A bill signed into law late last week gave the Defense Secretary reason to return approximately 350,000 furloughed civilian employees at the Pentagon to work starting Monday. The bill, the Pay Our Military Act, ensures that uniformed members of the military and civilians who ?provide direct support to the military? will not suffer the effects of furlough during the government shut down. These employees represent nearly half of the federal furloughed workforce and their return may minimize some of the damage of the shutdown.
See "Pentagon to recall most furloughed workers, Hagel says", Craig Witlock, The Washington Post, October 6, 2013