Defense Commissary Agency Director and CEO Joseph Jeu will retire from government on June 3.

DeCA said Thursday Jeu assumed his current role in January 2011 and has since led transformation efforts, provided strategic direction and oversaw the modernization of supply chain management systems at the agency.

Under Jeu’s leadership, DeCA also launched the Enterprise Business Solution initiative that aims to modernize the agency’s legacy business systems.

He joined DeCA from the General Services Administration‘s Federal Acquisition Service, where he served as assistant commissioner for general supplies and services.

Jeu was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2000 and worked as assistant commissioner for transportation and property management at the Federal Supply Service.

He also served at the U.S. Marine Corps‘ headquarters where he managed the Marine Corps Commissary System and headed the Marine Corps Services Branch.

Jeu started his more than 38-year government career as a commissary officer at the U.S. Army‘s Troop Support Agency.

The Defense Department has exempted certain civilian positions from the federal hiring freeze that President Donald Trump ordered in a Jan.23 presidential memorandum.

DoD released guidance that lists civilian roles necessary to support national security or public safety responsibilities, the Pentagon said Thursday.

Defense Secretary James Mattis identified necessary functions such as roles that support contingency missions; scheduled military operations; security cooperation exercises; cyber, intelligence and space operations or planning; and healthcare activities.

Other exemptions include first responder and law enforcement positions; roles that are necessary to enforce international obligations; personnel that provide operational support to the president, defense secretary or chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and care providers of military personnel’s children.

Mattis also excluded functions that are necessary for nuclear weapon safety, mortuary affairs and direct equipment maintenance and inventory management in shipyards and depots.

The guidance directed the deputy chief management officer and contracted services managers to make sure that contracts will not be used to circumvent the hiring freeze.

The DoD memo also includes processes and procedures for the approval of additional exemptions.

The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army modify the service branches’ respective human capital planning strategies to address unmanned aerial system pilot shortages and training shortfalls.

GAO said in a report published Tuesday both service branches should also evaluate workforce mixes for UAS pilot positions as well as analyze the cost effectiveness of workforce decisions.

The watchdog agency also found that the Air Force and Army did not fully apply four out of five principles for effective strategic human capital planning on the management of the service branches’ UAS pilots.

Thirsty-seven percent of the personnel filling UAS pilot positions as of March 2016 were temporarily assigned manned-aircraft pilots, GAO added.

According to the agency, the Air Force complied with the first principle for strategic human capital planning, which was to involve top senior leaders, employees and stakeholders, in a push to address UAS pilot shortage.

The Army was able to comply with the third principle, which was to monitor progress toward meeting human capital goals, but 61 out of 73 units flew less than half of the 340-flight-hour per unit annual minimum training goal, GAO said.

Both service branches only partially applied the other three principles that cover the development of strategies tailored to address gaps in critical skills and competencies, determination of critical skills and competencies needed as well as the development of capability to support human capital strategies by using flexibilities.

GAO urged the two branches to modify current strategies to address risks of continued training at a level lower than current goals and the potential loss of experience from temporarily assigned manned-aircraft pilots.

The Defense Department has implemented a mandatory training program on the updated military retirement system for eligible service members ahead of the system’s Jan. 1, 2018 effective date, DoD News reported Wednesday.

Lisa Ferdinando writes Anthony Kurta, acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said the Blended Retirement System is designed to help military personnel select a retirement plan that fits them and their family members best.

Andrew Corso, assistant director of military compensation policy and project lead for the Blended Retirement System implementation, told DoD News in an interview that the system features a traditional benefit annuity, automatic and matching Thrift Savings Plan contributions and an incentive payment.

“The goal of modernizing the retirement system was to go from a system that benefits about 20 percent of all service members to one that benefits about 85 percent of all service members,” added Corso.

Corso explained the opt-in training course for the blended system can be accessed via the Joint Knowledge Online  and Military OneSource wesbites.

All service members who will join the military on or after Jan. 1, 2018 will immediately be enrolled in the new system and required to take the training within the first year in service, the report noted.