Washington Headquarters Services
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Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) is a
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
(DoD) Field Activity, created on October 1, 1977, to provide administrative and management support to multiple DoD components and military departments in the
National Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...
and beyond. Currently, WHS has approximately 1,200 civilian and military employees, and 2,000 contract employees, performing a wide range of essential administrative and management services in support of DoD operations, allowing WHS customer agencies and offices to focus exclusively on their core military missions.


History

Prior to the establishment of WHS, the
Office of the Secretary of Defense The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the United States Department of Defense. It is the principal civilian staff element of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and it assists the Secretary in carrying out aut ...
(OSD) provided administrative support for several DoD Components, including several outside of OSD purview. The Department's creation of WHS removed these support functions from OSD, allowing the OSD staff to focus on matters involving policy analysis and oversight. In the ensuing decades, WHS became firmly established as the agency for DoD-wide support functions, including those in the metropolitan Washington DC
National Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...
and beyond. Its worldwide mission continues to evolve, as WHS provides consolidated administrative and operational support to several Defense Agencies, DoD Field Activities, DoD headquarters, various military departments, the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
, and, in limited capacity,
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
. The WHS mission has had substantial surges over recent years - including the massive program for the Renovation of
the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
, the implementation and then decommissioning of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), the implementation of Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC), and the administration of the
Mark Center Building The Mark Center Building is a United States military installation and office building in Alexandria, Virginia. It is operated by the Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), and provides office sp ...
. In Fiscal Year 2013, WHS took responsibility for the consolidation and implementation of the DoD Consolidated Adjudications Facilities (DoD CAF), supporting the eligibility for security clearances for DoD personnel, industry personnel, as well as Congressional and other staffs. In 2010, WHS implemented several
remote work Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), work from anywhere, telework, remote job, mobile work, and distance work is an employment arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, ware ...
initiatives modeled after the
General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...
's (GSA) program with supporting roles such as the Telework Managing Officer. Beginning in 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, a vast majority of WHS' workforce was allowed to work remotely. This led to cost saving measures and access to a diverse pool of talent.


Organization

Organizationally, WHS is aligned under the Director of Administration and Management (DA&M) for the
Office of the Secretary of Defense The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is a headquarters-level staff of the United States Department of Defense. It is the principal civilian staff element of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and it assists the Secretary in carrying out aut ...
(OSD). Divided into several directorates and specialty offices, teams of WHS personnel support the mission of our Defense Department customers by managing DoD-wide programs and operations for
the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
Reservation, Mark Center and other DoD-leased facilities in the National Capital Region and beyond.


Acquisition Directorate

The Acquisition Directorate is the Single Enterprise Contracting Office (SECO), providing acquisition services to all OSD components, significantly reducing annual OSD contracting costs. AD plans, coordinates, and manages the procurement programs essential to the mission of WHS, the Office of the Director of Administration and Management and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Programs support Pentagon Renovation, construction, professional and other services, commodities and supplies, major communication and information technology systems, and special programs totaling over $1.5 billion a year.


Facilities Services Directorate

The WHS Facilities Services Directorate (FSD) supports a customer base of about 64,000 civilian and military personnel, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense,
Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...
, Defense Agencies, and the military departments in the
National Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...
. FSD provides administrative and operational support to specified DoD activities, including space management, maintenance, repair and alteration of assigned buildings, custodial services, landscape maintenance, trash and debris removal, building operations, construction management, property management, and other support services.


Enterprise Management

The WHS Enterprise Management Office (EM) serves as the corporate integrator of WHS and establishes the framework for bridging functional gaps among WHS directorates to secure mission accomplishment and achieve strategic goals across the Office of the Director of Administration and Management.


Executive Services Directorate

The WHS Executive Services Directorate provides administrative management and graphics services to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and executes federally mandated and regulatory programs, including
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act may refer to the following legislations in different jurisdictions which mandate the national government to disclose certain data to the general public upon request: * Freedom of Information Act 1982, the Australian act * ...
, Security Review, Privacy Act, Records Management, Directives, Forms, Declassification Review, and Information Collection.


Enterprise Information Technology Services Directorate

The WHS Enterprise Information Technology Services Directorate (EITSD) provides information technology equipment, services and customer support to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of the Director of Administration and Management, and WHS.


Financial Management Directorate

The WHS Financial Management Directorate (FMD) provides planning, programming, budgeting & execution, and accounting services to WHS and its customers. These services include budget formulation, defense, and execution; financial management, internal audit and compliance; budgetary accounting; financial reporting; official Representation Funds management; purchase card and travel card program management, and resource management.


Human Resources Directorate

The WHS Human Resources Directorate (HRD) provides human resources services for executive, political, military, and civilian personnel; performs security investigations and clearances; conducts adjudications and appeals; and manages the various voluntary campaign programs, e.g., the annual DoD
Combined Federal Campaign The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the workplace giving program of the federal government of the United States. The program is authorized by executive order 12353 (as amended) of March 23, 1982, and is overseen by the United States Office of ...
.


General Counsel

The Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides legal services for the WHS, as well as for the
Pentagon Force Protection Agency The Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) is a federal law enforcement agency within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) charged with protecting and safeguarding the occupants, visitors, and infrastructure of The Pentagon, the Mark Center Bui ...
, and the operational matters handled by the Office of the Director of Administration & Management.


References


External links


Washington Headquarters ServicesDoD Director of Administration and Management
{{authority control 1977 establishments in Virginia United States Department of Defense agencies Government agencies established in 1977 Military units and formations in Virginia