About WHS

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

WHS has civilian, military, and contract employees performing a wide range of essential administrative and management services in support of the Department’s operations, allowing WHS customer agencies and offices to focus on their core military missions.

David O. Cooke
1977-2002

Known as the “Mayor of the Pentagon,” David O. “Doc” Cooke was the Department’s highest-ranking career civil servant for many years and served in several, senior leadership positions. He played a key role in the establishment of Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) as a field activity in 1977, serving as its first Director for a quarter of a century from its establishment to 2002. Mr. Cooke also served in several senior positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, culminating as the Director of Administration and Management (DA&M) from 1988 to 2002. During this period, he was dual-hatted as the DA&M and Director of WHS.

1977 – On October 1, 1977, Deputy Secretary of Defense (DepSecDef) Charles W. Duncan, Jr., approved the inaugural DoD organizational chartering directive on WHS that provided guidance on its purpose, mission, organization and management, functions and responsibilities, relationships, and authorities. It also stipulated that the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Administration) (DASD(A)) would serve as the Director of WHS. Mr. Cooke was serving as the DASD(A) at the time. A key, driving force behind the establishment of WHS was to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and economy of common support services provided to organizations and headquarters staffs in the National Capital Region (NCR) by consolidating them into a single organization. At this time, the organizational term for WHS was an “Office, Secretary of Defense field activity.”

1984 – On September 19, 1984, DepSecDef William H. Taft, IV, issued the first update to the WHS chartering directive. The reissuance reaffirmed the functions and responsibilities established in 1977 to provide administrative support to OSD, as well as Defense Agencies, DoD Field Activities, and specified joint activities in the NCR that did not possess internal administrative support capability. These core functions continued to include budget and accounting, civilian and military personnel management, office services, security, correspondence and records management, travel, data systems, computer services, facilities management, and other administrative support as required. This update also established WHS as a DoD Field Activity, which remains an organizational term.

1987 – The General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator delegated authority for protecting the Pentagon Reservation to DoD. With an expanded mission, DoD established the Defense Protective Service (DPS) within WHS.

“Rolling Thunder” was founded. WHS continues to provide logistical support for thousands of motorcyclists who gather annually at the Pentagon for a ride through Washington, D.C. to highlight Prisoner of War/Missing in Action issues.

1989 – The Pentagon was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1990 – Congress transferred management of the Pentagon to DoD/WHS. WHS assumed responsibility for Pentagon Reservation renovations and all NCR DoD facilities.

1991 – The Pentagon Renovation (PENREN) Program was established. Among the largest facility renovation and modernization programs ever accomplished, PENREN spanned two decades of planning, design and construction to preserve historic elements and upgrade the structure, office spaces, accessibility, communications, information technology, and security throughout the building.

2001 – With the September 11th terrorist attack on the Pentagon, Defense Protective Service (DPS) employees were among the first to respond to the attack. Seventeen DPS individuals and 22 Real Estate and Facilities Directorate employees received the DoD Medal for Valor for their actions. The Pentagon received overwhelming first responder support from local jurisdictions. Arlington County assumed incident command in fighting the fire. According to After Action Reports from the attack, these close relationships resulted in coordinated emergency response efforts.

In the immediate aftermath of September 11th, keeping the Pentagon operational was not only a necessity, it was a point of national pride for WHS personnel.

2002 – The Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) was established to address new force protection and security requirements. PFPA absorbed DPS and augmented manpower and resource capabilities. WHS was instrumental in assisting with the stand-up of PFPA, a monumental effort that included hiring and training hundreds of new police officers in less than a year.

WHS Director Doc Cooke passed away in June and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, overlooking the Pentagon Reservation.

2003 – The PENREN Program was realigned. PENREN management and supervision shifted from the DepSecDef to the DA&M and WHS Director.

The overall responsibility for management of Raven Rock Mountain Complex transferred from the Secretary of the Army to the WHS Director.

2006 – Military Commissions Act of 2006 established the Office of Military Commissions with WHS providing essential support.

2007 – Pentagon Reservation Modernization (PENREN Program) and Operations (Defense Facilities Directorate) were consolidated into a single facilities service provider.

