On November 9, 2009, President Obama signed the Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government Executive Order, making hiring Veterans a top priority.
The Order comes as the number of military members re-entering civilian life is ballooning. "This initiative is about more than repaying our debt for their courageous service and selfless sacrifice," Obama said. "It's also about continuing to fill the ranks of federal employees with men and women who possess the skills, dedication and sense of duty that Americans deserve from their public servants. And few embody those qualities like our nation's Veterans."

The purpose of the Executive Order is to increase the number of Veterans in the federal workforce.  The Order outlines key initiative requirements and directs all agencies to aggressively enhance recruitment strategies and promote employment opportunities through a robust Veterans’ Employment Initiative. 

The Executive Order creates an interagency Council on Veterans Employment which will advise the President and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on the Veterans' Employment Initiative. Established within the Council is a Steering Committee with responsibility for providing leadership, accountability, and strategic direction to the Council. Acting Civilian Personnel Management Service Director, Ms. Sharon Stewart, has been assigned as the DoD representative on the Steering Committee.  She will be working closely with the representatives from Veterans Affairs, Department of Labor and OPM.

The Veteran Employment Initiative has several key requirements: 
a)  Establishment of a Veterans Employment Program Office
b)  Development of an agency-specific Operational Plan
c)  Mandatory annual training on  Veterans’ Preference and special hiring authorities for human resources personnel and hiring managers; and
d)  Annual reporting requirements.

The DoD’s Veterans Employment Program Office has been established within CPMS in the Recruitment Assistance Division.  This office is in the process of developing an Operational Plan that will be provided to the Components.

As the largest federal employer of Veterans, the Department of Defense is excited about this new initiative and plans to continue its commitment to providing employment opportunities to the men and women who have served honorably on behalf of our great nation.  DoD currently has more than 342,000 Veterans serving in civilian positions.  For questions about the Veterans Employment Program Office and the Executive Order, please call Karen Hannah at 703-696-6241.

To view the Executive Order visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-veterans-employment-initiative