Pentagon layoffs expected to begin soon: Report

WASHINGTON

The Pentagon is expected to begin layoffs this week as part of a broader cost-saving initiative, according to a report Tuesday.

The Washington Post, citing five people familiar with the matter, said the Trump administration has instructed defense agencies to submit a list of their probationary employees by the end of Tuesday, anticipating that many may be terminated later this week.

The directive for the cuts came after personnel from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has overseen significant staff reductions at other federal agencies, visited the Pentagon, it reported.

While it remains unclear whether any probationary employees at the Pentagon will be exempt from the cuts, the expectation is that most will not, the sources added.

The Department of Defense, with a budget of over $840 billion, is the largest federal agency in the United States, employing approximately 950,000 civilian staff.

DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) did not immediately comment on the report.

In a Fox News interview earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he expected Musk to uncover "billions" of dollars in fraud and abuse at the Pentagon, also planning to direct him to investigate the Department of Education and the military.