Approximately a third of employees rejected by the Department of Defense (DOD) voluntarily leave the postponed resignation program, the U.S. Secretary of Defense said Tuesday.
“We are approaching applications of over 20,000 people from employees who have volunteered to participate in the postponed resignation programme, so they will actually be achieved over time,” a defense official said in a media briefing. “We are in the process of placing approved employees on administrative leave.”
The DOD coordinates the private workforce with national security priorities. As part of this effort, DOD has made strategic cuts of 5-8% of the private workforce, directing resources and talent towards mission-critical functions.
The numbers are classified into approximately 50-60,000. Of that, up to 32,000 veterans could lose their jobs as DOD civilians.
Trump continues his “unprecedented” pentagonal firing: Report
The Department of Defense is preparing to cut employment of up to 60,000 civilians. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)
“We certainly look at each case when planning workforce cuts,” said the US Secretary of Defense, who served in the Army for more than a decade before working in the civilian sector.
“So there are so many important skills and experiences that veterans have to offer. And that's part of the analysis. Considering who is contributing to the core mission functions and who should be retained,” he said.
Obama fired a top military officer to align the Pentagon with his policy vision, now Trump is about to do the same
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses arrives at the Pentagon in Washington, DC on Monday, January 27th, 2025 (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
The Department of Defense Seal will be seen on the Pentagon podium in Washington, DC on September 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Click here to get the Fox News app
In addition to the postponed resignation program, the department has removed certain probation employees and has enacted employment freezes. Each initiative, overseen by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses, focuses on the importance of workforce missions to promote lethality, preparation and combat.
“So this department is the manager of US taxpayers. We need to be good custodians, we need to be responsible for that money, and we need to ensure that we achieve our mission and put the right focus on our mission,” the official said.
