Reductions at the U.S.’ largest federal department began this week, as probationary employees were cut from the Defense Logistics Agency, which is part of the Defense Department.
“DLA released probationary employees, consistent with the Department of Defense’s broader efforts to ensure resources are aligned with the department’s strategic objectives,” a DLA spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News.
Less than 100 workers were fired from the DLA, an agency that manages the supply chain for military services. The DLA has about 25,000 employees who work at its headquarters in Virginia or across the globe, including in support of operations in the Middle East, Indo-Pacific, and Europe. Defense One first reported the DLA firings.
More cuts are expected later this week, however, at other Defense Department offices.
The Pentagon issued a memo Monday warning of imminent cuts to civilian employees, according to a copy obtained by CBS News.
The memo, directed to “Senior Pentagon Leadership,” states the purpose of the reduction is to “streamline operations and prioritize critical missions in order to redirect scarce and limited resources towards enhancing the lethality of war fighting capacity.” It is signed by Darin Selnick, who is performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
According to the letter, probationary employees whose “continued employment at the Department would not be in the public interest,” would be terminated as early as March 3.
A U.S. official confirmed the memo is authentic, but the Defense Department declined to comment.
A previous statement last month from Selnick said an estimated 5,400 probationary employees would be terminated in what was described as an “initial” effort.
The Department of Defense is one of several agencies expected to fire employees as part of the DOGE’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce. Reductions in force have occurred at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and most recently the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency.
The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to slash as many as 70,000 workers to reach a goal of returning its workforce to 2019 levels of just under 400,000 employees, according to a memo sent to top Veterans Affairs officials. Its reduction-in-force plans are expected to take place in August, according to the memo, which was obtained by CBS News.
At least 23,853 employees have been put on leave or terminated as of the end of February, according to a CBS News’ analysis.
This could be just the start of a massive reduction at the Defense Department, where earlier this month, the Pentagon said it anticipated cutting the entire civilian workforce at DoD by 5% to 8% — as part of a larger effort to decrease the budget at the Defense Department. Funds would also be reappropriated to better align with the Trump administration’s programmatic goals.
Civilian employees at the Defense Department serve in a broad spectrum of career roles inside the Pentagon and abroad. They support military operations and handle everything from intelligence analysis to logistics, cybersecurity and contract management. While uniformed service members execute military missions, civilians develop policies, oversee budgets, and maintain the intricate supply chains that keep the armed forces running.
Probationary employees are federal workers who have been on the job for two years or less and are therefore not included in civil service protections.
The Pentagon has about 950,000 civilian employees, according to a Defense Department civilian career website. A 5% to 8% reduction would add up to between 47,5000 and 76,000 thousand workers.
