Pentagon Plans to Cut Up to 60,000 Civilian Jobs

The US Department of Defense (DoD) is preparing to eliminate between 50,000 and 60,000 civilian jobs as part of a broader effort to reduce the federal workforce, according to a senior Pentagon official.

So far, fewer than 21,000 civilian employees have voluntarily resigned. To reach its target of cutting between 5% and 8% of its more than 900,000-strong civilian workforce, the department aims to eliminate about 6,000 positions per month by not replacing employees who leave through routine attrition.

The job reductions are part of a larger federal efficiency initiative spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk, a senior advisor to former President Donald Trump, focused on streamlining government operations and dismantling certain federal agencies.

The official acknowledged that some military veterans would be among those affected by the layoffs but did not provide a specific estimate, stating only that the number could be in the thousands.

The Pentagon is using three main strategies to reduce its civilian workforce: voluntary resignations, terminating employees still in their probationary period, and not refilling positions when employees depart.

Military officials and Pentagon leadership are carefully reviewing each role to ensure that critical positions related to national security remain unaffected by the cuts.