The Pentagon lacks complete and reliable data on which civilian employees are eligible for telework or remote work, limiting its ability to track and oversee those arrangements, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
In January 2025, the Defense Department (DOD) – rebranded as the War Department by the Trump administration – directed all employees to return to full-time, in-person work, with limited exceptions, in line with a presidential memorandum applying to executive branch employees.
According to the report, as of July 2025, about 8% of DOD’s civilian workforce – roughly 62,000 of 780,000 employees – had not returned to in-person work. About 6%, or 45,000 employees, were on deferred resignation status or had other exemptions, while about 2%, or 17,000 employees, were approved for reasonable accommodations.
GAO reviewed data from 13 selected dates between December 2021 and February 2025 and found that between 65% and 68% of civilian positions were eligible for telework or remote work.
However, GAO said data on actual employee eligibility was incomplete, undermining the department’s ability to track teleworkers and remote workers.
The report cited discrepancies in DOD’s own reporting. In May 2024, the department publicly reported having 61,549 remote employees. One month later, DOD told GAO the number was 35,558.
According to the federal watchdog, DOD’s data problems likely make previously reported figures on telework and remote work inaccurate and leave the department without clear visibility into how often those flexibilities are used.
Federal and DOD policies require agencies to collect data on both position and employee eligibility, but DOD officials told GAO there is no formal process to ensure the information is accurate, timely or complete.
“Without formal processes for collecting data on employee eligibility, DOD lacks visibility into the use of these flexibilities and may not be able to ensure compliance with DOD policy to collect accurate and reliable data on use of these flexibilities,” the report read. “DOD has not formally evaluated the effects of telework and remote work programs in relation to its agency goals, but officials reported perceived benefits and challenges.”
GAO recommended that DOD develop formal processes to ensure accurate, timely and complete data on civilian employee eligibility for telework and remote work, and establish clear requirements for evaluating the effects of those programs. The department agreed with both recommendations and outlined steps it plans to take to implement them.