The Pentagon said it expects to cut 5,400 civilian probationary employees next week and freeze hiring as part of an initial effort to trim what could total tens of thousands of positions.
The Defense Department’s Friday announcement follows its plans shared earlier with lawmakers to slash roughly 55,000 civilian probationary employees worldwide as President Donald Trump seeks to whittle down the federal workforce, according to three people familiar with the interactions.
The hiring freeze will be maintained until the department conducts an analysis of its personnel needs, the Friday statement said. Between 5% to 8% of the Pentagon’s workforce is ...