The Department of Defense (DoD) is bracing for a hit to its cybersecurity workforce amid the agency’s ongoing efforts to reduce its civilian workforce and the impact of a sustained hiring freeze, a Pentagon official said on Thursday.
Patrick Johnson, director of the Workforce Innovation Directorate under the DoD Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), said his office is working to limit the impact of those factors by targeting strategic reductions and investing in upskilling opportunities for existing staff.
The proposed cuts are part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration aimed at reducing the Federal civilian workforce. Under the current plan, DoD is looking to cut its civilian personnel by five to eight percent – a move that could affect as many as 70,000 positions. So far, approximately 21,000 civilians have left under the Deferred Resignation Program and early retirements, with more expected to depart following a second round of the program launched in April.
In parallel, a government-wide hiring freeze – implemented in March and extended through July 15 – has further constrained the DoD’s ability to recruit new cybersecurity talent.
Johnson noted that the full impact of these actions remains uncertain, particularly as some personnel in the deferred resignation program will stay on the rolls through September. The hiring freeze, he added, has caused a sharp decline in cyber-related hiring, dropping from about 1,500 hires per month last year to fewer than 200 per month more recently.
“We’re going to see a reduction in the size of our force,” Johnson said during a May 22 webinar hosted by NextGov. “Our goal is to limit that, provide the administration, and particularly the secretary and the deputy secretary, the information they need to make reasoned and rational decisions on the size of the force and where we have to cut, and be as focused and strategic as we can.”
“A lot of these things, you cannot simply turn the switch on and have it flood back in,” he said.
The DoD cyber workforce includes about 225,000 people, made up of civilians, military personnel, and contractors. Roles range from cybersecurity to AI, software engineering, and other IT work. In recent years, vacancy rates in cyber positions dropped from over 25 percent to around 15 percent using direct hire authority, according to Johnson.
Johnson emphasized that while the DoD CIO office is aligning its strategy with the department’s broader personnel reductions, it is also aiming to mitigate the effects on the cyber workforce through selective cuts and targeted upskilling efforts. He noted that the department’s reliance on contractors is another key consideration as contractor roles may also be reduced.
“If we’re not going to be able to add additional folks, especially if we’re looking at losing contractors along the way and that contract support, how do we upskill the workforce?” Johnson said. “It’s challenging times. I’m not going to kid anybody, but there is opportunity here to challenge some obstacles and other things that may have prevented us to do some of that and really lean into improving our workforce.”
As part of those efforts, Johnson said the department is engaging with academic institutions to explore new pathways for training and development of DoD’s cyber personnel.
“Those are the kind of things that I’ve tasked my team with. Those are the things I want to look at,” he said. “It’s still a win.”