Pentagon to cut 5% of civilian workforce 

The Pentagon on Friday announced that it will reduce its civilian workforce by at least five per cent starting next week as part of ongoing efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to cut the number of federal employees.

According to AFP, this move will primarily target probationary workers, with an estimated 5,400 positions to be eliminated initially.

AFP reported that the Department of Defence, the largest employer in the United States, employs over 900,000 civilians, meaning the cuts will affect more than 45,000 jobs in total.

Darin Selnick, who is performing the duties of undersecretary of defence for personnel and readiness, stated that the reductions are intended to create efficiencies and realign the department’s focus with President Trump’s priorities, including restoring readiness within the military.

In addition to the layoffs, the Pentagon will also implement a hiring freeze as officials conduct further analysis of its staffing needs.

“We anticipate reducing the department’s civilian workforce by 5-8 per cent to produce efficiencies and refocus the department on the president’s priorities and restoring readiness in the force.

“We expect approximately 5,400 probationary workers will be released beginning next week as part of this initial effort, after which we will implement a hiring freeze while we conduct a further analysis of our personnel needs,” Selnick said.

In a video message, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasised that the cuts would target employees whose roles are deemed non-essential to the department’s mission.

He also stated that the Pentagon would prioritise the promotion of high-performing employees based on merit.

“It is simply not in the public interest to retain individuals whose contributions are not mission critical.

“Common sense would tell us where we should start, right? We start with poor performers amongst our probationary employees.

“When you look at headcount, we’re going to be thoughtful, but we’re also going to be aggressive, up and down the chain, to find the places where we can ensure the best and brightest are promoted based on merit,” Hegseth said.

The announcement comes amid broader efforts led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to restructure federal agencies.

Musk, a major donor to Trump, has been involved in efforts to eliminate government programs from the previous administration, particularly those related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and climate change.

Legal challenges to these actions are ongoing, but recent court rulings have allowed the layoffs and agency changes to proceed.