WASHINGTON
—
With
less
than
two
days
left
before
the
US
government
potentially
shuts
down,
the
Department
of
Defense
has
issued
contingency
guidance
to
the
force
outlining
six
priorities
and
contracting
plans.
“Activities
that
are
determined
not
to
be
excepted,
and
which
cannot
be
performed
by
utilizing
military
personnel
in
place
of
furloughed
civilian
personnel,
will
be
suspended
when
appropriated
funds
are
no
longer
available,”
the
document
said.
The
secretary
of
defense
“may,
at
any
time,
determine
that
additional
activities
shall
be
treated
as
excepted,”
it
added.
Fiscal
2025
is
sunsetting
when
the
clock
strikes
midnight
Wednesday.
Congress
has
not
yet
approved
FY26
spending
bills,
and
Democrats
and
Republicans
have
not
reached
an
agreement
on
a
continuing
resolution
to
keep
the
government
open.
If
a
stopgap
measure
is
not
approved
by
both
chambers
and
signed
by
President
Donald
Trump,
the
federal
government
will
shut
down.
For
DoD,
that
means
that
military
personnel
on
active
duty
—
including
reserve
component
personnel
on
federal
active
duty
—
will
continue
reporting
for
duty
and
may
be
asked
to
carry
out
non-excepted
activities
normally
done
by
civilian
personnel
that
have
been
furloughed.
“Civilian
personnel,
including
military
technicians,
who
are
not
necessary
to
carry
out
or
support
excepted
activities,
are
to
be
furloughed
using
lapse
in
appropriations
(often
referred
to
as
‘shutdown’)
procedures
and
guidance
provided
by
the
Office
of
Personnel
Management,”
the
Pentagon
guidance
said.
“Only
the
minimum
number
of
civilian
employees
necessary
to
carry
out
excepted
activities
will
be
excepted
from
furlough.”
The
department’s
“highest
priorities,”
according
to
the
guidance,
will
revolve
around operations
securing
the
US
Southern
border,
operations
in
the
Middle
East,
designing
Golden
Dome, depot
maintenance,
shipbuilding
and
critical
munitions.
“As
in
every
case,
efforts
supporting
these
activities
may
occur
during
a
lapse
when
resourced
with
funds
that
remain
available,”
the
planning
guidance
said.
“Where
costs
for
such
efforts
must
be
charged
against
a
lapsed
appropriation,
Component
and
subordinate
leaders
will
closely
evaluate
individual
activities
to
determine
whether
they
are
‘excepted’
consistent
with
this
planning
guidance
and
continue
or
initiate
them,
as
appropriate,
when
supported
by
the
facts,”
the
document
later
added.
When
it
comes
to
work
on
big-ticket
weapons
programs,
contractors
are
able
to
continue
working
on
previously
awarded
deals.
However,
the
department
is
not
allowed
to
execute
new
contracts.
“The
expiration
of
an
appropriation
does
not
require
the
termination
of
contracts
(or
issuance
of
stop
work
orders)
funded
by
that
appropriation
unless
a
new
obligation
of
funds
is
required
under
the
contract
and
the
contract
is
not
required
to
support
an
excepted
activity,”
the
guidance
continues.