Cloud

A Republican Congressman from Texas who co-signed the letter.

Jill Tokuda

A Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii who co-signed the letter.

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What they’re saying

“Our depots desperately need talent, and a slow bureaucratic hiring process prevents depots from hiring the best of the best. I was proud to work with Senator Lankford last year to secure a critical policy change in the FY26 NDAA, which will make it easier for the Ogden Air Logistics Complex to quickly hire skilled workers.”

— Blake Moore, Congressman

“By expanding direct-hire authority to include all supporting units at installations like Tinker Air Force Base, we are cutting the bureaucratic red tape that has slowed our military readiness. For too long, narrow interpretations left thousands of critical support roles stuck in an excruciatingly slow hiring process. This change will help us bring veterans and skilled technicians on board faster, strengthen our defense industrial base, and ensure we are fully using the tools available to support our national security.”

— James Lankford, Senator

What’s next

The Secretaries of the Air Force, Army, and Navy will submit written strategies and responses to the lawmakers' requests.

The takeaway

This bipartisan effort aims to streamline the hiring process at military depots and facilities, enabling them to more quickly fill critical support roles and bring on skilled veterans, ultimately strengthening the defense industrial base.