Washington Headquarters Services

Washington Headquarters Services

Washington Headquarters Services Seal
Agency overview
Formed	1977
Headquarters	Arlington, Virginia
Employees	4,000 (2017)
Agency executives	Barbara Westgate, Director Marcia Case, Deputy Director
Website	www.whs.mil

Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) is a Department of Defense (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 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.

Prior to the establishment of WHS, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (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 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, and, in limited capacity, Congress.

The WHS mission has had substantial surges over recent years - including the massive program for the Renovation of the Pentagon, 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. 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.