WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 The Defense Department said Friday that it鈥檚 cutting 5,400 probationary workers starting next week and will put a hiring freeze in place.
It comes after staffers from the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, were at the Pentagon earlier in the week and , U.S. officials said. They said those lists did not include uniformed military personnel, who are exempt. Probationary employees are generally those on the job for less than a year and who have yet to gain civil service protection.
鈥淲e anticipate reducing the Department鈥檚 civilian workforce by 5-8% to produce efficiencies and refocus the Department on the President鈥檚 priorities and restoring readiness in the force,鈥 Darin Selnick, who is acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said in a statement.
President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration is who have fewer civil service protections. For example, roughly 2,000 employees were cut from the U.S. Forest Service, and an 7,000 people are expected to be let go at the Internal Revenue Service.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has supported cuts, posting on X last week that the Pentagon needs 鈥渢o cut the fat (HQ) and grow the muscle (warfighters.)鈥
The Defense Department is the largest government agency, with the Government Accountability Office finding in 2023 that it had more than 700,000 full-time civilian workers.
Hegseth also has directed the military services to identify $50 billion in programs that could be cut next year to redirect those savings to fund Trump鈥檚 priorities. It represents about 8% of the military鈥檚 budget.
