By the Numbers - Dec. 14, 2015

By the Numbers - Dec. 14, 2015

$3.1 billion to $5.7 billion annually

The amount the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that Department of Defense (DoD) could save by replacing military personnel in support positions, according to a new CBO report -- Replacing Military Personnel in Support Positions With Civilian Employees
Although only military members fill combat roles, the report notes that in 2012, "about 340,000 active-duty military personnel were assigned to commercial positions that perform support functions." By transferring just 80,000 of those slots to civilian or contract personnel, the DoD could realize savings in the range stated above.

80,000 seems to be the optimum number of positions to transfer, according to the report, which stated:

Converting more than 80,000 positions would produce larger savings but would increase the likelihood that the conversions would affect DoD’s ability to achieve some of its personnel management objectives, such as reserving enough commercial positions for active-duty service members rotating from combat assignments.

CBO Graph