The Department of War announced a new hiring initiative called “War Force” — but recruits won’t be carrying M27 automatic rifles, they’ll be sporting slide rules. They’re looking for software engineers and tech specialists to keep us at the forefront of the AI and technological arms race.
New hires could make a decent pile of change:
The initiative doesn’t seek to hire trigger-pullers but rather AI experts and other software engineers that could “embed down to the unit level across the department” to support operational needs and “ensure a more lethal United States military,” according to an OPM press release.
Per a job posting on the government-run USAJOBS website, personnel hired for the “forward deployed engineer” roles could make up to nearly $200,000 in annual salary if they come to work for the Pentagon for a two-year stint.
The department seeks experts in designing, building, integrating and maintaining capabilities like frontier AI, machine learning, automation and data systems.
The DoW effort is in partnership with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management:
The @DeptofWar, in partnership with @USOPM, has launched War Force to recruit America's best engineers for a tour of duty to modernize the Department and proliferate AI across the Joint Force.
— Department of War CTO (@DoWCTO) June 30, 2026
War Force engineers will embed everywhere across the War Department, even down to the… pic.twitter.com/YMEaheRQAt
The @DeptofWar, in partnership with @USOPM, has launched War Force to recruit America's best engineers for a tour of duty to modernize the Department and proliferate AI across the Joint Force.
War Force engineers will embed everywhere across the War Department, even down to the unit level, to deliver tangible results to American warfighters.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens eligible for a Secret or Top Secret clearance, with the primary work location in Washington, DC. Applications close July 10, 2026.
Apply today.
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The OPM had its own announcement to make Wednesday: they’re phasing out paper processing for retirements. It will be all digital from now on:
Yesterday marks the last day of paper retirement processing in the federal government. We're turning the page on a decades-old process and embracing a fully digital future for federal retirement services. By modernizing how retirement applications are processed, we're delivering… pic.twitter.com/IcM5VFwRYK
— U.S. Office of Personnel Management (@USOPM) July 1, 2026
Yesterday marks the last day of paper retirement processing in the federal government. We're turning the page on a decades-old process and embracing a fully digital future for federal retirement services. By modernizing how retirement applications are processed, we're delivering faster, more secure, and more efficient service for the federal workforce.
In a press release, OPM said the new processes will be infinitely more efficient than the old ways of doing business:
For decades, federal retirement applications relied on a paper-based process that required physical documents to move between agencies, payroll providers, and OPM’s Retirement Operations Center in Boyers, Pennsylvania. As of yesterday, nearly all retirement applications will be submitted and processed electronically through OPM’s Online Retirement Application (ORA), eliminating paper from the process and significantly reducing processing times.
The milestone follows rapid adoption of ORA, which has processed more than 155,000 retirement applications over the past year after serving only a few hundred users during its initial rollout.
OPM Director Scott Kupor thanked Elon Musk for his past efforts at DOGE in calling attention to the outdated Boyers mine.
Huge day for federal retirees - Last Day of Paper at the mine. Long overdue, but we at @USOPM are officially retiring the paper-based process that has disrespected retirees for 50+ years and led to unacceptable processing delays. Many thanks to @elonmusk for his vision on this… https://t.co/JzLy1rBPiy
— Scott Kupor (@skupor) July 1, 2026
Huge day for federal retirees - Last Day of Paper at the mine. Long overdue, but we at @USOPM are officially retiring the paper-based process that has disrespected retirees for 50+ years and led to unacceptable processing delays. Many thanks to @elonmusk for his vision on this project, @jgebbia for his technical leadership and to the many @USOPM team members who made this happen. So long, Michael J Scott!
“Michael J. Scott” presumably refers to the lead character in the comedy series, “The Office,” which depicts the zany side of a paper products business.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth has dramatically updated how the U.S. military operates, and keeping us on top of emerging technology in concert with OPM is a smart move.
Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.
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