Pentagon Firing 5,400 Probationary Workers Starting Next Week

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the press during a bilateral meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 7, 2025. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is set to fire thousands of workers as part of President Donald Trump’s push to make federal agencies more efficient and cut fiscal wastage.

“The Department of Defense is re-evaluating our probationary workforce, consistent with the President’s initiative to reform the Federal workforce to maximize efficiency and productivity,” Darin Selnick, performing the duties of under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said in a Feb. 21 statement.

“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, complying as always with all applicable laws.”

In January, Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with a central aim of cutting wasteful spending in the federal government. On Feb. 11, Trump signed an executive order asking leaders of various agencies to work with DOGE to “initiate large-scale reductions in force.”

DOGE staff members have visited various agencies, identifying ways to make them more efficient.

Selnick said that the reevaluation of probationary employees is happening across the government and not just the Defense Department.

“We anticipate reducing the Department’s civilian workforce by 5–8 percent to produce efficiencies and refocus the department on the president’s priorities and restoring readiness in the force,” he said.

According to data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), there were a total of 770,948 individuals employed across the Department of Defense as of August 2024.

A 5 percent to 8 percent reduction indicates potentially cutting 38,547 to 61,675 employees. It is unclear how many civilian personnel are included in these numbers.

Selnick said that retaining employees whose contributions are not “mission-critical” is not in the public interest.

“Taxpayers deserve to have us take a thorough look at our workforce top-to-bottom to see where we can eliminate redundancies,” he said.

During a Feb. 20 address from the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that DOGE will be given access to DOD systems to help the department find “fraud, waste, and abuse.”

He dismissed reports that DOD planned on firing all probationary employees across the board. “We’re starting [cuts] with the poor performers among our probationary employees because it’s common sense that you want the best and brightest,” Hegseth said.

“So, 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.”

Removing Top Officials

The Trump administration is facing legal challenges in its attempt to shrink the federal workforce. This past week, a group of federal employee unions filed a lawsuit challenging the government’s push to fire workers in their probationary period.

Unions accused the OPM of violating the authority vested in Congress. “OPM is an agency with no statutory authority to make termination decisions for federal employees (other than for OPM’s own employees),” the lawsuit said.

“Notwithstanding this lack of legal authority, OPM ordered federal agencies throughout the nation, including in this District, to wipe out their ranks of probationary employees without any regard to applicable statutes.”

The Trump administration is also removing top figures at the Pentagon.

The administration is replacing the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military office, a post held by Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, Jr.

Chief of naval operations and Air Force vice chief of staff, held by Admiral Lisa Franchetti and General James Slife respectively, are also being replaced.

In addition, nominations are being sought for the judge advocates general for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

The Center for American Progress rebuked the Trump administration for these replacements.

“These firings are a deliberate effort to target senior professional military officers and replace them with those would prioritize loyalty to the Trump administration,” said Rudy deLeon, senior fellow at the group.

“This action disrupts the chain of command, erodes military readiness, and damages morale throughout the ranks. It sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to further politicization of the military.”

According to Hegseth, the DOD is working to quickly to achieve peace through strength by reestablishing deterrence, restoring the warrior ethos, and rebuilding the military,

“We shoot straight with you. We want you, the American people—the taxpayers—to understand why we’re making the decisions that we’re making here,” he said.

“With DOGE, we are focusing as much as we can on headquarters and fat and top-line stuff that allows us to reinvest elsewhere,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trump thanked CQ Brown for his more than 40 years of military service.

“He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“Today, I am honored to announce that I am nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan ‘Razin’ Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a ‘warfighter’ with significant interagency and special operations experience.”