Pentagon Set to Dismiss Thousands of Civilian Workers in Major Reduction Effort
Next week, over 5,000 employees will lose their jobs as they are classified as "not deemed mission critical."
TroibNews 
The Pentagon announced plans to terminate 5,400 civilian employees next week as part of a broader initiative to reduce its civilian workforce by 8 percent. This significant reduction could ultimately affect around 50,000 individuals, focusing primarily on civilians who have been employed for only one or two years and are still in "probationary" status, which means their dismissals are not performance-related.
“It is simply not in the public interest to retain individuals whose contributions are not mission critical,” stated Darin Selnick, the acting Defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness.
These cuts follow other extensive layoffs at various government agencies, driven largely by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to reduce federal expenditures.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed his support for the DOGE team in a video message released on Thursday, noting their recent arrival at the Pentagon.
"They're going to have broad access, obviously, with all the safeguards on classification,” he remarked.
The American Federation of Government Employees, representing 250,000 Pentagon civilians, criticized the decision, labeling it “a slap in the face to veterans and military families everywhere that will not soon be forgotten.”
Approximately 50,000 probationary employees currently work at the Pentagon, all of whom are at risk of being let go. Across the globe, about a million civilians work for the Defense Department, with nearly 46 percent of them being veterans.
A former defense official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, expressed concern that the firings “undermine the basic bargain that we made with these people, which was, as long as you do good work, there is a pathway to permanent work.”
Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed raised concerns this week regarding potential political influence on the military in light of these layoffs.
"It is going to profoundly, and unfortunately, reshape the military into a political tool of the president," warned the Rhode Island Democrat. "You get a military force that will tell the president whatever he wants to hear. Disaster soon follows."
The cuts will not only impact the Pentagon but will also have significant effects across military installations worldwide, creating workforce shortages at bases and other facilities.
“Taxpayers deserve to have us take a thorough look at our workforce top-to-bottom to see where we can eliminate redundancies,” Selnick concluded.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
“It is simply not in the public interest to retain individuals whose contributions are not mission critical,” stated Darin Selnick, the acting Defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness.
These cuts follow other extensive layoffs at various government agencies, driven largely by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to reduce federal expenditures.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed his support for the DOGE team in a video message released on Thursday, noting their recent arrival at the Pentagon.
"They're going to have broad access, obviously, with all the safeguards on classification,” he remarked.
The American Federation of Government Employees, representing 250,000 Pentagon civilians, criticized the decision, labeling it “a slap in the face to veterans and military families everywhere that will not soon be forgotten.”
Approximately 50,000 probationary employees currently work at the Pentagon, all of whom are at risk of being let go. Across the globe, about a million civilians work for the Defense Department, with nearly 46 percent of them being veterans.
A former defense official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation, expressed concern that the firings “undermine the basic bargain that we made with these people, which was, as long as you do good work, there is a pathway to permanent work.”
Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed raised concerns this week regarding potential political influence on the military in light of these layoffs.
"It is going to profoundly, and unfortunately, reshape the military into a political tool of the president," warned the Rhode Island Democrat. "You get a military force that will tell the president whatever he wants to hear. Disaster soon follows."
The cuts will not only impact the Pentagon but will also have significant effects across military installations worldwide, creating workforce shortages at bases and other facilities.
“Taxpayers deserve to have us take a thorough look at our workforce top-to-bottom to see where we can eliminate redundancies,” Selnick concluded.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