2012 – The Department consolidated various non-intelligence component clearance adjudication facilities into one entity, the DoD Consolidated Adjudications Facility, to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and standardize the adjudicative process across the spectrum, as well as to develop a level of trust when applying reciprocity.

The DepSecDef Ashton Carter directed the transfer of the Office of Military Commissions (OMC) security program from the Office of the Convening Authority to WHS.

50th Year Vietnam War Commemoration Commission established.

2013 – DepSecDef Ashton Carter issued an update to the WHS chartering directive that expanded WHS-managed programs to include the Small Business Support Program, Federal Executive Boards, the DoD Plain Language Program, and the DoD Security and Policy Review Program, among others.

In December 2013, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel directed a number of changes to the OSD Staff, including the merger of the DA&M and the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Oversight with a new and expanded Deputy Chief Management Officer (DCMO), which had been initially established as an OSD Principal Staff Assistant in 2007-2008. This merger took place in 2014, and included the transfer of authority, direction, and control over PFPA and WHS from the DA&M to the DCMO.

2015-2016 – As part of DepSecDef-directed efficiencies, information technology support for Pentagon tenants, among other organizational customers, shifted from WHS to a new organization called the Joint Service Provider, which is an operating organization of the Defense Information Systems Agency.

2016-2017 – As the tallest office building ever constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers, WHS utilized the Mark Center to consolidate a number of DoD agencies under one roof to increase operational efficiency, effectively support the warfighter, and transition many DoD offices from leased spaces to a more secure facility to meet high anti-terrorism security standards. WHS planned, coordinated, and managed the consolidation of 22 DoD tenant organizations, totaling over 6,409 employees from 34 different locations across Northern Virginia.

Vietnam Corridor – Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel returned to the Pentagon to join Defense Secretary Ash Carter in officially opening the Vietnam War Commemoration exhibit honoring the estimated 9 million Americans who served in the Vietnam War.

2017-2019 – Washington Headquarters Services provided management support and oversight to the Armed Forces Retirement Homes (AFRH), which care for more than 1,300 veterans in Washington D.C. and Gulfport, Mississippi. Under WHS stewardship, AFRH grew its trust fund nearly 40 percent, from $56 million to $78 million.

2020 – When the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) began to spread throughout the United States, Washington Headquarters Services, at the request of the Chief Management Officer (CMO), quickly took action to protect employees on the Pentagon Reservation and at the Armed Forces Retirement Homes. On behalf of the Pentagon leadership, WHS established limits on the number of employees who could safely work on site, implemented health screening measures at building entrances, obtained personal protective equipment, manufactured hand sanitizer in-house, disseminated essential medical information about the virus, and installed information posters and other visual aids to protect employees and their families. These preventive measures allowed military and civilian personnel to maintain peak readiness and fully execute the national security mission.

2019-2020 – WHS provided critical funding and support for a new corridor exhibit in the Pentagon, entitled African Americans in Defense of Our Nation. It highlights in rich visual and textual detail the many struggles that African American men and women have overcome since colonial times to serve with distinction in all branches of the armed forces.

2019 – The Army transferred management of the Pentagon Athletic Center (PAC), which it had established in more modest facilities shortly after the building opened in 1943, to Washington Headquarters Services. Under WHS leadership, the PAC eliminated fees for military and civilian personnel, installed new fitness equipment, and completed structural upgrades to the facility.

2019 – WHS transferred the Consolidated Adjudication Facility to the Defense Counter Intelligence and Security Agency. This massive transfer of over 700 employees and consolidation of resources strengthened U.S. intelligence capabilities and the government-wide mission of improving the process for determining security clearance eligibility for Department of Defense personnel.

2019-2021 – Washington Headquarters Services initiated the process of transitioning away from independent directorates to an enterprise shared services model to streamline customer access to personnel, budget, acquisition, and facilities support services. As part of this shift, WHS began tearing down functional silos, determining fee-for-service priorities, and rebuilding the support services infrastructure to provide a superior customer experience and eliminate barriers to the fulfillment of the Defense Department’s mission.

“Best in Class Shared Service Provider Empowered by Employees Who Make a Difference – Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience” – Thomas M. Muir