Harsh Words on Hiring Disabled

The Defense Department needs to do a much better job of hiring talented people with disabilities, says the Pentagon's personnel chief.

"I am somewhat routinely frustrated by a bureaucracy that coins terms like, 'hiring reform,' to get people into the system faster," said Clifford L. Stanley, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, at the Disability Awards Ceremony and Forum in Bethesda, Md., Wednesday. "I don't even want to tell you what our percentage is of disabled employees at the Defense Department, because I'm not too happy about it."

According to American Forces Press Service, Stanley told the audience at the event that "we need to do a better job" of finding disabled civilians and former military service members to fill positions. "It shouldn't take as long as it does to hire people," he said.