The heads of the military services may now ask for exemptions to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s blanket hiring freeze for all civilian positions, according to a new memo.

“While the Department remains under the hiring freeze, DOD will only hire mission-essential employees into positions that directly contribute to our warfighting readiness,” Hegseth wrote.

His Feb. 28 memo putting the freeze into place already made exemptions for positions essential to immigration enforcement, national security and public safety, Defense Scoop noted.

The Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness will have to personally sign off on any exemption requests from the military services.

“Every dollar counts as we defend the homeland, deter adversaries abroad, and prepare our service members to triumph in combat,” Hegseth wrote in the memo.

Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dylan M. Kinee