How will the Defense Department handle the all-but-inevitable government shutdown on October 1st? In a few minutes, Pentagon comptroller Robert Hale will lay out the answers for the media — and for hundreds of thousands of anxious civil service employees, many of whom will be watching via webcast. What he’ll be briefing people on is the two memos linked here: a brief introductory “guidance” for senior leaders and an in-depth “contingency plan,” marked in red letters “Do Not Implement Until Direction From the Deputy Secretary Of Defense” (that would be Secretary Chuck Hagel’s majordomo, Ashton “Ash” Carter).

It’s worth bearing in mind that the furloughs and other stopgaps in these memos, and the government shutdown that will require them, are entirely separate from the automatic spending cuts known as sequestration, which forced a week of furloughs in fiscal year 2013 (which ends September 30). Whatever cuts to military readiness, operations, and modernization that the Pentagon must impose to meet the sequester targets are another nightmare for another day.

Click the link below for the brief overview of the shutdown guidance:

Guidance for Continuation of Operations in the Abscence of Available App… by BreakingDefense

And click below the detailed plan:

Department of Defense Contingency Plan Guidance Attachment by BreakingDefense