Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed in a video on Thursday that the Department of Defense (DoD) is reevaluating its probationary workforce and plans to dismiss “redundant” positions and “underperformers.”
Hegseth explained in the video that the department has been undertaking this reevaluation in compliance with President Donald Trump’s day one directive to reduce the Federal civilian workforce.
“This reevaluation of probationary employees is being done across government, not just at the Defense Department. But we believe in the goals of the program, and our leaders are carrying out that review carefully and swiftly,” Hegseth said.
On Jan. 20, President Trump issued an executive order temporarily freezing the hiring of Federal civilian employees as part of an effort to reduce the size of the Federal workforce. The order includes broad exceptions for military and public safety positions, as well as for agencies responsible for distributing benefits to citizens.
However, DoD was granted a “blanket exemption” from the freeze, allowing “normal hiring actions and onboarding” to continue for the department’s civilian workforce. Despite this exemption, the DoD is moving forward with implementing the president’s workforce reduction plans.
“Bottom line, it is simply not in the public interest to retain individuals whose contributions are not mission critical and to restore accountability within the Federal workforce,” Hegseth said. “Taxpayers deserve to have us take a really thorough look at our workforce top to bottom, and it will be top to bottom, to see where we can find and eliminate redundancies.”
According to the secretary, the review and eventual dismissals will start with probationary employees, but will eventually extend up the chain of command. The goal is to identify “the best and brightest” who will remain, while those deemed underperformers will be let go.
Hegseth also announced that he would soon implement a department-wide hiring freeze and take additional time to assess potential hires based on performance.
Hegseth Clarifies Budget Reshuffling, Not Cuts
Hegseth also clarified that the department’s new budget efforts are focused on redirecting – not cutting – defense funds as part of a broader strategy to shift funding to “higher priority defense projects” that would align with President Donald Trump’s “achieve peace through strength” mandate.
“We’re asking the services to plan. It’s not a cut. It’s refocusing and reinvesting existing funds into building a force that protects you, the American people,” Hegseth said.
The goal is to reduce at least eight percent of DoD’s projected spending over the next five years, totaling $50 billion. In the initial announcement, few specifics were provided on which programs may be impacted, but the department suggested that potential cuts could target programs related to “climate change” and other social initiatives, as well as efforts to streamline bureaucracy.
Hegseth clarified that critical defense programs – including Southwest border activities, efforts against transnational criminal organizations, the Iron Dome missile defense project, and cybersecurity – will remain fully funded.
